With the retirement of Police Chief Susan Ballard, Honolulu must choose a new chief carefully.

Neighborhood boards constantly hear from residents about the rise in crime. When we question our police representatives, they often complain that they are unable to take action in many cases. They also tell us to call 911 when we witness a crime, but too often police arrive too late to take action or cannot take action due to current laws. We also never seem to see foot patrols outside of Waikiki.

In choosing a new chief, it is important that in addition to running the department, the person picked is someone who can work (or fight) with our lawmakers to demand the resources they need to work effectively.

We must take this opportunity to take a strong position against crime and lawlessness.

Kevin McDonald

Downtown-Chinatown Neighborhood Board

Hire law-and-order police chief for Oahu

Since the release of inmates due to COVID-19 concerns, Oahu has become like a giant prison yard.

I do lots of community outreach. I’ve had to intervene in about 12 assaults over the past year or so, and it seems to be getting worse. I’m especially concerned about assaults on our keiki and kupuna, which appear to have increased recently.

Since Police Chief Susan Ballard has announced her resignation, I move that a chief who actually will engage in enforcing law and order, such as Tenari Maafala, be nominated by Mayor Rick Blangiardi.

Public safety is Job One of government. We’d like our peace and safety back, please.

Steve J. Williams

Makiki

Climate, environment aren’t the same thing

Let’s keep these two concepts separate. The climate is always changing, but those effects are driven by fluctuations in the solar energy Earth receives.

As your editorial stated, we can do things to defend against the changes and mitigate against them (“Climate change defenses,” Star-Advertiser, Our View, April 10). We must recognize that there is little we can do to alter them. However, we can improve the environment in which we live.

We can help by reducing our carbon emissions and use of fossil fuels; we can reduce landfills and our dependence on some plastics; we can keep our cities cleaner; and so on.

But these efforts, while improving our environment, will have little or no effect on the climate changes that are driven by forces far too large for us humans to influence. It’s important that we recognize the differences and not use the terms “climate” and “environmental” synonymously.

John Kim

Manoa

Nature-based solutions to fight sea level rise

Mahalo for your editorial (“Climate change defenses,” Star-Advertiser, Our View, April 10), and the related article on climate adaptation approaches for East Honolulu developed by the UH School of Architecture (“University of Hawaii study offers ways Honolulu can adapt to rising ocean waters,” Star-Advertiser, April 5).

While these articles stress the need to act now to address potential impacts from sea level rise and the increasing frequency and intensity of storms, they also point out oppor- tunities to adapt creatively using culturally and environmentally sound approaches.

These approaches include nature- based solutions, such as protection and restoration of wetlands and avoiding coastal hardening, which can result from the use of seawalls, revetments and other structural approaches.

Much of our population resides within coastal areas designated as sea-level-rise exposure areas. These include vulnerable populations on the windward and leeward coasts. Climate justice and equity must be considered in the selection of adaptation strategies, with the affected communities as active partners in the decision-making processes.

Dave Raney

Co-team leader, Sierra Club Climate Adaptation and Restoration Team

Give locals dividends for burden of tourism

We need to rethink our tourism industry as we restart post-pandemic.

One idea I have that I strongly believe would make Hawaii better is a tourism dividend system that pays residents on an annual basis, similar to Alaska’s Permanent Fund from oil revenues. Tourism affects all of us, as traffic, crowding, everything we enjoy doing are impacted by more people.

Wesley Lum

Liliha

Get vaccinated so we can get back to our lives

I want to encourage everyone to please get the COVID-19 vaccine as soon as possible, once it opens up to all adults on April 19.

We are so close to the end of this pandemic and the quicker we all get vaccinated, the sooner we can return to a fully open economy and society.

We have all spent the last 13 to 14 months living so as not to endanger ourselves, our loved ones or even strangers to the wrath of the coronavirus. Now that we have the vaccine, the end is finally in sight. Let’s not waste any more time!

Christopher Espinoza

Hawaii Kai

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