FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Dec. 30, 2020

Fireworks prove port security is failing residents
Pine urges state to act on audit

HONOLULU, HAWAI‘I — Deafening, house-shaking “bombs” and other illegal fireworks have rocked neighborhoods around the state of Hawai‘i for weeks, triggering veterans with PTSD and causing pets to run away from their homes in terror, often resulting in them getting hit by cars or otherwise injured.

“While a few people are setting off homemade ‘“bombs,” most of the illegal fireworks that shatter our peace and quiet are coming into our state through our ports,” said Honolulu City Councilmember Kym Pine. “Other outlawed items such as illegal drugs, invasive species and toxic substances that hurt our environment put us at high risk, but the solution lies in simply enforcing existing laws and with proper inspections,” she said.

Pine’s resolution urging state lawmakers to call for an audit of state harbor inspection procedures was unanimously approved by the Honolulu City Council on February 19. “Clearly, COVID-19 has required leaders’ focus for the health and safety of our residents, but illegal fireworks have plagued our communities for decades and pandemic-stressed people are crying out for relief,” said Pine.

“With only hours to go before New Year’s Eve fireworks, both legal and illegal, light up the sky, rattle windows and smoke up the air, I am hopeful that my former colleagues at the state Capitol will conduct an audit of inspections at state harbors and clamp down on importation of illegal products to Hawai‘i,” Pine said.

Resolution 20-16
http://www4.honolulu.gov/docushare/dsweb/Get/Document-252563/RES20-016%2c%20CD1%20-%2002-04-20%20EMLA.pdf

Councilmember Kym Pine represents residents of District One (ʻEwa, ʻEwa Beach, Kapolei, Honokai Hale, Ko ʻOlina, Nānākuli, Mā‘ili, Wai‘anae, Mākaha, Kea‘au, Mākua) and is chair of the City Council’s Committee on Business Economic Development and Tourism.

Media Contact:
Erika Engle
Communications Director
erika [dot] engle honolulu [dot] gov

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Dec. 23, 2020

Priority achieved
Island landfills “unconscionable,” Pine says

Honolulu, Hawai‘i — Honolulu City Councilmember Kym Pine released the following statement upon the city’s execution of an Ash and Automotive Shredder Residue Processing Facility contract with H-POWER operator Covanta Projects LLC:

“One of my top priorities has been to close the landfill and the ash was the remaining trash that kept it open on a weekly basis. This contract will also relieve the backlog of disposing of abandoned vehicles throughout the city,” said Honolulu City Councilmember Kym Pine, who represents the district where both H-POWER and the Waimanalo Gulch Landfill are located. “No community should ever have a landfill again. It is just unconscionable to put toxic trash into the earth on an island.”

Councilmember Kym Pine represents residents of District One (ʻEwa, ʻEwa Beach, Kapolei, Honokai Hale, Ko ʻOlina, Nānākuli, Mā‘ili, Wai‘anae, Mākaha, Kea‘au, Mākua) and is chair of the City Council’s Committee on Business Economic Development and Tourism.

Media Contact:
Erika Engle
Communications Director
erika [dot] engle honolulu [dot] gov

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Dec. 18, 2020

Pine legislation: Requiring developer-neighborhood collaboration Preventing outrage and division over affordable housing

HONOLULU, HAWAI‘I — “We desperately need affordable housing on O‘ahu and it has to be created the right way and in places that make sense,” said Honolulu City Councilmember Kym Pine. “As we have seen in Kailua and in Mā‘ili, community outrage and protests result when neighbors are not brought into the planning process. Neighborhood notification and input early in the 201H affordable housing process can easily result in a much better project with greater community benefits,” she said.

The rule change would require developers of 201H projects to involve the nearby community and seek meaningful input early in the process, before significant time and money is expended. This is especially important in situations where there may be opposition to financial incentives, development standard flexibility, or if flexibility in permitted use is being requested.

The measure is among eight pieces of legislation that received widespread, supportive public testimony and were unanimously approved by the full Honolulu City Council during its final regular meeting of 2020.

