Maui County Democratic Party Resolutions of 2024
All resolutions submitted to the 2024 Maui County Democratic Convention were passed on April 20, 2024.
See full text of all resolutions below.
Maui County Democratic Party 2024 Resolutions
Addressing Conflict of Interest at Hawaii Community Foundation
WHEREAS, The Chief Executive Officer of the Hawaiʻi Community Foundation (HCF), which has received $190 million in donations thus far from thousands of donors worldwide to support the victims of the Maui wildfires, is also a member of the board of Hawaiian Electric Industries (HEI), the holding company for Hawaiian Electric (HECO) whose alleged negligence led to a substantial portion of the catastrophic loss of life and destruction of Lahaina resulting from Maui wildfires in August of 2023; and
WHEREAS, HCF's CEO is compensated by HEI through a combination of cash and equity, and the total value of this compensation was $237,000 in 2023, during which time he attended 16 board meetings; and
WHEREAS, HCF's CEO has accumulated approximately 20,000 shares of HEI stock which had an approximate value of $750,000 before the August Maui wildfires; and
WHEREAS, HCF's CEO is also a member of the HEI board's compensation committee which approved significant increases in 2023 compensation for HEI and HECO's senior executives; and
WHEREAS, Another member of Hawaiʻi Community Foundation’s executive leadership team is a named defendant in many of the lawsuits filed in the aftermath of the Maui wildfires; and
WHEREAS, The Hawaiʻi Community Foundation’s board has a number of members who are executives at companies with financial exposure to the impact of the Maui wildfires, including a senior executive at HECO who has frequently represented the utility before the Hawaiʻi State legislature, including during the regular session of 2024; and
WHEREAS, in addition to HECO's $4.9 billion in potential liabilities, the installation of temporary grid infrastructure in West Maui, rebuilding and hardening of the Maui grid, and other expenses will add substantially to HECO’s post-wildfire costs, with only a small fraction covered by $165 million in liability insurance; and
WHEREAS, The imposition of these costs on ratepayers will result in very significant rate increases for HECO customers in Maui County, which would negatively impact families who are already struggling in the aftermath of the wildfires and would cripple Maui's small businesses; therefore be it
RESOLVED, that the Maui County Democrats of the Democratic Party of Hawaiʻi calls for the Hawaiʻi Community Foundation and Hawaiian Electric Industries to:
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Address the clear conflict of interest arising from the fact that Hawaiʻi Community Foundation’s CEO is a compensated member of the board of Hawaiian Electric Industries with a fiduciary duty to shareholders of HEI, the holding company for Hawaiian Electric whose alleged negligence led to a substantial portion of the damage resulting from the August 2023 Maui wildfires;
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Ensure that the distribution of Hawaiʻi Community Foundation’s Maui Strong Fund is transparent, equitable, and not influenced by the financial interests of its executives, board members or other entities with exposure to the wildfires;
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Allocate a minimum of 3% of the $190 million in the Maui Strong Fund to a range of diverse and independent Maui based entities to conduct community-driven energy work so that Maui residents can plan and develop safe, affordable, and sustainable power sources and distribution for our island with a particular focus on West Maui; and be it
ORDERED, That copies of this resolution shall be transmitted to the offices of the Governor and Lieutenant Governor of the State of Hawaiʻi, the Attorney General of the State of Hawaiʻi, members of the Hawaiʻi State Legislature who are Democrats, members of the Maui County Council who are Democrats and the United States Attorney for the District of Hawaiʻi.
Urging Protection of Maui County Hawaiian Electric Ratepayers
WHEREAS, the Lahaina and Upcountry wildfires exposed numerous safety, reliability, and resilience issues affecting Maui County’s electric grids; and
WHEREAS, Hawaiian Electric is a named plaintiff in numerous lawsuits, with claims estimated at $4.9 billion; and
WHEREAS, in addition to HECO's $4.9 billion in potential liabilities, the installation of temporary grid infrastructure in West Maui, rebuilding and hardening of the Maui grid, and other expenses will add substantially to HECO’s post-wildfire costs, with only a small fraction covered by $165 million in liability insurance; and
WHEREAS, HECO's Maui County customers could be required to start paying for temporary Lahaina infrastructure by 2024; and
WHEREAS, these billions of dollars in expenses will further increase given HECO's significantly higher cost of capital due to its post-wildfire credit downgrade to "junk bond" status; and
WHEREAS, The rate securitization bill (SB2922) drafted by HECO is an effort to address this higher cost of capital, and the introduction of the bill caused the price of HEI shares to immediately increase; and
WHEREAS, As drafted by HECO and in the SD2 passed by the senate, SB2922 would impose wildfire recovery costs — and potentially all of HECO's wildfire liabilities — only on existing and future ratepayers in Maui County, as opposed to imposing the costs on statewide customers and shareholders; and
WHEREAS, PG&E established a trust to compensate victims of PG&E-caused wildfires from 2015 to 2018, including the 2018 Camp Fire that destroyed the town of Paradise; and
WHEREAS, This funding came from PG&E and its shareholders, not from ratepayers; and
WHEREAS, the total cost to the people of Maui County will likely be over $1 billion and could potentially exceed $5 billion, resulting in significant rate increases; and
WHEREAS, These very significant rate increases for HECO customers in Maui County would negatively impact families who are already struggling in the aftermath of the wildfires and would cripple Maui's small businesses; and
WHEREAS, these increases would also impact Maui County and State of Hawaiʻi expenditures, adding to the costs to everything from the delivery of municipal water to the operation of public schools, all of which will result in strains on government budgets and increased consumer costs in every sector, including housing; therefore be it
RESOLVED, that the Maui County Democrats of the Democratic Party of Hawaiʻi urges the Governor of the State of Hawaiʻi, the Hawaiʻi, State Legislature, the Hawaiʻi, Public Utilities Commission, the Hawaiʻi, State Consumer Advocate, and Hawaiʻi’s Congressional delegation to ensure that the wildfire recovery costs and liabilities are not borne solely by the ratepayers of Maui County, and not significantly by HECO's full customer base, but rather substantially by HEI shareholders and others who HEI has benefited financially; and be it
ORDERED, That copies of this resolution shall be transmitted to the offices of the Governor of the State of Hawaiʻi, the the Hawaiʻi, Public Utilities Commission, the Hawaiʻi, State Consumer Advocate, the members of the Hawaiʻi State Legislature who are Democrats, members of the Maui County Council who are Democrats, and Hawaiʻi ‘s Congressional Delegation.
