Home Care In Oahu, HI

A high surf advisory is in effect for most islands today and Saturday, and the National Weather Service is predicting that the New Year’s holiday weekend will be mostly dry with light winds.

The high surf advisory, which in effect until 6 p.m. Saturday, covers north and west shores from Niihau to Maui, excluding Lanai, and the north shores of Hawaii island.

“An extra-large north-northwest 340 degrees swell combined with a large north swell 350 degrees will produce advisory level surf or north and west-facing shores of the smaller islands and north-facing shores of the Big Island today,” the advisory said. “This swell will transition to a more northeasterly direction tonight and Saturday allowing surf heights to lower for west-facing shores and increase for exposed east-facing shores.

The advisory calls for large breaking waves of 18 to 22 feet for the north shores, dropping to 16 to 20 feet later this afternoon. Waves of 8 to 12 feet are expected this afternoon on the Waianae Coast. The east and north shores of Hawaii island should see waves of 14 to 18 feet.

An earlier high surf warning for many of the same shores was canceled.

RELATED STORY: 30-foot waves, widespread rain wallop West Coast

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In addition to the surf advisory, the weather service said in a special marine statement that the northeasterly swell “may produce surges at north-facing harbors and boat launches, mainly at Kahului and Hilo. Mariners should use increased caution when entering or leaving port, when mooring, and when launching and retrieving vessels.”

Forecasters expect isolated showers will linger through early this afternoon for windward areas, especially across Maui County and the Big Island.

“Meanwhile, drier air is returning to the western end of the state, and will spread eastward through Saturday. Trade winds will be disrupted again on Sunday, and another front will bring the potential for increased showers on New Year’s Day,” the forecast said.

High temperatures for Oahu are expected to be 82 degrees for much of the weekend and next week, with overnight lows about 68 degrees. Winds are expected to be light, including from 9-14 mph on New Year’s Eve.

Transactions requiring special approvals for third-party addresses, foreign passports, etc., must be completed at a full-service Driver Licensing Center.

What is required for an incapacitated person to apply for a non-compliant Hawaii State ID?

Can this non-compliant Hawaii State ID for incapacitated residents be used for domestic flights?

Special accommodation is available for bedridden elderly and young people who have medical or mental conditions that make them unable to appear in person to be photographed, fingerprinted, and present REAL ID Act-required documents. Qualified applicants are eligible for a “non-compliant State ID” card that provides a valid form of identification to access medication, banking information and other services.

A Limited Purpose State Identification card is available for anyone who is unable or unwilling to provide satisfactory proof of authorized presence in the United States under Federal law. Applicants must present supporting documentation establishing their identity and Hawaii residency.

A Limited Purpose State Identification card is issued only for state identification purposes and is NOT acceptable for official Federal purposes. It does not establish eligibility for employment, voter registration, or public benefits.

A Limited Purpose State Identification may not be issued to the holder of a REAL ID credential.

How to obtain a Limited Purpose State ID

Identity Documentation for Limited Purpose State ID

A REAL ID-compliant card is an accepted form of ID for domestic air travel and accessing Federal facilities. The City and County of Honolulu offers REAL ID-federal compliant driver licenses and state ID cards marked with a star in a gold circle.

All Hawaii issued driver licenses and ID cards, with or without the star in a gold circle, are fully compliant with federal requirements until May 7, 2025. There is no rush to acquire a Real ID if your current Real ID is not nearing expiration.

When it’s time for you to renew your state ID you will need to download and complete a state of Hawaii Application.

If you have not already done so, you will need to submit original documents for proof of legal residence, social security number, and two documents to show Hawaii residency. For assistance check our online Document Guide or download this document. (Note: Effective June 18, 2021, presenting Social Security Number (SSN) documentation is optional.)

By law, an individual cannot hold a REAL ID-compliant state ID card and REAL ID-compliant driver’s license. You may hold only one REAL ID-compliant card.

Hawaii’s governor proposed charging travelers checking into hotels or short term rentals a fee when they visit, becoming the latest destination to tax tourists.

During his 2024 state of the state address, Gov. Josh Green proposed charging all tourists a $25 fee when they arrive and check in, saying the “modest fee” would generate more than $68 million in revenue each year. He said the money would be used to invest in beach preservation, fire breaks, and other prevention measures.

“A Climate Impact Fee on visitors would provide the needed resources to protect our environment and increase awareness of the impacts of climate change,” Green said, adding, “I believe this is not too much to ask of visitors to our islands… Hawaii’s natural resources — our beaches, forests, and waterfalls — are an essential part of our culture and our way of life.”