Adopted:

Res 20-178 will prevent widespread neighborhood protests and division over affordable housing projects as occurred in Kailua and Ma‘ili, by requiring developers of 201H housing projects to notify neighborhoods and seek input early in the process. The resolution directs the Department of Permitting and Planning to amend its rules to provide for these notifications. https://hnldoc.ehawaii.gov/hnldoc/document-download?id=9148

Councilmember Kym Pine represents residents of District One (ʻEwa, ʻEwa Beach, Kapolei, Honokai Hale, Ko ʻOlina, Nānākuli, Mā‘ili, Wai‘anae, Mākaha, Kea‘au, Mākua) and is chair of the City Council’s Committee on Business Economic Development and Tourism.

Media Contact:
Erika Engle
Communications Director
erika [dot] engle honolulu [dot] gov

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Dec. 16, 2020

Pine legislation to help people feed themselves, minimize mainland dependence

HONOLULU, HAWAI‘I — Food security for O‘ahu residents can now increase, with unanimous council passage of Honolulu City Councilmember Kym Pine’s legislation to create farm villages of tiny homes on agricultural land; to expand the city’s Community Gardens program to underserved areas; to establish creative use of city spaces for edible gardens and to promote sustainable planting of drought-resistant Native Hawaiian plants to save water and preserve native plant species.

“After seeing so many residents waiting hours in line for one bag of food during this pandemic, I vowed to ensure we never depend on the outside world to feed us ever again,” said Pine.

“About 45,000 acres of agricultural land are presently fallow, or not in active use. Those lands could not only be productive farms, the people who work on the farm could also live there, helping to alleviate the housing shortage, helping reduce farmers’ overhead costs and labor shortages and helping to reduce farm losses through crop theft,” she said. “Some of the most economically depressed areas on O‘ahu have no access to community garden plots to help people put food on the table. The city has land to offer, not just large parks and unused acreage, but little strips of grass between people’s homes and the street,” Pine said.

The measures are among eight pieces of legislation that received widespread, supportive public testimony and were unanimously approved by the full Honolulu City Council during its final regular meeting of 2020.

Res 20-293 creates farm villages, clusters of tiny homes on agricultural land, to house farm workers on the land where they work. The Department of Planning and Permitting and Planning Commission are directed to explore amending the Land Use Ordinance to establish these villages to help solve farmers’ labor shortages and theft-driven crop losses. Farm villages also would help to address the housing shortage and unemployment. https://hnldoc.ehawaii.gov/hnldoc/document-download?id=8428

Bill 59 passed third reading, is heading for the mayor’s desk and Councilmember Pine urges him to sign it into law. It will empower residents to grow their own food by offering residents a city-provided community garden where they can grow produce. https://hnldoc.ehawaii.gov/hnldoc/document-download?id=9101

Bill 83 will allow the public to cultivate edible plants in city rights-of-way (the patch of grass between the sidewalk and street fronting their homes, for example). Passed second reading – moving forward through the council process. https://hnldoc.ehawaii.gov/hnldoc/document-download?id=8387

Res 20-74 promotes cultivation of Native Hawaiian plants and will save water, helping the city achieve its sustainability goals. The adopted resolution urges the city to implement these plantings whenever and wherever possible. https://hnldoc.ehawaii.gov/hnldoc/document-download?id=8801

Councilmember Kym Pine represents residents of District One (ʻEwa, ʻEwa Beach, Kapolei, Honokai Hale, Ko ʻOlina, Nānākuli, Mā‘ili, Wai‘anae, Mākaha, Kea‘au, Mākua) and is chair of the City Council’s Committee on Business Economic Development and Tourism.

Media Contact:
Erika Engle
Communications Director
erika [dot] engle honolulu [dot] gov

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Dec. 8, 2020

Women surfers will finally have permit parity if gender equity in sports bill passes tomorrow

HONOLULU, HAWAI‘I — The City and County of Honolulu will no longer be allowed to exclude female surf competitions during prime winter conditions on the North Shore if Bill 10 passes final reading Wednesday at the Honolulu City Council.

Bill 10 ensures equity for women in all sports that require city permits. For almost a decade, the city has only approved permits for male surf competitions during prime North Shore surf season, despite requests from female contest leaders for equity.

