essays, analysis, opinion

Let the Sunshine In

Tracking Corruption And Government Accountability

Tidbits

The 2023 legislative session ended May 4.
Keep contact information for your legislators handy and tell them what you think.
Stay up to date, even after session, with our Sunshine Bill Tracker!

Tracking Corruption And Government Accountability

Civil Beat opinion writers are closely following efforts to bring more transparency and accountability to state and local government — at the Legislature, the county level and in the media. Help us by sending ideas and anecdotes to sunshine@civilbeat.org.

The Sunshine Blog: Reading Material, The City Council Gets An Earful, Fundraising Faves

Short takes, outtakes, observations and other stuff you should know about public information, government accountability and ethical leadership in Hawaii.

By The Sunshine Editorial Board · June 8, 2023 · 5 min read

The Legislature Is Addicted To Dysfunction. It’s Time For An Intervention

It's been 45 years since the last constitutional convention. Another one is desperately needed now.

By Richard Wiens · June 5, 2023 · 6 min read

'I Help You, You Help Me': The Culture Of The Legislature Needs A New Norm

Lobbying reform and gift restrictions passed this session are a much needed beginning.

By Robert Harris · June 4, 2023 · 6 min read

The Sunshine Blog: News Schmooze And From Worst To First For Honolulu Council Pay

Short takes, outtakes, observations and other stuff you should know about public information, government accountability and ethical leadership in Hawaii.

By The Sunshine Editorial Board · June 4, 2023 · 4 min read

Columns

Courtesy: Bob Au

Denby Fawcett: The City Just Destroyed This Historic Chinatown Sidewalk

June 9, 2023 · 6 min read

David Croxford/Civil Beat/2023

Denby Fawcett: A University Degree Program at Halawa Was 'Transformative’ For These Prisoners

May 30, 2023 · 11 min read

Denby Fawcett/Civil Beat/2023

Denby Fawcett: Fresh Flower Lei Are Becoming 'Crazy Expensive'

May 23, 2023 · 8 min read

City of Honolulu

Denby Fawcett: With So Much Rage In Everyday Life Do We Want People Armed In Public?

May 16, 2023 · 8 min read

More from Denby Fawcett

Hawaii News Now

Neal Milner: Cultural Competence Helps, But It Doesn't Get The Job Done

June 8, 2023 · 7 min read

Getty Images/iStockphoto

Neal Milner: What Tom Hanks And Honeybees Can Teach Us About How To View Politics

June 1, 2023 · 6 min read

David Croxford/Civil Beat/2023

Neal Milner: When Already? Hawaii Policymakers Just Can't Get Past The Planning Stage

May 25, 2023 · 7 min read

Dianne Feinstein/Facebook/2022

Neal Milner: Aging US Politicians May Need To Just Get Off The Stage

April 27, 2023 · 7 min read

More from Neal Milner

Courtesy: Hawaii Women's Legislative Caucus/2023

Beth Fukumoto: Some Ideas For Finally Achieving Political Parity For Women

June 8, 2023 · 6 min read

AP Photo/Patrick Semansky/2022

Beth Fukumoto: Next Year's Elections Are Already Taking Shape — Quickly

May 25, 2023 · 6 min read

Marina Riker/Civil Beat/2022

Beth Fukumoto: Is It Too Early To Talk About The 2024 Presidential Race? Sadly, No

May 11, 2023 · 5 min read

Anthony Quintano/Civil Beat

Beth Fukumoto: Would You Win A Trivia Quiz About Hawaii's Emblems And Symbols?