In lieu of the fee, Green said he was “open to other proposals that would achieve the same goals” like increasing the transient accommodation tax. Hawaii has some of the highest tourism taxes in the world, with a stay in Honolulu, for example, coming with a 10.25 percent transient accommodations tax along with an additional 3 percent surcharge for Oahu.

Green’s proposal is the latest effort to combat over-tourism in Hawaii. Last year, officials proposed establishing a visitor impact fee program and charging travelers a fee to buy a license to visit a state park, forest, hiking trail, or other state natural area. The actual amount, however, was up for debate.

For his part, Green himself campaigned on the idea of charging a $50 fee for tourists to enter the state, according to Hawaii News Now.

Hawaii wouldn’t be the only destination to impose a visitor fee. The Italian city of Venice is about to start selling tickets for day visitors this spring and will also limit the number of travelers allowed on tour groups. Similarly, Iceland plans to charge travelers a fee to support climate and sustainability goals.

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - Through Nov. 10, U.S. Army Pacific is hosting a large-scale exercise on Oahu and Hawaii Island with more than 5,000 soldiers, sailors and air force personnel from across the world.

The Hawaii-based 25th Infantry Division’s 3rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team are being evaluated by observers on their preparedness for real world combat in the Indo-Pacific.

“We can really replicate the rigorous combat scenarios and situations we think we’ll see out here in the Pacific,” said Col. R.J. Garcia, deputy commander for support with the Army’s 25th Infantry Division.

The war games includes forces from the U.S., United Kingdom, Indonesia, Thailand, and New Zealand, and is part of the Joint Pacific Multinational Readiness Center (JPMRC), headquartered at Fort Shafter, the Army’s newest combat training center.

This is the third year of the JPMRC exercise, which the Army says saves taxpayers the cost of sending personnel and equipment to training centers in Louisiana and California.

The goal -- get troops familiar with modern warfare equipment and systems on islands separated by miles of ocean and practice fighting alongside forces from partner countries — what the military calls readiness and interoperability.

The Army says staging it in Hawaii is critical, because it allows soldiers to train in unique Pacific environments with other U.S. military branches and foreign allies.

“We pride ourselves here in the 25th Infantry Division as being the jungle light fighters of the Army, being the experts of it,” Garcia said. “In some cases, we work with partners that are better than us in the jungle. And so we learn from them.”

“We drive into planning, we drive them to make decisions so that they’re more agile, more flexible, more lethal warfighting force.”

In one war scenario, soldiers in an artillery unit are being tested on their split second decisions after being told they were hit by the enemy.

“We’re able to train soldiers in very complex, austere jungle environment,” said Maj. Ryan Yamaguchi, 25th Division artillery executive officer, “which really challenges us and challenges leaders and soldiers to really think and how we will provide that fire capability.”

Among the fire power being used — a M777 Howitzer, a lightweight, towed gun that’s durable enough for a helicopter to transport it to any site under tough weather conditions.

Supporting ground forces, Black Hawks to transport troops and injured soldiers, Chinooks for heavy lifting, Apache attack helicopters and drones used in surveillance and targeting threats.

“We get the actual real world training value of operating in between island chains. So actually having to deal with fuel issues, weather issues,” said Zachary Francis, a Blackhawk pilot with the 25th Combat Aviation Brigade.

The exercise takes place at Pohakuloa Training Area on Hawaii Island and at various sites on Oahu, including Dillingham Airfield, Wheeler Airfield, Bellows Air Force Station, Kahuku Training Area, Kawailoa Mountain Ranges, Helemanu Plantation and Schofield Barracks East and South Ranges.

It also includes a live-fire mission to Palau in Micronesia.

While the experience is invaluable for soldiers, it has been disruptive for some residents. Army leaders put in mitigation measures like limiting the size of convoys and restricting flight times.

“We continue to take feedback from the community, we answer every complaint or or certainly constructive criticism we get back from neighbors,” Garcia said. “We answer every one of those with either a phone call or an email, we address their concerns, and we work very hard to do it.”

One example: The Army initially planned to train on Dillingham Airfield for the entire event, but cut it down to a few days to allow local businesses to reopen.

Copyright 2023 Hawaii News Now. All rights reserved.

