Senator Mike Gabbard Member Feed

It's Time To Fix The Hawaii State Capitol Reflecting Pools

The following article I wrote was posted by Honolulu Civil Beat on November 30, 2015.

Have you ever visited our State Capitol and noticed a funky, bad smell coming from the murky, algae-filled unsightly water in the Reflecting Pools surrounding the building? Well, that's just part of the problem. Over the years the pool has leaked many times, causing damage to the electrical system and air conditioning in the building. Furthermore, it costs $100,000 annually for state workers to continually clean the pool waters, which are fed by brackish water from wells. The latest estimate is that it would take approximately $15.2 million to fix the Reflecting Pools. Unfortunately, even if we spent that much money, we'd still have to come back in several years and do it all over again, because there will always be leaks. So what's the solution?

The backstory is that the State Capitol was built in 1969 and is on both the National Register of Historic Places and the State Register of Historic Places. The Reflecting Pools are a combined 77,000 square feet in size and the waterproofing membrane below the Pools hasn't been replaced in all those years. A major problem is that there's inadequate water circulation which causes the water to stagnate and there's also no filtration system. People have repeatedly thrown fish into the Pools, which worsens the situation. There have actually been sightings of a barracuda!

In 2004, the state Department of Accounting and General Services (DAGS), the entity responsible for the Capitol grounds, released a study estimating it would cost about $5 million to get the Capitol Reflecting Pools fixed. No concrete action came out of this study. In 2013, I introduced Senate Bill 21 to appropriate $11.5 million to make improvements to the Reflecting Pools. My bill would have required the incorporation of a natural filtration system using native plants, but it didn't pass.

During the last several months, I

Hawai'i Farmers Union United Convention

My daughter, Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard and I were keynote speakers at the Hawai‘i Farmers Union United (HFUU) Annual Convention on November 13th on Maui. The theme of the convention was the "International Year of Soils." HFUU is a member of the National Farmers Union, which was established in 1902, and they have nine chapters statewide. They are dedicated to supporting local community agriculture and food production. In 2010, I had the privilege of recognizing HFUU with a floor presentation in the State Senate Chambers for their outstanding work. My keynote speech focused on how sustainable community food systems, such as organic and natural farming, can be just as productive as the industrial model of farming, characterized by large-scale mono-crops with heavy use of pesticides and petroleum-based fertilizers. Leading up to the 2016 session, as Chair of the Water, Land, and Agriculture Committee, I'm already working with HFUU on farm mentoring and nutrient cycling program legislation and plan to work with all our farmers to find solutions to high electricity costs; access to secure affordable land; housing costs; labor costs, access to markets; need for scaled production and consistency of supply; access to finance capital; and education and training needs.

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TOTUS Awards Highlight Tea Production in Hawai'i

I participated in the Tea of the United States (TOTUS) Awards in Volcano on Hawai‘i Island on November 7th. Senator Russell Ruderman and I presented Honorary Certificates from the State Senate to the organizers of TOTUS and the following judges who are all tea experts from around the country: Jane Pettigrew, Bruce Richardson, David De Candia, Selena Ahmed, Kevin Gascoyne, and Stephen Rouelle. The TOTUS Awards is the first national tea competition specifically for U.S. grown tea. Tea is a significant niche crop that has a lot of future potential in the islands. As background, tea originated in southwest China and the top producing countries of tea are China, India, Kenya, Sri Lanka, and Turkey. The U.S. Tea Industry is an $11 billion business, but much of that economic impact stems from imported tea leaves. Tea was introduced to Hawai‘i in the late 1800s, but wasn’t as profitable as pineapple and sugarcane. In the 1980s, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, along with UH's College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources, aided in research to establish tea cultivars. Most tea in Hawai‘i is grown on the Hilo side of Hawai‘i Island. I’m hopeful tea has a bright outlook in our islands!

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Aloha+ Challenge Legislative and Policy Retreat

I co-sponsored the Aloha+ Challenge Legislative and Policy Retreat at the State Capitol with Rep. Ryan Yamane and Rep. Chris Lee on November 17th. This retreat brought together close to 100 elected officials, government employees, and non-profit experts to move ahead on our state sustainability goals. Hawai‘i Green Growth (HGG) was a big partner in making this happen. HGG is a public-private partnership of more than 60 Hawai‘i sustainability leaders from government, non- governmental and cultural organizations, business and academia.

It was just a year ago that former Governor Neil Abercrombie, our 4 mayors, and the Office of Hawaiian Affairs launched the Aloha+ Challenge, a shared statewide commitment to six interconnected sustainability targets to be achieved by 2030. The Aloha+ Challenge outlines ambitious, yet achievable targets in the areas of clean energy, local food production, natural resource management, solid waste reduction, smart sustainable communities (including climate resilience), and green jobs and education. These targets provide a framework to set priorities, catalyze action and track progress on shared goals.

Since last year, the state, counties and OHA have worked with statewide partners from HGG to identify shared priorities for action and created the online Aloha+ Challenge Dashboard, which enables us to track progress on these targets. At the launch for the Aloha+ Challenge Dashboard earlier this year, I announced that I would work with HGG to convene the first Aloha+ Challenge Legislative Retreat with leaders from the Legislature and key partners and experts from government, non-profits, business, education and philanthropy to identify strategic priorities and develop a joint action agenda.