As a result, professional female surfers came to the City Council in early 2020 to protest that women were being shut out of surf competitions. After experiencing similar discrimination as a female athlete, Councilmember Kym Pine knew what they were going through. She and her parents fought for the right for her to try out for the Mānoa Little League, after being rejected simply on the basis of her gender. She dressed up as a boy to try out and was the only player from her team chosen for the All-Star Team, which came in third in the state championships.

“What has happened for a decade is unacceptable. Many of the best female surfers in the world have been denied equal access,” said Pine, who authored the bill. “As far as I am concerned, women have been discriminated against and I am proud to say that no matter what sport you are in, women will never be mistreated by the city again.”

Hawai‘i, widely considered the birthplace of surfing, once held major qualifying events for female surf competitions on O‘ahu’s North Shore. But permit approvals stopped ten years ago, allowing for only male competitions. Novice female surfers who seek to qualify for international rankings must travel elsewhere for qualifying events, an expensive proposition.

“When I started surfing, I was able to fly over to O‘ahu to qualify for the Triple Crown. Now, women have been excluded from all competition,” said pro surfer, actor and DJ Keala Kennelly. “I was part of the Commission for Equity in Women’s Surfing. We were able to achieve pay parity, but if there is no competition, it’s like getting a raise and then getting laid off. This is about equal opportunity for women; we aren’t getting equal opportunity.”

“Considering the few opportunities women surfers in particular have in Hawai‘i to be professional athletes, that is a big a reason why we need Bill 10 to pass. Even though gender equity is a federal law – it is not practiced here,” said “Banzai” Betty Depolito, renowned local surfer, photographer and surf event organizer. She added that women’s competitions have only received permits for beaches with substandard surf, while men’s events enjoy the best waves at the best beaches.

“Bill 10 will bring Honolulu in line with the rest of the country by mandating that women have the same access as men. This is way overdue,” said Pine, noting that surfing will debut in the next Olympics. “We have some of the best women surfers in the world, who learned to surf at Banzai and Pipeline. Their talent deserves recognition, just as much as men.”

Bill 10, which has overwhelming support, will be on the City Council’s Dec. 9 agenda.
Thanks are due to City Councilmember Heidi Tsuneyoshi, representing the North Shore, for bringing this to the City Council’s attention.

Bill 10 is on Page 16 of the Dec. 9 Honolulu City Council agenda.

Councilmember Kym Pine represents residents of District One, comprising portions of ‘Ewa Villages and ‘Ewa Beach, Kapolei, Makakilo, Kalaeloa, Honokai Hale, Ko ‘Olina, Nānākuli, Mā‘ili, Wai‘anae, Mākaha, Kea‘au and Makua) and is chair of the City Council’s Committee on Business Economic Development and Tourism.

Councilmember Kym Pine represents residents of District One (ʻEwa, ʻEwa Beach, Kapolei, Honokai Hale, Ko ʻOlina, Nānākuli, Mā‘ili, Wai‘anae, Mākaha, Kea‘au, Mākua) and is chair of the City Council’s Committee on Business Economic Development and Tourism.

Media Contacts:

Victoria Talbot
victoria [dot] talbot honolulu [dot] gov

Erika Engle
Communications Director
erika [dot] engle honolulu [dot] gov

Dec. 1, 2020

TODAY: Pine’s bill creates more affordable housing
4,400 units and counting

HONOLULU, HAWAI‘I — Legislation by Honolulu City Councilmember Kym Pine has created some 4,400 affordable housing units on O‘ahu in her years of public service and more are being announced today.

“It is so gratifying to see that my Bill 7 (2019) will create even more affordable housing on the island, this time, in the Liliha neighborhood with the announcement on Pu‘uhue Place. Affordable housing is even more critical than ever with so many residents’ income decimated, if not eliminated during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic,” said Councilmember Pine.

“It was such a pleasure to work with developer Marshall Hung over two years to generate this bill. I was also encouraged that the bill that became law in May of last year, was lauded as a key housing solution by then-candidate, now Mayor-elect Rick Blangiardi, during the campaign. It is my hope that his administration will continue to use this law to create more affordable housing once he takes office and I will support him in all such efforts,” Councilmember Pine said.