Fox’s upcoming Hawaii lifeguard drama Rescue: HI-Surf has assembled its main cast. Arielle Kebbel (9-1-1), Adam Demos (Sex/Life), Robbie Magasiva (Wentworth), Kekoa Kekumano (The White Lotus), Alex Aiono (Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin ) and Zoe Cipres (Roswell, New Mexico) are set as series regulars and Sea Shimooka (3 Body Problem) will recur in the series from John Wells and Matt Kester.

The action drama follows the personal and professional lives of the heavy-water lifeguards who patrol and protect the North Shore of O’ahu—the most famous and dangerous stretch of coastline in the world. Each episode will feature these dedicated, heroic, and adrenaline-seeking first-responders saving lives in the difficult and often life-threatening conditions of Hawaii’s Seven Mile Miracle.

Magasiva will play Harlan “Sonny” Jennings, a surfer, waterman, and North Shore lifeguard captain with deep ties to his community and an iron clad commitment to his team of heavy water first responders. A charismatic leader who inspires courage and loyalty, Sonny’S grief over his nephew’s death threatens to cost him the job and team he loves.

Kebbel is Emily “Em” Wright. In a lifeguard force that is 90% male, Em Wright is still the best. A true maverick, Em is the first female lieutenant in Ocean Safety history, an accomplished surfer and record setting paddler who has her sights set on the captain’s job, a position currently held by Sonny, her struggling mentor and friend.

Demos will portray Will Ready. An Aussie surfer and certified lifesaver since his nipper days at the local board riders club, Will came to the North Shore to challenge himself and stayed. Good-natured and loyal, WILL’s blue-collar work ethic and incomparable fitness means he’s game to tackle any situation the ocean throws at him.

Kekumano will play Laka Hanohano. Confident, competent, and hilarious, Laka is an uber-fit Native Hawaiian lifeguard from Honolulu who patrols the busy North Shore beaches with a style all his own. Fearless in the ocean and never afraid of a good time, Laka loves his job and the lifestyle that comes with it.

Aiono is Kainalu. Cocky and competitive, sweet but stubborn, Kainalu was born into privilege in an upscale neighborhood just outside Honolulu. With a politician father who’s on the rise, Kainalu is defying lots of expectations (like finishing college) to be a rookie North Shore lifeguard.

Cipres will play Hina, a rookie North Shore lifeguard from a large, working-class Hawaiian family. Smart, sassy, fiercely competitive. Top of her training class, concerned with how to balance her professional duties (and the fishbowl of being one of only a dozen women on the job) with her deep love for her family and community.

Shimooka recurs as Jenn. A big wave surfer and working EMT born and raised on Kauai, Jenn came to Oahu for med school – but the proximity to big surf was also a key motivator. Jenn is serious about her job, serious about big waves, and has a sense of commitment that drives her to take everything to the next level.

Rescue: HI-Surf is co-produced by Warner Bros. Television and Fox Entertainment. Kester serves as showrunner and executive producer. Wells will executive produce through John Wells Productions, and JWP’s Erin Jontow and Daniele Nathanson also serve as an executive producer. Kester wrote the first episode, and Wells will direct the first two episodes.

Originally picked up for this season, Rescue HI-Surf was pushed to 2024-25 because of strike-related delays.

Magasiva is best known for his starring role as Will Jackson in drama series Wentworth, for which he received an Australian Logie Award nomination for outstanding actor. He just wrapped production on Madam starring opposite Rachel Griffiths. On the film side, he can be seen in Bad Behaviour, alongside Jennifer Connelly and Ben Whishaw. Magasiva is repped by Impression Entertainment and Sue Barnett & Associates.

Kebbel is known for her starring roles in The Vampire Diaries and John Tucker Must Die. She recently recurred on Fox’s 9-1-1. In film, Kebbel was recently seen in the final three installments of the After series of YA romantic dramas, based on the novels by Anna Todd. Kebbel is repped by Independent Artist Group (IAG), Untitled Entertainment and Hanson, Jacobson, Teller.

Demos recently reprised his role as Brad Simon in season 2 of Netflix’s Sex/Life alongside Sarah Shahi. He also recently starred in Netflix’ A Perfect Pairing rom-com film opposite Victoria Justice. He made his U.S. television debut in Season 3 of Lifetime’s UnReal. HIs Australian credits include Wonderland and Home & Away, among others. Demos is repped by Untitled Entertainment and Independent Artist Group and Sophie Jermyn Management in Australia.