The purpose of this retreat was to develop high-impact Aloha+ Challenge joint priorities and leadership commitments that we can highlight at the upcoming World Conservation Congress in September 2016. As

Aloha e Friends,

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays! The 15th Annual Kapolei City Lights will take place on Saturday, December 12th from 3pm to 9pm at Kapolei Hale. The Marketplace, including a craft fair, farmers market, public services booth, entertainment, and Keiki Village, will kick-off at 3pm. The parade will begin at 6pm, going from Kapolei Parkway at Kapolei Middle School and ending before the right turn at Kama‘aha Avenue. The tree lighting ceremony will be at 7:15pm.

As always, feel free to contact me at 586-6830 or email sengabbard@capitol.hawaii.gov if I can help you or your family in any way. You can also follow me on Twitter @senmikegabbard, Instagram @sengabbard, or Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/senmikegabbard.

Aloha e Friends,

I hope you have a Happy Thanksgiving! While our state faces big challenges with the high cost of living, homelessness, and traffic congestion, we are still blessed by living in one of the most beautiful places on earth with people who value and perpetuate our spirit of aloha.

As always, feel free to contact me at 586-6830 or email sengabbard@capitol.hawaii.gov if I can help you or your family in any way. You can also follow me on Twitter @senmikegabbard, Instagram @sengabbard, or Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/senmikegabbard.

Ideas for Legislation

The 2016 Legislative Session will kick-off on January 20, 2016. Leading up to that date, I'll be working on bills to introduce with the goal of improving our quality of life. I'm also interested in getting ideas from you on things we can do at the Legislature to make positive changes. Please contact my office if you'd like to weigh in. It doesn't have to be a fully fleshed-out concept. All we need is a few bullet points to get the process going.

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West Oahu Education Town Hall Meeting

We're finalizing the details for the West O‘ahu Education Town Hall Meeting, December 1st from 7pm to 9pm at the UH West O‘ahu Multipurpose Room. The event is being sponsored by myself, Senator Espero, and Senator Nishihara and will focus on the Ewa, Kapolei, and Waipahu communities.

The general theme of the Town Hall will be to inform the community about the situation with public K-12 school facilities, including electrical upgrades and AC, planned new schools, and curriculum. We'll also have leaders from UH West O‘ahu talk about the long range plans for the university, its innovative programs, and its role in serving the broader community. One of the most exciting things being highlighted is the partnerships that are being forged between the Department of Education and UH West O‘ahu.

Here's our speaker line up:

• Suzanne Mulcahy, Assistant Superintendent of the Office of Curriculum, Instruction and Student Support - Department of Education

• Dann Carlson, Assistant Superintendent, Office of School Facilities and Support Services - Department of Education

• Kathy Wong-Nakamura, Interim Vice Chancellor for Administration - UH West O‘ahu

• Doris Ching, Interim Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs - UH West O‘ahu

There will also be ample time for Q & A from the community. I hope you can make it!

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Honoring Ezra Mo'o

I had the opportunity to surprise Ezra Mo‘o with an Honorary Certificate from the State Senate at the Makakilo Stake of the LDS Church on October 28th. Ezra was recognized as part of his Eagle Court of Honor Ceremony for achieving the rank of Eagle Scout.

Ezra is the son of proud parents Tehina and Lori, and is a natural leader who is kind, giving, and respectful as well as being full of ambition--the good kind. At the age of 14, Ezra began his own DJ business. He started off with a pair of golf clubs that he used to barter for most of his music equipment. For the past four years he has owned and operated EM Productions. While he was a student at Kapolei High School, Ezra participated in the Marine JROTC program where he earned the Kings Guard Award for his participation in exhibition riflery and later received the Non-Commissioned Officers Award. He served as the Commander over the Exhibition Riflery for all four years and as a Platoon Sergeant for three of his four years. At the end of his senior year, Ezra held the rank of Marine JROTC 1st Lieutenant.

The scouting program has been an important part of Ezra's life since the age of 8 when he joined the Cub Scouts. Ezra has been an Assistant Patrol Leader, Patrol Leader, and Senior Patrol Leader. He is a recipient of the Arrow of Light Award, which is the highest award in Cub Scouting. For Ezra's Eagle Scout project, he coordinated all the work and equipment needed to paint multiplication charts on three flights of stairs at Maukalani Elementary. Outside of Scouts and church, Ezra loves to fish, dive, and body board and dreams of one day owning his own fishing boat. After he returns from a two year mission for the LDs Church, Ezra plans to enlist in the Marine Corps and become a dog handler. We wish him all success.

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West Oahu Education Town Hall Meeting

Join Senators Mike Gabbard, Will Espero, and Clarence Nishihara for an evening focused on Ewa, Kapolei, and Waipahu schools and UH West O‘ahu, with special guest speakers and a Q & A session.

December 1st, 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
UH West O‘ahu Multi-Purpose Room
91-1001 Farrington Highway
Kapolei, HI 96707