 Welcome to think tech Hawaii on this Monday. It's 3pm, and it's Monday and this show is the state of the state of Hawaii. I'm your host, Stephanie stole Dongton. Two weeks this show covers important topics and newsworthy sources about our state city and county topics include government, business, economics, law, education, pandemics, lifestyle, health and dental care and many, many others. And if you have a topic you'd like covered, please send it to me, Stephanie, and I'm at think tech Hawaii.com so please send me your suggestions. Today, I am welcoming our special guest councilman Tommy waters, who serves as a council member for district core. And there he is, and he covers in district for Hawaii Kai and then ever quite a ways to Alamo on a beach park. So it's a very broad and diverse as all districts aren't Hawaii I'm sure it's probably rather even but it seems like a large territory and very different across differences all across it. But as you know the election results the city council now has five new members and Councilman waters is among the continuing four of the nine total. And then importantly, there is a new mayor, Mayor Blanchi already with approaches from that may be quite different from before from from his business background and experience. Now in Councilman waters we have an experienced government leader to talk about Honolulu city and county and how he will work for everybody's well being under the brutal conditions we have of coven with its strains on citizens physical and mental and all of our fiscal survival like the pot the books and the one that's aren't empty are almost the welcome Councilman. Hello, thank you Stephanie so Dalton for having me on your show and looking forward to it all month. Good. I think the live television show can be a stimulating as as a little part of your day. I know it's only a little part because you just told me your schedule, which is very rigorous all day long to have meeting after meeting so I hope you're fine and healthy and able to manage to get through all of that a plus TV show. But I'm really pleased you can be here and I've talked about kind of our brutal conditions difficult conditions but I know we have happy talk to here as well. But I thought maybe this is a happy talk topic I thought I'd start with this question which is how is reopening working during these last few weeks in in Waikiki given the numbers of visitors that are now allowed yet. What I do. I mean, as you mentioned my district is rather large. It's all the way from Makapu Lighthouse along the ocean, all the way to the ever end of all of one of each part. I go through my district weekly and this weekend I went through Waikiki just to personally observe what's going on and a lot of the hotels are still closed, and they don't plan on opening until the numbers come up. You know, as a surge in positive tests on the mainland which probably has an impact. People aren't traveling as much as they were a year ago. You know, I hear Dr. Fauci on the news talking about how you got to stay home, right which which hurts our hotels which hurts our hotel workers which hurts all of our restaurants in Waikiki. It really felt like a ghost town yesterday. It really did. And it's so sad. It's so sad to see people hurting like this. I know at one point I did get down to Waikiki to have the experience of standing alone on the Waikiki beach in the ocean alone on this fabulous spot. All right, some of the hotels are international chains and they, they are there and they are surviving, not only from. Well, when they have guests there, however, they're managing to survive on Waikiki, but also they've got support from across the world wherever they're connected. But I wanted to know as I was standing on that beach and looking and thinking, oh my goodness, even with it shut down, there's still lots of infrastructure here and there's lots that has to be taken care of. I mean beaches you really, they look like they just go on and on beautifully forever, but actually there's lots of work to do there, not to mention the water and that sort of thing. And then of course while you were down there you're saying that it is so sad but I've heard reports that there are lots of people walking around with without masks and looking like they're not doing their quarantine. What did you think, did you see any of that. I did, I did. And of course you probably saw in the news this weekend about our Honolulu Police Department, about 50 or so police officers who exceeded the chief's guidelines on overtime. And some of them by over 300 hours within a month span of overtime. And, you know, my, my feeling is the police should be out there, warning people of what the emergency mandate is, and being polite about it and then if people don't comply then of course, they have the power to cite them. When I was down there wasn't bad. I saw a lot of people wearing their masks, and that made me happy. But if I may spend a few minutes, you know we have the pre travel test requirement. I was really pushing hard for a second test upon arrival, because as you probably know that COVID can be within within your body from the five days without showing any symptoms whatsoever. Five days. So when you take a test three days before you get on the plane, you could actually be positive. Right. Get on the plane, come to Hawaii. Exhibit, what do you call it, symptoms. But the most insidious part about this disease is that you can be asymptomatic, meaning that you won't show any symptoms whatsoever. But yeah, you can still transfer it to someone else. Right. That's the scariest part. What the city did was working with the state purchase testing equipment, and it's down at the airport. And it's available to folks who will want to take a second test. I of course was trying to get the mayor and the governor to require the second, the