Kekumana, an actor, surfer and dancer based out of Hawaii, is best known for his role as Kai in the first season of The White Lotus. He recurred on Hawaii Five-0 and played a young Jason Momoa in DC’s Aquaman. He can also be seen in Amazon’s I Know What You Did Last Summer and the feature film, Press Play. He is repped by Luber Roklin Entertainment & Bliss Models and Talent.

Aiono portrayed Shawn in Max’s Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin and next will be seen in the upcoming Pretty Little Liars: Summer School. In film, he recently starred opposite Virginia Gardner in See You on Venus. As a musician, Aiono has accumulated over a billion views, 5.76 million subscribers, and 500 million streams on YouTube and social media. He is repped by UTA , Luber Roklin Entertainment and Myman Greenspan Fox Rosenberg Mobasser Younger & Light

Cipres is best known for her role as Bonnie in CW’s Roswell, New Mexico. She most recently wrapped shooting a supporting role in Long Pork, a proof of concept short starring Lena Headey and Mark Menchaca. Cipres, an ABC Discovers: Showcase alumna, is repped by Brave Artists Management.

Shimooka will soon be seen as a series regular in David Benioff and Dan Weiss’ upcoming series, 3 Body Problem for Netflix. She can also be seen in the indie film, Pink Skies Ahead, which premiered at the 2020 SXSW film festival. She got her start playing the series regular role of Emiko Queen on the CW’s Arrow. Shimooka is repped by Buchwald and Anonymous Content.

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FORT SHAFTER, Hawaii — Aircraft from California and Australia are in Hawaii through Wednesday conducting combat training with Honolulu-based F-22 fighters.

Hosted by the Hawaii National Air Guard’s 154th Wing, Sentry Aloha is tailored to provide realistic combat training, Maj. Michael Oliver, the exercise director and a pilot with the wing, said by phone Friday.

“This is a pretty tactical-level exercise,” he said.

The scenarios focus on building readiness for the F-22 pilots of the wing’s 199th Fighter Squadron and the Air Force 19th Fighter squadron based at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam.

Joining the exercise this year are F-35 Lightning II jets from Test and Evaluation Squadron Nine, Detachment Edwards Air Force Base, Calif.

Air Test and Evaluation Squadron Nine China Lake, Calif., sent F/A-18 Super Hornets and EA-18G Growlers.

The Australian air force flew in an E-7A Wedgetail, an aircraft used for airborne battle management.

The exercise involves about 712 personnel and 46 aircraft.

The drills, most of which take place in a vast airspace about 30 miles south of Oahu, are primarily defensive counter air and escort missions, Oliver said.

An example of the former is defending a “high-value airborne” asset such as the RAAF’s E-7, he said, adding it can also mean defending ground or maritime assets.

“We’ve also been escorting C-17s,” he said.

“In the first week we were actually able to integrate with an aircraft carrier and pretend-escort their carrier-borne aircraft in the airspace we train in,” he said.

“We also integrated and are still integrating with various destroyers from [U.S. Pacific Fleet],” he said.

The U.S. Navy and Australian air force working together is key to maintaining the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command mission to maintain “a free and open” region by working as a joint force, Oliver said.

Hawaii offers ample airspace to do that kind of aerial training, but its remoteness means fighter pilots have fewer chances to fly beside — or “against” — counterparts from U.S. bases or elsewhere.

“One of the limitations of being in Hawaii with the F-22s is that we don’t have any dedicated red air,” Oliver said, referring to so-called “aggressor” fighter squadrons that pose as enemy aircraft for training scenarios.

Sentry Aloha is an opportunity to gather enough fighters to assemble a temporary aggressor team, he said.

The Honolulu chapter of the US-China Peoples Friendship Association has identified the victim in Tuesday night’s chemical attack near Ala Moana Center as Danying Zhang, a 25-year-old visiting Mandarin language teacher at Maryknoll School.

Zhang arrived in Honolulu in 2022 as part of an international exchange program. She is a graduate of Beijing Foreign Studies University in Beijing.

Zhang, who was walking on the sidewalk, was attacked by a man who threw a liquid chemical onto the front of her body Tuesday night near Planet Fitness, where she went to seek help, police said. She told witnesses she did not know who the man was, who was wearing a white face mask and black hoodie, police said, then shortly after paramedics arrived, fell unconscious.

The association said that she had acid splashed over her face and the front of her body, and that she regained consciousness Thursday following two days in the intensive care unit of a hospital.

However, she is unable to talk with the tubes in her mouth, according to the association.

