FREE Bumper Stickers Available!

Just a reminder: if you'd like to get a "No More Gates!" bumper sticker to put on your vehicle, rubbish bin, beach gear or whatever, drop me an email with your snail mail address to: richfigel@gmail.com

Donations are still needed to keep our group going, however, so if you can spare $5 to $10, please make a small contribution using our Paypal link on the right hand side of the page. But if you can't swing it right now, no problem -- we'll send you as many bumper stickers as you want, anyway. What goes around, comes around, right?

Mahalo for your support!

Speak Out Against Shoreline Development!

For some time, we've been asking you to support bills that would put a moratorium on shoreline setbacks to prevent new homes -- and commercial properties -- from being built closer to the ocean. Well, somehow amendments got tacked on to one bill that would allow hotels to do just that by giving them special treatment. And then those same hotel owners will ask the taxpayers to foot the bill for beach "restoration" or replenishment when it's their very actions that have contributed to erosion problems!

Our friends at Surfrider have set up a link on the Hawaii Policy Portal to submit testimony in support of the Senate version of SB 468. Please take a moment and use the link below to tell the State Legislature that this is not the time to kowtow to special interests at the expense of potential long-term damage to our beaches and shorelines.

Talking points and a sample letter are already provided on the HPP page...

http://my.hawaiipolicyportal.org/bill/26/testimony/new

State Legislature Fails Again

Thought we had a chance to get bills passed that would protect beach access and shoreline setbacks. I was wrong... bills we supported died in committee the final week, or were amended in such a way that they could actually weaken existing setback standards!

Why? Frankly, it's because we didn't have enough public support. Our politicians kowtow to business interests and individuals who pony up the biggest campaign contributions, or pander to factions that are organized enough to make the loudest noise.

For instance, State Legislators caved in on equal rights for gays because the religious right mobilized their forces and turned civil unions into a referendum on traditional marriage. It made me ashamed of my upbringing as a Christian to see these red-shirted church-goers say gay people were somehow "defective" and didn't deserve the same legal rights as straights.

I once thought Hawaii took pride in our culture of "aloha" and tolerance. The beaches symbolized the open nature of people here... but now it's a place where people put up walls, fences and gates to keep anyone out that is "different" or not as wealthy as they are.

These are sad times, and I'm not willing to fight for any cause, unless it's for the benefit of ALL people in Hawaii -- regardless of race, religious views, income level, place of origin, and yes, sexual orientation. As long as we let differences divide us, nothing positive can be achieved on bigger issues that affect everyone.

End of rant. Don't know when I'll be back. It's up to YOU to do something if you want to see real change.

More Good News!

We're on a roll... HB 593, Rep. Thielen's setbacks moratorium bill for Kailua Beach cleared the State Senate WTL committee on Fri., March 20. Then today (March 23), Sen. Hooser's bill, SB 1088, which re-defines obstructions to public access and gives citizens more ammunition to file lawsuits if access is blocked, also was approved on the House side by the WLO committee.

What's more, a bill many groups opposed that would have put Coastal Zone Management under the DBEDT as a cost-cutting measure, was gutted and replaced with language from HB 593 to give the DLNR authority to implement shoreline setback moratoriums throughout the entire state! So instead of a potential step backwards with SB 1318, the House WLO committee actually took the initiative in doing something to protect our beaches.

In other political news, Honolulu City Council candidate Steve Holmes emailed our group and wants you to know he would do all he can to support public beach access if elected. Candidate John Felix has said public access is one of his top concerns as well. The fact that they are discussing this issue shows how far we've come in the past year. Keep up the pressure, and we WILL see more positive changes in the near future!

Update on State Legislation

HB593, which would give the State DLNR the authority to implement a 2-year moratorium on Kailua Beach shoreline building setbacks, will be heard by the Senate Water, Land, Ag committee on Friday, March 20 at 3 pm. You can submit testimony online by going to this link: http://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/emailtestimony/

We've also received word that SB1088 should be getting a hearing date by next week. That's the bill our alliance helped draft to re-define obstructions to public access, and make it more feasible for citizens to file lawsuit to stop gates from going up in areas with limited beach access for residents.

I'll be sending out a group email as soon as we get confirmation on the hearing dates. Mahalo to all who submitted testimony these past couple of weeks! Your emails and letters made a difference, and will continue to do so. Keep up the good work, folks.

Rep. Thielen Setback Bill Moves Forward

Quick update: HB593, which would establish a two-year moratorium on Kailua Beach shoreline building setbacks, cleared the House Finance Committee hearing on Thurs., March 5. There were 15 "ayes," and no votes against.

