20231025-KapoleiNB

SENATOR MAILE SHIMABUKURO 2023 HAWAII STATE LEGISLATURE

Ka‘ena - Makahā - Waiʻanae - Nānākuli - Mā‘ili - Ko Olina

OCTOBER 2023

LATEST COMMUNITY UPDATES Wai‘anae Elementary School 3rd Grade Class of Kumu Katie meets Sen. Maile Shimabukuro in the Classroom & then visits Capitol In early September, I was invited to visit and talk story with all the keiki from Wai’anae Elementary School’s 3rd Grade haumana of Kumu Katie Hilstead in their own school. The students were curious about what I did as a Senator for the Hawaii State Legislature with the many responsibilities of being a senator.

(L-R) Keahi Renaud, my Chief of Staff, myself, Rep. Gates & Cross Crabbe, his Office Manager

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AND THEN last week, all those very energetic kids came to visit the Capitol to learn about what the legislature does and how it works (ABOVE) They learned about power and process at the legislature and (RIGHT) They learned about the many resources at the Public Access Room

MAHALO FOR VISITING ~ Senator Maile

A BRIEF UPDATE SUMMARY: HISTORY: A class action suit was filed in (circa) 1997 seeking relief for Hawaiian Homestead Beneficiaries who have been on the waitlist for an undue lengthy period of time. At the time of the filing, there were upwards of 3,000 members in the class action titled Kalima et al. v. State of Hawai. In 2022, the State of Hawaii settled the suit and appropriated the $328 million settlement and was pending distribution at $40M to the two plaintiff attorneys, some administrative fees, and the remainder to be distributed to the eligible members of the class originally totally about 3,000 members. It is worth noting that since the filing of the lawsuit, about 1,100 members in the original lawsuit have since passed away. This is what makes the disbursement so urgent.

RECENTLY: The Claim Administrator and Plaintiff Counsel deemed Mr. Rivera ineligible (due to being a minor when joining the suit two decades ago) and thus removed from the suit and left without legal representation. Per the terms of the settlement, Mr. Rivera was allowed to file an appeal which he did prior to the final deadline. This then caused the distribution oof the settlement to be stayed until the Intermediate Court of Appeals adjudicates the Mr. Rivera’s appeal.

CURRENTLY, the State Attorney General (AG) and the Plaintiff Counsel both filed briefs (due Oct 24th). The AG sought a full and complete appeal but requested an expedited proceeding and review by the State Supreme Court. I’ll keep you updated.

~ Maile

Financial Assistance and Housing Placement Services US VETS Housing Placement Program & Housing First Financial help for rent, utilities, security deposit, etc for civilians and veterans 85-638 Farrington Highway, Waianae 808-348-7422

DHHL Rent Relief Program

Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement

City Rental & Housing Assistance

Rent, utilities, mortgage, etc. assistance available for people of all ethnic backgrounds

https://www.hawaiiancouncil.org/rent-mortgage-relief-funds/

808-596-8155

Catholic Charities Rental and Utility Relief Program https://www.catholiccharitieshawaii.org/rental-utility-relief-program/

808-521-4357 Institute for Human Services

Rental Assistance 916 Kaamahu Place A Honolulu, Hawaii 96817

If you are on DHHL’s waitlist, or hold a DHHL Undivided Interest, you may eligible for rental assistance.

https://www.hawaiiancouncil.org/dhhl-rent-relief-program/

American Job Center Network Rent-to-Work Program and Housing Assistance for Kupuna Waianae Neighborhood Community Center 808 768-5701 Waianae Coast Comprehensive Health Center

Rental & Utility Assistance 808-697-3736

Kealahou West Oahu Transitional housing placement and homeless outreach services (808) 696-5667

Phone: 808.447.2840 State of Hawaii Affordable Housing List https://dbedt.hawaii.gov/hhfdc/affordable-housing-inventory/affordable-rental-housing-inventory/ Aloha United Way For more possible rental assistance and social services referrals CALL 211

AES TAKING STEPS FOR ENVIROMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY AES HAWAI’I ANNOUNCES THE MOBILIZATION FOR THE CONSTRUCTION OF AES MOUNTAIN VIEW SOLAR In our ongoing efforts to create a cleaner, sustainable and more pono lifestyle, AES garnered community input and concerns to develop an optimal plan to implement this new solar farm creating cleaner energy for a better Hawai’I nei!

RUMORED THREATS OF INTERSCHOOL VIOLENCE INVEVITABLY CALLS FOR GAME CANCELLATION IN AN ABUNDANCE OF CAUTION Unsure of exactly of who precisely had instigated the banter of threats between Wai’anae High School & Castle High School.

The violent threats were posted on social media stating that a group of students from Castle High School were going to come to Waianae ad shoot up the campus. Then there was a retaliatory response where students of Waianae High School were then rumored to retaliate with similar violent threats noting guns.

Honolulu Police Department, the federal FBI, and school officials opened an investigation and also discussed safety measures. One of the outcomes was the canceling of the this weekends game (Oct 6) between each of these two football teams. Let’s all cool down, be safe as we figure all this out, together !

NHIS Political Science Students Demonstrate their Grasp of Modern Hawaiian History Under the expert tutelage of Kumu Jolie Reyes Oda of Nanakuli High School, she motivated, trained & shaped her 11th/12th grade haumana of her Social Studies Class. These budding activist historians grappled with the complex topics revolving around “Modern History of Hawai’i, Each team tackled and researched one of 16 major topics and presented at an evening session in the cafeteria to a full crowd of Nanakuli people and a whole team of kupuna (above). The students (below) where outstanding.

As Nanakuli is one of the most densely populated Hawaiian communities as well as homesteaders, Mrs Reyes wanted her students to immerse into the historical Political Processes. Congratulations.