You know that “slippery slope” people are always talking about, or “unintended consequences”?

Well, House Bill 1434 certainly has all the signs of those two conditions becoming real if passed (“Hawaii legislators consider allowing foreclosure on problem properties without court proceedings,” Star-Advertiser, April 4). Basically it’s an end run around the current legal process to condemn and foreclose on a property.

One particularly egregious example used to push for the necessity of this bill is the 1421 Pensacola St. property, which has been in the news many times over the years due to complaints of dangerous disrepair, vermin, two fires, unanswered complaints and unpaid fines.

Dean Uchida, director of the city Department of Planning and Permitting, claimed that the city’s corporation counsel considers these foreclosures to be a lower priority. Instead of doing an end run around legal existing property rights, both DPP and the corporation counsel need to have a serious heart-to-heart about their responsibilities to the taxpayers.

I think $300,000 in fines, two fires and a blight on a neighborhood are a high priority and just the tip of the iceberg.

Andrea W. Bell

Kailua

Invest in genki balls to clean up Ala Wai

The article about the 5,000 genki balls dropped in the Ala Wai Canal, a repeat of the 2019 genki ball drop, was a much-needed positive news story (“Thousands of ‘genki balls’ dropped into Ala Wai,” Star-Advertiser, April 3). The balls contain fermentive bacteria that digest and oxidize the sludge in the canal.

The project team said it needs 200,000 genki balls for the entire canal, at a cost close to $1 million to complete this natural way to clean up the canal.

Let’s get this job done correctly, not piecemeal. The state or some big corporation or wealthy individual should fund this project.

Let’s get the job done today. Imagine clean water in the Ala Wai Canal: It would almost be a miracle.

If 10,000 genki balls result in cleaner water, imagine what 200,000 genki balls would do.

Tom Sebas

Waikiki

Downtown Art Center deserves city’s support

Your editorial had excellent advice on how to make Chinatown bloom (“Changes in Chinatown,” Star-Advertiser, Our View, April 2). Policing is important, but how about a closer look at creative ventures like the Downtown Art Center?

Enterprising artists, led by longtime gallerist Sandy Pohl, cleaned up space in one of the neglected city-owned properties at Hotel and Nuuanu. Staffed by volunteers, it’s now a vibrant location for exhibits, classes and more. Last Friday, the area was bustling with locals enjoying beautiful artwork and dining in nearby restaurants.

The city should encourage these efforts. Instead, there are rumors that it intends to raise the rent. Does this make sense?

Flora Ling

Kakaako

Rights of condo owners weakened by boards

In response to “Condo owners have obligations, too” (Star-Advertiser, Island Voices, April 3): If this is all you can do to defend corrupt board of directors and incompetent property managers, then we have a very serious problem, and our Legislature needs to take a look at this very seriously.

Term limits need to be enforced. The proxy voting process is flawed, automatically favoring the current boards of directors. This only results in corruption and high monthly maintenance fees on the owners.

There need to be stricter laws to protect the owners instead of boards and management companies. Accountability and transparency are essential. I encourage our lawmakers to not be swayed by special-interest lobbyists.

David Ortiz

Kaneohe

Gender stereotypes in Kealoha coverage

Mahalo for your ongoing coverage of the drug charges against Katherine Kealoha’s brother. We wonder why, though, in the April 2 article, of the two witnesses discussed, only the woman’s attire was mentioned (“Testimony in drug trial for Katherine Kealoha’s brother focuses on bogus prescriptions,” Star-Advertiser, April 2)?

What does the fact of her black and white attire add to the discussion? Why are we not similarly informed of the colors Chris McKinney wore to testify?

In the absence of any discernible substantive reason for this disparity, it would appear that unconscious gender stereotypes rooted in judging women based upon what they wear are at play.

We hope that by highlighting this issue we may all become more aware and collectively work to stop it.

Nicole Altman

Molly Stebbins

Hawaii Women Lawyers

Zoo improving steadily, offers great experiences

I beg to differ with your story about the Honolulu Zoo (“Reemerging from pandemic struggles, the Honolulu Zoo looks to improve its facilities and visitor experience,” Star-Advertiser, April 3).

My husband and I are members and visit the zoo at least once a quarter. Since the new funding stream and the appointment of Linda Santos as zoo director, we’ve noticed an amazing improvement to the zoo and its exhibits.

Yes, there is construction going on and we’ve lost some animals to COVID-19 and old age, but I think the zoo is a great experience for young and old. I don’t know where weeds are blocking exhibits as your reporter mentioned, nor the sad look to the place that a visitor described. We’ve seen nothing but steady improvement to the zoo.

Yes, it’s small and not comparable to larger zoos like San Diego’s, but our island ohana deserve the place to see exotic animals and learn about their challenges and preservation of a species.

Mary Rydell

Kaimuki

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