Urging President Biden to Take Specific Actions to Achieve Peace in Israel and Occupied Palestine
Whereas, All human life is precious and the targeting of non-combatants in a conflict zone is a violation of Rule 1 of customary International Humanitarian Law (ICRC Study on Customary International Humanitarian Law, Volume I, 2005, Cambridge University Press); and
Whereas, The October 7, 2023 Hamas-led attack on Israel caused the deaths of some 1,200 Israelis; and
Whereas, As of April 7th, 2024, the official civilian casualty figures in Gaza have surpassed 33,000 Gazandeaths, with thousands of injuries reported and thousands of people missing under the rubble (BBC); and
Whereas, One crime against humanity does not justify further crimes against humanity; and
Whereas, The conflict in Gaza is the deadliest in the 21st century, with more than ne out of every 68 Gazans killed in just 182 days, (Washington Post ); including more than 13,800 children (Palestinian Ministry of Health); and
Whereas, The International Court of Justice has ruled that Israel’s actions in Gaza since October 7, 2023 likely constitute a genocide (ICJ, 2024); and
Whereas, On March 25, 2024, the UN Security Council adopted a ceasefire resolution with the United States abstaining; and
Whereas, Peace requires justice and liberation for all peoples, universal respect for international law, and human rights for all; and therefore be it
Resovled, That the Maui County Democrats of the Democratic Party of Hawaii urge President Joseph R. Biden to leverage the immense influence the U.S. has on Israel to establish a lasting peace between Israel and the Palestinian people through the following actions:
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Require all parties to agree to a permanent end to hostilities;
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Require the release of all hostages held by Hamas, as well as the release of all Palestinian
prisoners held by Israel under “administrative detention” without other charge;
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Suspend all transfers of weapons and funding from the United States to Israel;
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Establish an international peacekeeping presence throughout Gaza, the West Bank, and East
Jerusalem (the Occupied Palestinian Territories) to protect all civilians from further harm;
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Create a truth and reconciliation commission drawing on models from other post-conflict societies
to investigate human rights abuses and provide a platform for victims to be heard;
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Implement restorative justice initiatives to address the needs of victims, hold perpetrators
accountable, and restore the social fabric of Palestine and Israel;
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Provide and protect unhindered delivery of humanitarian aid, support for refugees and displaced
persons, and assistance in rebuilding Palestinian infrastructure and economy; and
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Address the root causes of the conflict in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories, such as
economic disparities, political disenfranchisement, and environmental degradation; and be it
Ordered, That copies of this resolution shall be transmitted to the offices of President Joseph R. Biden, the members of the Hawaii Congressional Delegation, the U.S. House Minority Leader, the Governor and Lt. Governor of the State of Hawaii, the President of the Hawaii State Senate and the Speaker of the Hawaii State House, and all members of the Hawaii State Legislature who are Democrats.