May 8, 2023 · 4 min read

More from Beth Fukumoto

Courtesy of Alaska Aerospace

Danny De Gracia: You Don't Need To Be A Rocket Scientist To Make Government Better

June 5, 2023 · 7 min read

Courtesy of Sam Slom campaign

Danny De Gracia: Why I'm Grateful To Have Known Former Sen. Sam Slom

May 29, 2023 · 6 min read

Courtesy of TASC

Danny De Gracia: Upset About Bad Government? Good. Now Do Something About It

May 22, 2023 · 6 min read

Cory Lum/Civil Beat/2020

Danny De Gracia: The War Against Covid Is About To Get Personal

May 1, 2023 · 6 min read

More from Danny de Gracia

Provided: USDOT.GOV

Jonathan Okamura: Why AANHPI Heritage Month Is Nothing To Celebrate

June 4, 2023 · 9 min read

Jonathan Okamura/Civil Beat

Jonathan Okamura: What Did Filipinos Get When They Rose Up Against Racism? More Racism

May 28, 2023 · 7 min read

Provided: UH West Oahu

Jonathan Okamura: What I Would Have Said At The UH Manoa Graduation Ceremony

May 14, 2023 · 6 min read

David Croxford/Civil Beat/2023

Jonathan Okamura: How A Bill To Benefit Filipinos Was Almost Defeated By A Few Filipino Lawmakers

May 7, 2023 · 7 min read

More from Jonathan Y. Okamura

Courtesy: Honolulu Department of Parks and Recreation/2023

Catherine Toth Fox: Will A Change In Hours Help Curb Crime At This Popular Waikiki Beach?

June 2, 2023 · 5 min read

Cory Lum/Civil Beat

Catherine Toth Fox: UH Journalism Grads Still See A Future In A Challenging Industry

May 19, 2023 · 6 min read

Catherine Toth Fox/Civil Beat/2023

Catherine Toth Fox: Scheduling Visitors Won't Protect Our Natural Treasures But Respect Will

May 5, 2023 · 7 min read

Courtesy: Hawaii Public Library System

Catherine Toth Fox: We've Been Escaping Reality At Hawaii Public Libraries For 150 Years

April 28, 2023 · 5 min read

More from Catherine Toth Fox

(Screenshot/newspapers.com)

Ben Lowenthal: Hawaii In The 1940s Had Its Share Of State-Sanctioned Racism

June 2, 2023 · 7 min read

Ludwig Laab/Civil Beat/2021

Ben Lowenthal: The Question Every Criminal Defense Lawyer Gets Asked

May 19, 2023 · 6 min read

Sanjeev Ranabhat/Civil Beat

Ben Lowenthal: New Laws Aimed At White Collar Crime Are Good But Don’t Expect Instant Results

May 5, 2023 · 7 min read

Cory Lum/Civil Beat/2017

Ben Lowenthal: The Lasting Legacy Of Justice Paula Nakayama

April 21, 2023 · 7 min read

More from Ben Lowenthal

Naka Nathaniel/Civil Beat/2023

Naka Nathaniel: My Top 5 Books To Read About Hawaii

May 31, 2023 · 5 min read

Screenshot/"American Idol" on ABC/2023

Naka Nathaniel: Iam Tongi Shared An Important Message About Life In Hawaii

May 24, 2023 · 6 min read

Suevon Lee/Civil Beat/2017

Naka Nathaniel: Here's One Thing The Legislature Got Right

May 10, 2023 · 4 min read

Cory Lum/Civil Beat/2022

Naka Nathaniel: What's Best For Our Kids Isn't Always What's Best For Our Ohana

May 3, 2023 · 5 min read

More from Naka Nathaniel

(Screenshot/Hawaii Technology Corporation)

Russell Ruderman: Nobody Wants The First Responders Park. So Why Are We Building It?