Ordinance 19-8, introduced by Honolulu City Councilmember Kym Pine as Bill 7 (2019) in February of 2019 and which was unanimously adopted by the full council and approved by the mayor in May 2019.

http://www4.honolulu.gov/docushare/dsweb/Get/Document-237616/DOC%20(27).pdf

Councilmember Kym Pine represents residents of District One (ʻEwa, ʻEwa Beach, Kapolei, Honokai Hale, Ko ʻOlina, Nānākuli, Mā‘ili, Wai‘anae, Mākaha, Kea‘au, Mākua) and is chair of the City Council’s Committee on Business Economic Development and Tourism.

Media Contact:
Erika Engle
Communications Director
erika [dot] engle honolulu [dot] gov

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Aloha, Friends!

The Covid-19 pandemic exposed Hawai’i’s dependency on the mainland for our most basic food needs. As I volunteered at food distribution events, my heart was broken to see hundreds of our residents waiting in food lines for hours. With the pandemic, a bad situation has only become worse, as so many have lost their jobs. I am passionate about food security and I know you are, as well.

On Nov. 5, the Honolulu City Council will be considering several items I have created to enhance food security and to ensure that all of our residents can grow and produce their own food, even if they live in high-rises in urban centers.

Bill 59 will empower us to grow our own food by offering residents a city-provided community garden where they can grow their own produce. This bill exempts all 10 existing community gardens from any changes, but creates opportunities for residents everywhere to grow their own fresh, healthy food.

Bill 81 gives a tax break to property owners that allow land to be used for agricultural uses such as community gardens.

Bill 83 will allow the public to grow edible plants in city rights-of-way.

Resolution 20-293 and the accompanying bill will create Farm Villages of Tiny Homes to provide housing for farm labor on fallow agricultural acreage. This removes key barriers, housing and labor, to growing food in these areas. Farm Villages enable residents to live in simple agricultural communities where they can grow food, without turning precious agricultural land over to giant residential developments and shopping centers, as has happened in the past. The land will remain zoned as AG-1 and AG-2.

You have supported me in the past as I have worked towards stabilizing our food supply by becoming more independent through supporting agriculture and producing our own food. I urge you to bring your testimony to the City Council to support these very significant efforts to increase our food security and independence.

These measures will empower more people to grow their own food in our urban centers and create options for people to increase agricultural production. They are scheduled for public hearing during the full Honolulu City Council meeting at 10 a.m. Thursday, Nov. 5. Please register to testify by Wednesday, Nov. 4. We hope you will offer your support for this very important legislation. Thank you for any testimony you previously submitted!

Bill 59:

https://hnldoc.ehawaii.gov/hnldoc/document-download?id=8230

Bill 81:

http://www4.honolulu.gov/docushare/dsweb/Get/Document-277557/BILL081(20).pdf

Bill 83:

https://hnldoc.ehawaii.gov/hnldoc/document-download?id=8387

Res 20-239:

http://www4.honolulu.gov/docushare/dsweb/Get/Document-277154/RES20-239.PDF

To present oral testimony, (preferred), visit www.webex.com, click Join, enter the specified meeting number and complete the registration process. You will receive an email that contains links and information on joining the meeting by either phone or video conference. Webex testifiers are strongly encouraged to register at least 24 hours before the start of the meeting. Remote testimony will be taken at the start of the agenda and will then be closed.

Written testimony should also be submitted a day before the meeting, but late testimony will be accepted and hand-delivered to council members the morning of the meeting. You should be aware that If submitted, written testimonies, including the testifiers address, email address and phone number, will be available to the public on both the City Councils pilot website: www.honolulucitycouncil.com, as well as the Citys legacy DocuShare website.

You can find full instructions on how to register to testify on Pages 4 and 5 of the public hearing notice:

https://hnldoc.ehawaii.gov/hnldoc/document-download?id=8326

We also ask that time permitting, you contact other members of the Council to express your support:

Chair Ann Kobayashi, 768-5005, akobayashi@honolulu.gov;

Vice-Chair Tommy Waters, 768-5004, tommy.waters@honolulu.gov;

Floor Leader Carol Fukunaga, 768-5006, cafukunaga@honolulu.gov;

Chair Emeritus Ron Menor, 768-5009, rmenor@honolulu.gov;

Councilmember Heidi Tsuneyoshi, 768-5002, htsuneyoshi@honolulu.gov;

Councilmember Alan Texeira, 768-5003, alan.texeira@honolulu.gov;

Councilmember Joey Manahan, 768-5007, jmanahan@honolulu.gov;

Councilmember Brandon Elefante, 768-5008, belefante@honolulu.gov.

