i L i n d . n e t

KITV was the talk of the town yesterday after their lead story on Sunday night’s late news reported the death of Larry Mehau. I missed the story, as did most people, judging from the discussion on Hawaii Threads. The Advertiser posted a breaking story soon after midnight calling the story an error based on comments from the Mehau family, and later said KITV had been the victim of a hoax. KITV led last night with an apology and said it was continuing to investigate the source who had brought them the story.

Congratulatons to Nancy Cook Lauer of Stephens Media, owner of the Hawaii Tribune Herald and West Hawaii Today, who has been elected treasurer of the Association of Capitol Reporters and Editors at the group’s 2007 conference.

Maui Judge Joseph Cardoza has issued his written decision and order striking down the Campaign Spendings Commission’s strict limits on campaign contributions directly from corporations, unions and other groups using their treasury funds. The commission’s rule was found to be contrary to the plain and unambiguous language of state law. Cardoza’s ruling came in a challenge brought by Maui Mayor Charmaine Tavares, whose position was also supported by the Office of the Attorney General. I’ll try to scan and post more of the documents, including the Attorney General’s brief in support of Tavares’ position, later today.

The commission’s policy was in place through most of the 2006 election and had a substantial impact on the sources, if not the amounts, of money going into state and local campaigns. It meant that businesses and unions were unable to contribute except through separately established political action committees unless they had set aside funds before the ruling went into effect. It effectively eliminated a whole layer of small contributors that used to be familiar parts of the campaign scene, while larger players used grandfathered funds to stay in the game.

It appears, reading Cardoza’s decision, that the legal issues were quite clear and the commission’s position far off base. What isn’t clear is whether the commission’s original ruling had been informed by any legal advice foreshadowing the challenges that might have been expected.

I can’t find any indication of a substantive discussion by the commission of these issues. The move to unilaterally limit direct contributions from corporations and unions is not mentioned directly in minutes, but was apparently simply included among changes attributed to the adoption of Act 203 by the 2005 legislature without separate discussion or debate, at least judging by the commission’s minutes.

Readers added a couple of thoughtful comments on yesterday’s Whole Foods observations. Alex from Hawaiirama.com wrote:

The savvy high-end farmers (Wailea Co-op, Big Wave Tomatoes) sell directly to high-end restaurants. Sales at local food markets are second priority as the profit margins are lower. Talk to local restaurateurs and they are constantly complaining that they do not have enough good local produce, and that’s a market that is only going to grow as local awareness of the importance of buying local increases and energy costs drive up the cost of importing produce. There are a handful of local producers that are scaled up to handle a Whole Foods but few that do organic farming. If anything, this will provide a stable market to expand organic local produce that never existed and could prove a huge catalyst to growth for Hawaii grown food. This will, in turn, help local natural food stores by making it easier for them to find good local produce from professional, efficient farms. It’s really a win-win-win all around. All research shows that, after an initial drop off, the arrival of a Whole Foods tends to actually spur the sales of products at smaller surrounding natural foods stores.

Another reader followed with this:

I’ve got to agree with Hawaiirama. Whole foods has very high standards for their produce (and other local products - e.g. grass fed beef) and will drive the market toward these standards. As more organic farmers come on line, as long as they meet the standards, they will sell all they can produce. Consumers will demand more local produce of that quality - organic or conventional. With improved quality, you’ll see more third party (e.g. Primus) certification of local farms. Right now some chains, or even some wholesalers won’t buy unless the farm has been certified. The “buy fresh - buy local” campaign will continue to grow.

I certainly hope this rosier scenario is how things really turn out!

But this in from Doug White (Poinography.com): “Blah, blah, blah. Enough about Whole Foods, let’s focus on those suspicious miniature cars the Shriners drive in parades! Heh.”

Well, Ms. Kitten is still with us and is growing past certain landmarks as we speak. She’s now eating out of a bowl and has done at least a few of her bodily functions in a cat box, although this is not a done deal yet. But she is very cute, as I’m sure you’ll agree.