second test, just because it's safer for the traveler. It's safer for our hotel workers. It's safer for our local population. And it's just a good idea to do. Right. We had the cares money from the federal government. And I would have made the test free. As it is now it's voluntary. And you get off the plane, you're offered a second test. But you're told, hey, by the way, if you're positive, you need to quarantine for 14 days. And of course, comments and studies that a traveler who's here for, say, seven to 10 days, who, you know, who could possibly have to stay in their hotel room the whole time when it's so beautiful outside, you're not going to take that test. No way. So there's still some glitches we got to work out. Luckily, luckily that it hasn't quite so so that's good as insert as much as some people thought it might. And Karen, yes, you're pointing out something very important. I didn't get that that the second one was involved with voluntary. So, okay, now, now right recently I've heard talk about, and in the papers that the belief of the understanding is that our infestation is coming from our community spread and not from the visitors. And while you're speaking to the fact that so far maybe not seeing the surge here yet, but you're pointing out that the potential to find out that in fact that isn't actually the case that it's all about local community spread and not about the visitors what what are you thinking about that. That statement. You know, I think that's accurate. It's when people don't comply with having five people together no more than five people together. Not only at the beach, and other parks and whatnot. The police having cited so many people. I think at this point people are complying with that. But at home, you know as a Costco, and you see people with these huge shopping carts full of multiple pumpkin pies, for example, right. They're just using common sense on one hand that means they're giving away pumpkin pies, or two they're having large gatherings at their home. Right. Hopefully they bought pumpkin pies for their friends and relatives to take home. But when you're buying that much food for the holiday that's coming up this week, you can only imagine that people aren't complying and they're having their friends and neighbors. And that's what's dangerous. Yeah, and we're on the on the verge of wearing out the facilities and of course across the nation the main ones already doing that so. And I think it we're in a very dangerous position and hopefully people look like they're doing. Maybe they won't really be that bad when we come to the day and they'll be following directions because our population here in the state seems to be somewhat self disciplined and and cooperative. I mean I'm, I'm, I was so impressed for months, the way everybody acted, and it's really only with this fatigue about it that it's coming to pieces but people like you boy them up to do so maybe, maybe we'll get through this. On the other hand let's hope template tripler is as big as it looks and can have give us some extra space, if needed. Um, can I give a shout out to city and county of Honolulu website one walk who.org one walk with that art and Stephanie your your viewers may want to go to one a walk with that or gets a very, very comprehensive website. It has the peer system and it's really, really easy to understand it's really intuitive, but also for those folks who need help with their rent or mortgage. If you have a mortgage you can also apply. There's still money available to the city and county to help pay your rent or your mortgage up to $2,000 per month with an additional $500 a month for childcare. If people are out there, don't wait because you have to apply every month for you, but you only go, let me rephrase that. I've had people ask hey can I get six months in back rent or back mortgage and no you cannot. I'm going to do it month by month so please apply while the money is there and the money has to be spent by the end of the year. Viewers have not done so please take advantage of that as soon as you can. Not to go and that was again one a wahoo.org. Okay. The number is spelled out oh and one. Thank you one oh and a wahoo. Okay, good. So I know I saw that you were very outspoken on that committee the new committee that the council has put in place with a big long name that is about economic assistance and revitalization, and I spoke out about those numbers, not about getting enough but the fact that the numbers of dollars were insufficient for what you thought many people would need. Can you talk a little bit about how that experience went and who responded to what. Okay, so the federal cares act gave the city and county $387 million. And that went directly to the city and counties coffers, but the mayor and his team had exclusive control over that money. Under the leadership of then cherry kika Anderson he created the economic assistance and revitalization committee and tasks need to chair it. And we tried to get some or exert some oversight over how that money was spent. And for the most part, we at the council wanted to get it into the hands of the people who needed help. We were hearing about people going hungry people not able to pay their rent or mortgage, and our small businesses that needed help. As you know our small local businesses are the backbone of our community. Right. If they go away we're going to just be left with big box stores. And, you know, then you have to work for one of these big large companies rather than having your own business. So I've been a big advocate and so has the council of big advocate for our small businesses. And I was hoping we would appropriate a lot more than what the mayor did do. He did do a great job getting $75 million distributed to small businesses, which was, you know, more than any other particular group. But again, I