“Doctors are optimistic that she will recover although she still is in critical condition,” the association said in its news release. “Her throat and lungs were damaged from the acid fumes. Her skin on her body was severely damaged by the strong acid.”

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Police arrested Sebastian Mahkwan, 29, Thursday on Nimitz Highway. He remains in custody pending charges.

Mahkwan, who had been in custody at the Oahu Community Correctional Center since October for unrelated assault and drug charges, had been released Monday — just a day before the attack — after an $8,000 bail bond had been posted.

Vernon Ching, head of the local chapter of the US-China Peoples Friendship Association, said that the association’s board of directors decided to use the GoFundMe link set up by the Chinese Chamber of Commerce of Hawaii to support Zhang.

“This is an opportunity for the Chinese Community to come together and show support for an individual that has rewarded us with her friendship,” he said in a written statement. All money donated will go to Zhang.

Ching said the board met Zhang in December 2022, and showed her the Honolulu City Christmas Tree displays.

“Her experience at her first Christmas in Hawaii overwhelmed her and her sweet smile left a lasting impression,” he said. “Danying is an outgoing person whose personality gained her many friends.”

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - A proposal to build an affordable housing project in Moiliili is drawing opposition from its neighbors.

They say the location at the west end of Waialae Avenue makes this project a nuisance.

Within a month of settling into her cozy home last year, full-time UH graduate student and tutor Janessa Maxilom got a letter on her door saying she might have to move out by 2026.

The reason: To make way for Pahoa Ridge Apartments.

The H-1 westbound on-ramp is right outside her front door and next to one of the main entrances to UH’s sports facilities.

Maxilom said the congestion is already bad.

“The line just to enter the highways goes way back past the curve all the way to Kapahulu area and Kapiolani,” said Maxilom.

“I’m all for affordable housing, but I think it’s just a little bit too big, too much, too dense,” said Dave Watase of St. Louis Heights.

Watase’s neighborhood board, which represents Diamond Head, Kapahulu, and St. Louis Heights, also opposes the development because of the traffic impact.

“I really think a budget of this density and height should be closer to the rail stations; you know, that’s what the intent was,” Watase said.

Both the developer and the area’s council member said they couldn’t do on-camera interviews and sent statements instead.

The president of Highridge Costa Development Company, Moe Mohana, said they’ve been working with the city and state on potential traffic measures, including two speed bumps on Waialae Avenue and a safer crosswalk on Kalele Road heading into the lower Manoa campus.

Councilman Calvin Say said the council approved several traffic improvements, including the installation of barriers to physically prevent drivers from entering the H-1 West on-ramp from the project’s exit driveway. That means residents will have to drive an extra mile to get on the freeway.

Say also points out the project has already been downsized from 28 stories to 23 for a total of about 180 affordable rentals, which is what residents have been asking for.

But some say it’s just the wrong place.

“They’re asking for the moon,” said Watase.

“And I don’t think we need to be that desperate when we build something that we’re gonna regret for the rest of my life, and you know, for the rest of my kid’s life.”

Copyright 2024 Hawaii News Now. All rights reserved.

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Related Photo Gallery: Honolulu City Council OKs aid to businesses near rail construction

Due to ongoing rail-related construction along Dillingham Boulevard toward downtown, the Honolulu City Council supports a plan to give financial assistance to eligible small businesses struggling to stay open.

To that end, the Council voted 7-2 this week to adopt Bill 40, which would provide a $10,000 grant to eligible businesses that opened prior to Jan. 1, 2022. Qualifying businesses would receive the grant each year, but only as long as active construction remains in the area.

Still, the measure, to take effect July 1, would apply only to small businesses that are majority-owned by residents; have 15 or fewer employees; generate not more than $750,000 a year; and opened for business prior to commencement of active construction of the rail project, within the same city block as the business location.

Bill 40 would also feature a community outreach component — under city agencies yet to be designated by the Mayor’s Office.

After Wednesday’s Council vote, Anthony Han, three-year owner of Soul Chicken and Bliss Lounge, said he would be interested in applying for the city’s $10,000 annual grant program, as business remains slow. Han told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser by phone that he would use some of the money to pay rent for his business. “It’s already past due,” he said.

In early 2023, Jin Lee, manager of the dual karaoke bar and Korean fried chicken eatery on the 1000 block of Dillingham, told the Star- Advertiser that construction of the nearly $10 billion rail project just feet from his doorstep was having a negative impact on his bottom line.

