Question: Will there be ballot questions in the November election? I like to read up in advance because sometimes they are confusing but I couldn’t find a sample ballot for Honolulu.
Answer: Yes, Oahu voters will see four proposed Honolulu Charter amendments and two proposed statewide constitutional amendments on their general election ballots.
Details about proposed changes to Oahu’s governing document can be found at 808ne.ws/3MJBUaA Opens in a new tab, including links to the City Council resolutions that inspired the proposals. Here is a summary:
>> From Resolution 23-162 CD1: “Shall the Revised City Charter be amended to require that the City Council appropriate, without having to simultaneously increase real property tax rates to fund the appropriation, one-half of one percent of the City’s estimated real property tax revenues in each fiscal year’s budget and capital program, to be deposited into a Climate Resiliency Fund, the purpose of which is to support initiatives and projects aimed at mitigating the impacts of climate change, enhancing the resilience of the City’s infrastructure and communities, and promoting sustainable practices?”
A “yes” vote supports annually allocating 0.5% of the city’s real property tax revenue to the Climate Resiliency Fund.
>> From Resolution 23-239 CD1, FD1: “Shall the Revised City Charter be amended to establish the Department of Emergency Management as an independent agency of the City Executive Branch by assigning the Department of Emergency Management a separate chapter in the City Charter similar to the chapters assigned to all other City departments; to provide that all Department of Emergency Management positions, including its Director and Deputy Director, are subject to the civil service laws; and to specify a minimum level of qualifications for the civil service position of the Director of Emergency Management, with additional minimum qualifications to be determined in accordance with civil service laws?”
A “yes” vote supports recognizing the status of this department and establishing minimum job qualifications for its director, beyond the incumbent.
>> From Resolution 24-050 FD1: “Shall the Revised City Charter be amended to establish an Ocean Safety Commission to review and make recommendations on certain activities of the Department of Ocean Safety and to appoint the Chief of Ocean Safety?”
A “yes” vote supports creating a commission for Oahu’s new stand-alone Department of Ocean Safety, whose lifeguards previously were part of the Emergency Services Department. Voters will decide whether the new department, which was spun off in May, should have a commission to hire the director and handle other oversight, similar to the police and fire departments.
>> From Resolution 24-105 CD1: “Shall the Revised City Charter provisions relating to the salaries for Council members be amended to cap any annual increase at no more than five percent, require that any changes be tied to the average annual salary changes of city employees in the City’s collective bargaining units, and remove the Council’s authority to vote on its own raises?”
A “yes” vote supports the changes as described. The resolution proposing the changes says controversy over a “one-time, catch-up raise” of 64% in 2023 recommended by the Salary Commission “highlighted the inherent flaws in the City’s existing process for establishing the salaries of its elected officials” and that the process needs to change to restore public trust.
Proposed amendments to Hawaii’s Constitution, brought forth by the Legislature, will appear on general election ballots statewide. They are:
>> From House Bill 2802, HD 1, 808ne.ws/3MMqnaG Opens in a new tab: “Shall the state constitution be amended to repeal the Legislature’s authority to reserve marriage to opposite-sex couples?”
A “yes” vote supports removing the provision approved by voters in 1998 that gave lawmakers power to ban same-sex marriage.
In 2013, Hawaii extended marriage rights to same-sex couples, with approval of the Marriage Equality Act that was passed by the Legislature and signed by the governor. In 2015, marriage equality became the law of the land throughout the United States, when the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that same-sex couples had a fundamental right to marry.
>> From Senate Bill 2927, SD 1, HD 1, CD 1, 808ne.ws/3XGKDRb Opens in a new tab: “Shall the Constitution of the State of Hawaii be amended to make the appointment and confirmation process for district court judges the same as the appointment and confirmation process for supreme court justices and intermediate court of appeals and circuit court judges, which would require:
“(1) The Judicial Selection Commission to present the Chief Justice with a list of not less than four and not more than six nominees for a vacancy;
“(2) A district court appointee to be automatically considered appointed if the Senate fails to reject the appointment within thirty days of receiving the appointment notice;
“(3) The Chief Justice to make another appointment from the list of district court nominees within ten days if the Senate rejects an appointment; and
“(4) The appointment and consent procedure to be followed until a valid appointment is made, or failing this, the Judicial Selection Commission to make the appointment from the list of nominees, without Senate consent?”
A “yes” vote supports changing the process as described, which the bill says will make judicial appointments more uniform and efficient.
Mahalo
I want to thank Daniel for his calm help when I fell in Starbucks on Tuesday. He reassured this kupuna, who found herself on the floor. — Grateful senior
Write to Kokua Line at Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Suite 7-500, Honolulu, HI 96813; call 808-529-4773; or email kokualine@staradvertiser.com.