May 22, 2023 · 7 min read

Getty Images/iStockphoto

Russell Ruderman: This Year's Legislature Was Much Worse Than Business As Usual

May 8, 2023 · 5 min read

Cory Lum/Civil Beat

Russell Ruderman: Money Chairs Are King At Conference Committee Crunch Time

April 24, 2023 · 8 min read

Cory Lum/Civil Beat/2016

Hawaii’s Bully-Based Legislative System

April 2, 2023 · 4 min read

More from Russell Ruderman

David Croxford/Civil Beat/2023

Eric Stinton: New Contract Is A Much-Needed Win For Teachers But There's More To Be Done

May 1, 2023 · 7 min read

Courtesy of Susan Kay Anderson

Eric Stinton: Teachers Aren’t Burned Out, They’re Being Hung Out To Dry

April 16, 2023 · 8 min read

Cory Lum/Civil Beat/2022

Eric Stinton: High Density Housing May Not Be Popular But The Alternative Is Worse

March 7, 2023 · 7 min read

Cory Lum/Civil Beat/2022

Eric Stinton: Hawaii's Zoning Laws Are A Self-Inflicted Wound. It's Hurting Our Housing

January 17, 2023 · 7 min read

More from Eric Stinton

Bryan Berkowitz/Civil Beat/2020

Chad Blair: Should Hawaii Have A State-Run Presidential Primary?

April 18, 2023 · 4 min read

Chad Blair/Civil Beat/2023

Chad Blair: Where The Sun Still Shines At The Hawaii State Capitol

April 9, 2023 · 8 min read

David Croxford/Civil Beat/2023

Chad Blair: Donovan Dela Cruz Controls The Money And The Power At The Hawaii Legislature

March 30, 2023 · 5 min read

Chad Blair: In The Year 2525, If Bills Are Still Alive

March 14, 2023 · 6 min read

More from Chad Blair

Courtesy: Hui Kanaka Pōwāwae

Lee Cataluna: Native Hawaiian Soccer Team Has International Aspirations

February 3, 2023 · 5 min read

David Croxford/Civil Beat/2022

Lee Cataluna: It's An Emergency! How Proclamations Cut Through Hawaii Bureaucracy

December 21, 2022 · 4 min read

David Croxford/Civil Beat/2022

Lee Cataluna: Hawaii's Next First Lady Brings Career Experience And Life Lessons To The Role

November 9, 2022 · 6 min read

Lee Cataluna/Civil Beat/2022

Lee Cataluna: The Short Life And Quiet Death Of A Village Post Office

October 30, 2022 · 5 min read

More from Lee Cataluna

Editorials and Interviews

David Croxford/Civil Beat/2023

The Sunshine Editorial Board Interview: Sen. Karl Rhoads And Rep. David Tarnas

May 21, 2023 · 33 min read

David Croxford/Civil Beat/2023

The Civil Beat Editorial Board Interview: The Pacific Remote Islands Coalition

May 14, 2023 · 23 min read

David Croxford/Civil Beat/2023

The Hawaii Legislature Is Broken

May 10, 2023 · 7 min read

David Croxford/Civil Beat/2023

It's Hard Not To Be Disappointed In What Was Supposed To Be A Big Year For Government Reform

May 7, 2023 · 12 min read

David Croxford/Civil Beat/2023

You Should Be Outraged Over What Happened To The Plan To Publicly Finance Campaigns

April 30, 2023 · 7 min read

David Croxford/Civil Beat/2023

The Civil Beat Editorial Board Interview: Former Hawaii Supreme Court Justice Mike Wilson

April 30, 2023 · 16 min read

More Editorials and Interviews

Political Cartoons

John Pritchett/Civil Beat/2023

John Pritchett: Political Turnaround

By John Pritchett · June 4, 2023

John Pritchett/Civil Beat/2023

John Pritchett: Into The Sunset

By John Pritchett · May 28, 2023

John Pritchett/Civil Beat/2023

John Pritchett: It's Alive!

By John Pritchett · May 21, 2023

More Political Cartoons

Videos

01:01:36

IDEAS Live: Is Hawaii's Tourism Broken And Where Do We Go From Here?

01:25:46

IDEAS Live: Global Perspectives On Tourism, Part I

01:12:18

IDEAS Live: How Can We Improve Hawaii's Ocean Waters

01:18:31

IDEAS Live: Should UH Offer A Criminal Justice Degree?

01:07:44

IDEAS Live: Power To The People