Please encourage your like-minded colleagues to submit testimony in support of the resolution by sharing this email. Mahalo for your time and consideration!

Councilmember Kym Pine represents residents of District One, comprising portions of Ewa Villages and Ewa Beach, Kapolei, Makakilo, Kalaeloa, Honokai Hale, Ko Olina, Nnkuli, Mili, Waianae, Mkaha, Keaau and Makua) and is chair of the City Councils Committee on Business Economic Development and Tourism.

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Oct. 28, 2020

Pine: Four Seasons Ko Olina employees’ health coverage extended

HONOLULU, HAWAI‘I — Honolulu City Councilmember Kym Pine this morning was assured that the new, Hong Kong-based owner of Four Seasons Resort O‘ahu at Ko Olina will extend employee health coverage through November.

“As has been reported, the local owners of Four Seasons Ko Olina sold their ownership share to their partners in Hong Kong. I am grateful for Four Seasons’ announcement this morning, on a phone call to all employees, that it will continue to pay for employee health insurance in November. Unlike many employers who have had to lay off or furlough employees, the owners have paid employee health insurance since the hotel closure in March. I will continue to work with the new full owners to try my best to convince them to do their best to take care of our workers as long as they can, despite their monthly losses.”

Councilmember Kym Pine represents residents of District One (ʻEwa, ʻEwa Beach, Kapolei, Honokai Hale, Ko ʻOlina, Nānākuli, Mā‘ili, Wai‘anae, Mākaha, Kea‘au, Mākua) and is chair of the City Council’s Committee on Business Economic Development and Tourism.

Media Contact:
Erika Engle
Communications Director
erika [dot] engle honolulu [dot] gov

Oct. 26, 2020

Ko Olina sale statement

HONOLULU, HAWAI‘I — Upon the announcement that The Resort Group had sold its interest in Four Seasons Resort O‘ahu at Ko Olina to its partner, Hong Kong-based Henderson Land Group, Honolulu City Councilmember Kym Pine issued the following statement:

“This is a sign of the times. The tourism industry is struggling and it is another sad day for Hawai‘i to lose another local owner. This pandemic is destroying the industry. Our best wishes are with the hundreds of employees. We urge the new owners to do everything in its power to take good care of these 800 local residents.”

Councilmember Kym Pine represents residents of District One (ʻEwa, ʻEwa Beach, Kapolei, Honokai Hale, Ko ʻOlina, Nānākuli, Mā‘ili, Wai‘anae, Mākaha, Kea‘au, Mākua) and is chair of the City Council’s Committee on Business Economic Development and Tourism.

Media Contact:
Erika Engle
Communications Director
erika [dot] engle honolulu [dot] gov

Oct. 16, 2020

Business owners feel discriminated against
Tourism can open, but they can’t

HONOLULU, HAWAI‘I — Honolulu City Councilmember Kym Pine staged a virtual town hall for local businesses today in which they expressed great frustration. Business owners note that they are not being allowed to operate despite increased safety protocols they have put in place — at great expense — in addition to the already-stringent safety protocols that were already being observed.

“The blanket tiered system that is now in place is hurting local businesses, many of which have permanently shut down. The mayor and governor should switch to a system that instead, measures an individual business’ ability to keep customers safe and prevents the COVID-19 virus from spreading,” said Councilmember Pine.

“It’s clear that many businesses are being discriminated against when tourism is allowed to open, yet local businesses must remain closed. Local leaders admit that there is a 20 percent chance for a visitor to bring in the virus despite being tested,” she said.

View the virtual town hall: https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1257937777918626

Councilmember Kym Pine represents residents of District One (ʻEwa, ʻEwa Beach, Kapolei, Honokai Hale, Ko ʻOlina, Nānākuli, Mā‘ili, Wai‘anae, Mākaha, Kea‘au, Mākua) and is chair of the City Council’s Committee on Business Economic Development and Tourism.

Media Contact:
Erika Engle
Communications Director
erika [dot] engle honolulu [dot] gov

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