Urging The Creation Of A Comprehensive Strategy To Prevent And Mitigate Catastrophic Wildfires
WHEREAS, The threat of catastrophic wildfires is increasing due to warmer ocean temperatures, which in turn will cause longer and more severe droughts to hit areas of the State of Hawaiʻi (State); and
WHEREAS, In August of 2023, a series of wildfires devastated the town of Lahaina on Maui, resulting in the loss of at least 101 lives, destroying 2200 structures, and causing an estimated $5.5 billion in damage; and
WHEREAS, Although the cause of the Lahaina wildfires has yet to be officially determined, contributing factors include poor or inadequate maintenance of brush surrounding utility poles, high dry winds (without accompanying rain showers), downed sparking power lines, a failure to use the existing Civil Defense siren system to alert residents of the fire, and the absence of key individuals at the Maui emergency management center; and
WHEREAS, The 2022 West Maui Community Plan listed numerous fire mitigation strategies, including for example, defensible spaces around new projects, development of firebreaks and bioswales, funding of new fire stations and management plans; and
WHEREAS, The State’s economy is still reeling from the impact of the Lahaina wildfires; and
WHEREAS, One analysis of the wildfires and their causes concluded that in order to properly respond to wildfires of the same or larger size, the emergency management centers need substantially more personnel and better coordination with all sectors of government; therefore be it
RESOLVED, That the Maui County Democrats of the Democratic Party of Hawaiʻi urge the Governor of the State of Hawaiʻi, the Hawaiʻi State Legislature and the County governments to develop a comprehensive strategy to address the threat of catastrophic wildfires by instituting some or all of the following measures:
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Requiring Hawaiian Electric to provide a public cost/benefit analysis of proposals for increasing safety and resilience from an equity lens, including undergrounding of power lines, local power generation capabilities such as islanded grids, microgrids, vehicle-to-grid, and other options;
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Requiring the utility to support community-driven education and planning from a technical, financial, and regulatory perspective for all of Hawaiʻi’s communities;
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Requiring that power companies establish a policy of turning off power during high wind events in neighborhoods with power lines on utility poles;
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Increasing funding for county fire departments, Department of Land and Natural Resources Division of Forestry and Wildlife Native Resources and Fire Protection Program, and implementation of fire protection recommendations;
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Establishing and funding substantially more fully staffed emergency management agencies in order to sufficiently address the threat forecast rather than remaining satisfied with the current agency, which is designed to fail;
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Having these emergency management agencies work with county and state law enforcement agencies to develop evacuation plans in order to better move people out of harm's way; and
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Coordinating with public and private property owners to properly maintain wilderness areas to reduce fire risk; and be it
ORDERED, That copies of this resolution shall be transmitted to the offices of the Governor of the State of Hawaiʻi, the Director of the Hawaiʻi Emergency Management Agency, the mayors of Kauaʻi, Maui, Honolulu and Hawaiʻi counties, the directors of the Kauaʻi Emergency Management Agency, the Honolulu Department of Emergency Management, the Maui Emergency Management Agency, the Hawaiʻi County Civil Defense Agency, the members of the Hawaiʻi State Legislature who are Democrats, and the members of the four county councils who are Democrats.
Urging the Support of a Moral Budget for Maui County
WHEREAS, The Maui County Council Budget, Finance, and Economic Development (BFED) Committee is currently reviewing Mayor Richard Bissen’s $1.7 billion 2024-25 budget; and
WHEREAS, BFED Chair Yuki Lei Sugimura is quoted in a Civil Beat article stating that “a realistic approach to spending” is needed at a time when Maui County is seeking hundreds of millions of dollars in outside funding from local foundations, the state and federal grants to rebuild Lahaina; and
WHEREAS, The recent Lahaina wildfires have devastated that community, causing immense suffering and loss and other County Council members have made it clear that they want to dedicate this budget to Lahaina and show our county that we have learned from the tragedy of last year; and
WHEREAS, In the aftermath of this tragedy, the allocation of public resources is a moral issue; and
WHEREAS, Budgets reflect the values of a society and whether that society prioritizes the wellbeing of all community members; and
WHEREAS, Maui community members and agencies have developed numerous programs and initiatives to support recovery from the wildfires and to mitigate future disasters, which will save millions of dollars in the long-run; and
WHEREAS, previous investment in mitigation and safety measures would have not only prevented loss of live, but would have prevented the loss in revenues and increased costs currently faced by Maui County and the State of Hawaii; and;
WHEREAS, there are funding and financing mechanisms, including municipal bonds that can provide creative mechanisms for funding immediate needs and long-term recovery; and
WHEREAS, Maui County has utilized less than 5% of its statutory debt limit of $8.4 billion; and
WHEREAS, Just 37 billionaires own at least 218,000 acres of land in Hawaii with two-thirds of that total acreage within Maui County; and
WHEREAS, these billionaire landowners pay less than their fair share of taxes, including taxes on their huge property holdings ; therefore be it
RESOLVED, that the Maui County Democrats of the Democratic Party of Hawaiʻi:
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Affirms the principle that budgets are moral documents, reflecting the ethical priorities of government;
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Calls for a budget that ensures adequate funding for disaster preparedness, emergency response, and long-term community recovery efforts, and which prioritizes investments in public infrastructure, social services, and environmental protection - areas that are crucial for building resilient and equitable communities; and
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Works to elect both County and State leaders who understand budgets as moral documents and who will champion budgetary policies that reflect the party's values of compassion, justice, and sustainability; therefore be it
ORDERED: That copies of this resolution shall be transmitted to the offices of the Governor and Lieutenant Governor of the State of Hawaiʻi, the members of the Hawaiʻi State Legislature who are Democrats, the Mayor of Maui County, and the members of the Maui County Council who are Democrats.