think we could have done a little bit more for businesses and 75 million. Really push it to the limit but thanks for your pressurizing and that's what, what it takes. And to meet the needs which are gargantuan at this point and I know we all are so hopeful and trying to help the small businesses up of Hawaii and Honolulu. I wanted to go back to the Waikiki. Just quickly because I wanted to know, if you think that the hotels are carrying their fair share of the burden for monitoring and well and even infrastructure, which is a bigger city. But as far as all of the work that the police are asked to do and others who are involved in that monitoring or signing or just keeping a track of what's going on, what do you think are the hotels kicking in on that healthy. Yes, as a matter of fact, they are that I spent quite a bit of time with the various hotels and the various hotel industry. I was incredibly impressed with the Kahala. You know, it's not Waikiki, but it's the Kahala. They would test their, their first they tell the visitors before they arrive through email that this is what's going to be required of you. When you get here and you check in, you know we're going to have you wear a mask, you need to wear a mask while you're on property. We're going to take your temperature when you come and check in. And I was so impressed by that so impressed. The other hotels they wanted to make sure the guests rooms were clean property and they purchased a lot of expensive equipment in order to do that. You know, at the same time what I've offered to the hotels. I said, you know, this is where government can help you. If your guests want to get tested or your hotel workers want to get tested, we should provide that test to you for free. Right, that's what the CARES Act money is for in my mind, and we should test as often as needed and then trace. That's that's something that I think government has been lacking on tracing where where people are going who's positive and it's so easy with today's technology can put it on your phone. Right, there's applications that will do that for you. And that's what other countries do. You could be walking around Waikiki Beach or Alamoana and your phone will give you a notification that you're in the near vicinity of somebody who had tested positive. How easy would that be. Right, we should utilize this type of technology, although I will say though people, you know are concerned about their privacy rights as well as they should be. But you know we have a pen worldwide pandemic that are killing people. I think we should be able to put some of those privacy interests on the side for the greater good of us all. Remember our responsibilities as well as our rights. Certainly. Well, let me ask the bigger question then in general. What can the city council, oh and the state to I guess but who's going to get this out of this budget hole. Going back to all of these hotels down there, I mean they're multi national businesses and they've got problems and they're getting hit too. There's probably still a margin of profit but do they help Honolulu to keep this golden goose for Hawaii laying its eggs I mean if it's what what's that picture like, can you share on that. Absolutely. So, primarily, your property taxes is what keeps your city afloat your property taxes on the state side. Of course it's your income tax as well as the general excise tax. What also, you know keeps your city running is the user fees. So, this past week in a special budget hearing we talked to the budget and fiscal services director. And he indicated that we've exceeded this month exceeded by like 23% the collections of property taxes so that hasn't been a problem, which is great. Right everybody's somehow has been able to pull it together and pay the property taxes including all the hotel. There's still a deficit because all those fees that normally the city gets a piece of, like, you know the gas tax when you go and pump gas, everybody staying home. So they're not going and buying as much gas, and that typically would go both to the state and the city coffers, and that's not there. The registration of your automobile, for example, that has slowed down as well because for a while there satellite city hall was closed and you couldn't register your car. But it's things like that. But I really believe that that we need to tighten our belt and do more with less. The city is in much, much, much, much better place than the state is, because as you know, the state doesn't doesn't have the general exercise tax that I once did as a result of everybody out there spending. Also, the, well, the transit accommodations tax the TAT as it's known that that's non existent now. And that's a huge hit to both both the city and the state actually. Well, when I met when I interviewed Mr. Bungiardi and some others and the other candidates that was one of the questions I had as this thing was rolling over us was such hard and that was how who's got the skills to wrangle the state to get the city funded to be able to survive. So are you all you are all probably working to to see what can be done about that. What are the levers and what about this is again somebody coming in without government experience and not maybe a meeting help from those of you that understand how where those levers are and what is it you can push and pull. Well, our new mayor is a business person, which is great. Right. Oftentimes you want to run government more efficiently and as a business person. Hopefully he has that type of experience. He also hired Mike form be Mike form be he was my predecessor you know he sat in district for during the interim between the election and the special election so he has that experience as well. He was director of transportation services at one time. He was the director of the heart actually is on the heart board