Trailer Parks On Oahu

Nope, they are not trailer parks (March 22, 2018)

I find that the headline “Oahu’s First Trailer Park Just The Latest In New Wave Of Public Housing” is salacious and terribly misleading.

Natanya Friedheim’s article states, “Honolulu’s Department of Land Management on Monday unveiled the Farrington Highway affordable housing project, a 16-unit mobile home community in Waianae.”

The article continues “It is in essence Oahu’s first trailer park.” That simply is not true.

The residents of the Waianae Coast have enough problems without Civil Beat demeaning their new homes, alluding to the stigma of trailer trash and stripping them of their dignity before they move in.

Often people use the terms trailer and mobile home interchangeably. There is a huge difference.

What is the difference between a trailer, mobile home and manufactured home, you ask? A trailer is a non-motorized vehicle designed to be pulled behind a motor vehicle.

A mobile home is a manufactured home built with wheels, which offers a means of transport. Once in place on the lot it is permanent.

The architect and engineer, Russell Wozniak, who designed the project labeled them mobile homes. Mr. Wozniak stated the mobile homes will hold up as long as the city and property managers maintain them.

“The materials that were used are as good if not better than your standard residential house,” he said.

The author of the article continued to label the Farrington Project “trailer,” totally disregarding Mr. Wozniak’s comments.

By an act of Congress in 1974, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development was designated as the government agency to oversee the Federal Manufactured Housing, “The Office of Regulatory Affairs and Manufactured Housing.”

I like to think that Civil Beat will be more careful how things are labeled.

— MarshaRose Joyner, Honolulu

Rentals Squeeze Housing Market

How about some tax breaks? (March 23, 2018)

What if the state of Hawaii had some favorable tax breaks for those who rent to locals? Property tax deduction? (“Report: Out-of-State Buyers, Vacation Rentals Squeeze Local Housing Market.”)

Kauai has a tax benefit, but it is limited to “affordable” rentals. The rates are set for very low income people, and don’t allow landlords who would rent to middle income people to be able to afford that low a rental.

That makes it tough for landlords to pay the bills. Forget making money — just breaking even would be enough.

A “favored nation” status with a break on taxes, other than the obvious transient accommodations tax tax, that I bet most Airbnb owners are not disclosing, paying or telling visitors about. Most fly under the radar!

Mahalo for a great story!

— Virginia Beck, Lawai

City Data Loss

Own up to mismanagement (March 23, 2018)

Regarding the article “Honolulu Can’t Access 66,000 Personal Documents After System Crashed.”

Fortunately, I am not one of the 66,000 people affected by this unfortunate incident. But I question why it happened.

Many of us have a backup copy of our hard disks, some installed offsite. How is it that the vendor, Marquis ID Systems, did not know that its backup system was not properly configured?

Why, after the city was informed on Feb. 12 of the data loss, did it take more than a month (until March 22) to notify the public?

Telling us that the system was not hacked and that people’s identification was not stolen is not enough. They must own up to their mismanagement.

The 66,000 people who will  be required to spend time and effort bringing their documents in again should be reimbursed for any costs involved, including lost pay if they are taking time off from work and transportation. Marquis ID systems should reimburse them for this. Marquis should also take measures to assure that all backup systems are properly configured.

— Lynne Matusow, Honolulu

Joe Souki Resigning

Let’s stick to handshakes, not kisses (March 22, 2018)

I felt at the time of its publication, Denby Fawcett’s column “When Does Hawaii’s Famous ‘Aloha Kiss’ Become Sexual Harassment?” did a disservice to Rachael Wong and any other females (or males) who feel they were the victim of unprofessional sexual remarks and/or actions in the workplace.

I think we can agree, in light of the Hawaii State Ethics Commission’s findings, that Ms. Wong was not “overreacting,” as Rep. Joe Souki’s attorney allegedly said (“Joe Souki: I’m Sorry But I Don’t Remember Doing It”).

Denby might still think the overall question her title asked needs to be debated. I for one am hoping she writes a followup column and this time tries to illuminate where that line is.

To me it’s very obvious. If you don’t have a personal connection to a person, or you are not in a social or ceremonial situation, any physical contact besides a handshake is improper.

— Bryan Mick, Honolulu

Charles Djou Leaving

This politician is pono (March 22, 2018)

Thank you, Charles Djou! (“Charles Djou: Why I’m Leaving The GOP.”)

Please do not leave politics. We need you!

Finally, someone not for sale, but true to his convictions and what is pono.

— Renee Coester, Pearl City

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