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“Business is down 50%,” Lee said of the depressed business at Soul Chicken and Bliss Lounge, which employs fewer than 10. “We now have a little crowd of people coming. … Even the bar is slow.”

Lee said the problem was so bad that the business across the parking lot from Lee’s spot — Chicken &Brisket — had just closed. A sign posted on that vacant store’s front door read it had relocated to Pearl Highlands Center in Pearl City.

The new measure effectively jump-starts the city’s existing yet dormant transit construction mitigation fund.

Established through city legislation in 2018 under then-Mayor Kirk Caldwell, the fund was slated to “receive and expend money to mitigate negative economic impacts from the construction of the Honolulu High Capacity Transit project,” now known as Skyline.

That year, the Council appropriated $2 million to provide real property tax relief to eligible businesses. And the following year, the Council added $750,000 to the mitigation fund.

In 2019, Caldwell issued a message stating that from then on, the Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation “should be responsible for the transit construction mitigation measures” and pay for any associated costs.

But in early 2023, HART’s board of directors voted unanimously to remove the rail agency from mention of having any responsibility for administering that fund.

And a program was never established for distribution of money in the mitigation fund — leaving affected businesses empty-handed. And, city officials assert, the fund itself is now wholly inactive.

Under the 2018 legislation, expenditures from that fund were to include grants to businesses forced to relocate due to rail construction; grants for business interruption to compensate those along the corridor for the loss of income due to construction impacts; and working capital advances — loans to cover business operating expenses required to stay open during the rail’s construction phase.

Before Wednesday’s vote, Council members Tyler Dos Santos-Tam and Radiant Cordero said the bill they introduced would help prevent eligible businesses from shutting down as HART’s rail construction continues down Dillingham Boulevard toward Kakaako.

“It’s going to keep on going for a long time,” he said. “We saw what happened to businesses in Aiea and Waipahu, and so we need to provide them with help. … Right now they’re suffering.”

Dos Santos-Tam said small businesses eligible for city assistance would be “a finite number of businesses simply because they have to be within a block of Dillingham. … It’s not the entire island; it’s not the entire (transit-oriented development) zone.”

“So there’s actually a number of businesses on Dillingham that will not qualify based on this,” he said, “but we’re targeting the smallest mom-and-pop businesses, many of whom are just hanging on.”

Others from the public also spoke at the meeting.

“I think that it’s nice to express concerns and to offer token financial compensation to mitigate the profound losses that many have suffered along the Honolulu Skyline project,” resident Choon James said. “But it is also, to me, so unfortunate that this fiscal black hole continues … to impose massive impacts on Oahu residents.”

She added, “Many businesses have lost their businesses, while others are trying to hang on, but I think that it is imperative that the City Council and mayor provide much more educational outreach and warning what’s on the horizon for our property owners, business owners and workers. I think that transparency is so much needed for our residents to prepare ahead and into the future,” she said. “We all know that small businesses and even big businesses put their sweat and equity to support themselves and their families and their children’s future.”

But Council member Calvin Say disagreed with Bill 40’s implementation — particularly, using the city’s general fund money to subsidize affected businesses.

“You’re just signing off a blank check,” Say said. “And you’re opening up a can of worms for other city and county projects that may affect small businesses also. That’s the concern I have; you open up a can of worms, and you’ve got to live with it.”

And he noted not having “the resources to come up with a balanced budget for the next fiscal year.”

“I’ve always taken a very conservative approach to the budget, and it is a concern,” he said, “because I don’t want any of my fellow colleagues to be impacted by us having to raise something. And everyone should know that the only source of revenue is our real property tax. … Because I am concerned about the pocketbook, I am concerned about what taxpayers are doing — paying.”

Council member Val Okimoto agreed.

“I’ve always been supportive of small businesses … but I do have concerns with what we’re doing, especially as we move into the 2025 fiscal year and (the city) says they’re not sure if it’s going to be a tighter year; they may have some difficulties,” she said. “(And) I worry about the precedent that this will set.”

Ultimately, with Say and Okimoto dissenting, the Council voted to adopt Bill 40.

In 2022, HART awarded Nan Inc. a $496 million contract to undertake utility relocation work along Dillingham Boulevard as the rail line advances toward downtown.

That work — called the City Center Utilities Relocation project — would, among other things, see one of two 138-kilovolt electrical transmission lines put underground.

Nan’s construction along the Dillingham corridor is expected to last through 2026, though the rail line is not expected to be completed until 2031.