and he was the CEO for heart interim CEO for a little while. And then under then Governor Linda lingo I believe he worked for the harbors division over at the state so he has a wealth of knowledge. And I do also want to point out that the city council is lucky enough to have Calvin say, he's a newly elected council member from District five I believe he's your council member. You may recall when he was in the legislature he was the chair of the finance committee for about a decade before he became the speaker. So he's very well versed in in the budget process that we're going to be leaning on him quite a bit to help us get through this time. Well I know that there's, as you do the reshuffling and get used to be trying to be more collaborative than otherwise, and utilize all of these fabulous resources and depths of knowledge that you're you're considering maybe taking the place of this Kobayashi who's leaving and there's an opening in the chair of the council and so can you talk a little bit about what you're thinking of that. Well that process is ongoing. As you mentioned, my style is being collaborative trying to get everyone to buy in. You know I really believe as, as you know that it's going to be very very tough financial fiscal time. But it's important for us to stay focused on the problems that we need to solve one is a balanced budget, of course, but to have a horrible homeless problem in every one of our district. Right, affordable housing is continues to be a problem and of course pocketbook issues, the cost of living. So what I'm going to encourage my colleagues to do is to stay laser focused on these issues. Right, there's a lot going on out there. But these are the important issues you know you may not be aware Stephanie that I, when I campaigned I walked door to door and I knocked on 15,000 doors. I went through two and a half pairs of shoes. Literally there's holes in my shoes from walking door to door, but it's the best way to find out what people want. And what's important to both and that's what they said, you can't afford to live in Hawaii anymore. Right, there's a horrible homeless problem, and the kids have no no place to buy of their own. By the way, I just want to share this with you on the fifth of six kids. Me and all my siblings were born and raised right here in Hawaii, where we're native Hawaiian I graduated from the Kamehameha school. Two of the six siblings. But I'm the only one still here in Hawaii. It's so sad my parents moved to the mainland my dad went to St Louis high school. He's born and raised here, right my grandmother was a Kamehameha graduate. They moved to the mainland, my parents did, and they both passed away there, and five of my siblings are currently living on the mainland because they can't afford to live here. But it's this place Hawaiian which makes me really sad. By the way, that's why I ran for office. That's why I'm doing what I'm doing is because there's a lot of families have the same situation as I do that they can afford to live here, and it's really really sad. Well, that is a very difficult for the economy of the state is not not just personally being distressed and having that kind of impact in your life, which is very, very taxing and burdensome but it's also the states losing thousands of people to every year because they can't find work and I guess that gets into the topic we go on about the diversifying the economy. And of course, in your district years is you're right there at the heart the major big golden heart job of the Waikiki, which is was at one time the goal of diversifying the economy. When we had the pineapple and the sugar and all the other going on. So then it was let's go with diversifying into tourism and of course now that's, that's it. The economy and obviously that can't, we can't depend on that completely as we see as a result of this. This pandemic so when can we, like you say you're going to laser, you're going to use your laser pointer to get to these really important budget topics but then this is way way high on your agenda to. Absolutely. And I'm a big proponent of small businesses. Right, like I said, small businesses are the backbone of our community. And that's pretty easy. I mean we talk about diversifying the economy, you know, people talk about agriculture and aquaculture and other things. Well how about just morning small businesses. Sporting these small little mom and pop surf shops, or smoothie shops, or, you know, healthy food, right we need to grow our own food and serve it in our restaurant. Can you imagine if we just did that instead of imported. That could be a breakthrough and maybe doing some people are doing farmers markets and trying to make some money in that manner so I know there's lots of good heads for thinking about this, and we do have to do that, because it's very sad to have the heartbreak of not being able to be here if you want if you want to be here, but it turns out that we're getting to a low hot time here and I wanted to just quickly ask the question if the happy talk includes the virus giving us a break on the traffic does that solve your campaign traffic promise to make that better. However, I'm sure you would agree with me that it'll just be coming back once we get back to business here right. Well you know it's interesting thank you for bringing that up if you ever drive by a lot of stadium and the whole. The first time I saw that the parking lot school, first time I saw that I thought gee wins what's going on at the stadium. It's all rental cars. You know you're driving around at noon, you know going from one appointment to the other was rent the car is on. Can be large but we got to go. Thank you so much council member. Nice to see you. So great to meet you and it was a wonderful conversation very informative and rich. Thank you. Good luck. Thank you very much.