Hawaii has a habit of adopting standards first set by California. It’s because what California does matters to other states; its large economy impels many businesses to design and manufacture products and services tailored to the Golden State.

That’s why the federal revocation of California’s stricter air emission standards should resonate here. If California must buy cars that meet a lower pollution standard, so do we. And with Honolulu’s mounting traffic problem, we must worry about our air, too.

Building a better permit process

The observation that building permits here take a long, long time to emerge also has been around for a long, long time. The city’s attempt to ease frustration, with a bill to let certain projects proceed while waiting for the final permit, is being watched by hopeful builders. But it’s more a patch than a permanent fix.

That longer-term solution may appear in January, when the Office of the City Auditor is expected to issue its performance audit on the process, to answer the big question: What’s the problem here?