It will now cross over to the Senate side, where the bill will be assigned to the appropriate committees for more hearings. But so far, looking good!

However, we must continue to lobby the Honolulu City Council to do something quickly to protect Oahu's vanishing beaches. Building setbacks are really in their jurisdiction. A special election will be held to fill the seat of Barbara Marshall, who recently passed away. Our condolences go out to her family and many friends.

Although we may have disagreed with her stand on certain issues, she did work hard for what she felt was best for the citizens she represented. She also had to deal with a divided City Council. Hopefully, her replacement will be able to do more to protect shoreline access, and persuade the City Council to be proactive on beach conservation.

After all, if we continue to lose more of our beaches, and make it harder for people to reach the beach, what will happen to Hawaii's appeal as a world class travel destination?

Legislation Update

Two bills we've been lobbying for are still in play. SB1088, which re-defines obstructions to public access and makes it more feasible for citizens to file suits against the gating of existing beach access, cleared the Senate judiciary committee last week and is heading for "cross-over."

That means it will go to the House side of the State Legislature and be assigned for committee hearings. One will probably be the Water, Land & Ocean Resources committee, which already declined to schedule a hearing of the House version of that same bill. Why? You'll have to ask the committee chair and vice-chair, Rep. Ken Ito and Rep. Sharon Har. They decide what gets heard or not. They also killed the joint state/county task force bill we proposed. We have to convince Ito and Har that more must to be done to protect our public rights of way.

But first, we need to get the House Finance Committee to schedule a hearing on Rep. Thielen's bill to establish a two-year moratorium on Kailua Beach's shoreline building setbacks (HB593), which did clear the House WLO committee. Please contact the Finance Chair Rep. Marcus Oshiro and respectfully ask him to grant a hearing on HB593. You can email him at: repmoshiro@Capitol.hawaii.gov

I have no idea why this bill was sent to the House Finance Committee. But we gotta play with the cards we're dealt. In the meantime, here's a reminder why we need action on shoreline setbacks. Sadly, Kailua Beach is beginning to look more like Lanikai every day as houses get built closer and closer to the ocean...

Advertiser Story on Scott Werny

Former Surfrider Oahu co-chair Scott Werny was one of the reasons I took up the fight to protect and improve public shoreline access. Without his support, there would not have been a state-wide Groundhog Day rally or the alliance we now have built.

Recently Scott was diagnosed with Parkinson Disease. He sent an update saying he's coping well and appreciates the outpouring of support. But he'd like more people to get behind current Surfrider co-chair Tim Tybuszewski's efforts to raise funds for PD research. Tim is doing an Ironman event in Scott's honor. Please pledge by visiting Tim's blog site, where you'll find more details on how to give.

Here's the Advertiser article link.

Mahalo to Scott for all he's done -- and all he continues to do for the beach access cause!

UH Sea Grant, NOAA helping

By building alliances and beating the drums for beach access, we've been able to enlist the support of ocean and coastal conservation experts at NOAA and the UH Sea Grant program. We believe we share many common goals -- so why not share information and resources?

For instance, NOAA has been working on a survey of public shoreline access for fishermen. But when they heard that was one of the things beach access advocates were looking for, NOAA contacted us about the study they were doing. You can download a pdf version of their presentation here:GIS%20access%20survey.pdf

Meanwhile, Dolan Eversole of the UH Seagrant program has been working with the DLNR to develop a comprehensive shoreline management for Kailua Beach. Although beach access was not initially a major part of that plan, he's now making efforts to see if grants can be applied to creating a web site for public beach access, modeled on what was done by the Maine Sea Grant program.

To see what kind of info they provide, you can click here or go to:
http://www.seagrant.umaine.edu/accesslaw/

This is precisely the kind of stuff we should have for Hawaii! Why is Maine ahead of us in this area, when we're surrounded by ocean and are famous for our beaches?

IMUA: Another Beach Access Bill Moves Forward

Good news! SB1088, which Marti Townsend from KAHEA, Evan Silbersten (Surfrider extern), Sen. Hooser, and I worked on together, has cleared the first hearing by the Senate Committee on Water, Land, Agriculture, and Hawaiian Affairs with only technical amendments.

This bill adds a citizen suit provision to HRS 115. Hopefully, this will improve enforcement of existing access laws. Groups fighting for access mauka-to-makai can get attorneys' fees for winning, which will level the playing field a bit against wealthy homeowners on both private and public beachside roads.

Marti said the DLNR and State Attorney General's office did testify against the bill, but it was pretty half-hearted in her view.

Mahalo to everyone who submitted testimony -- there was quite a bit, Marti said, adding "a big, special thanks to Robert Harris for coming and eloquently defending the important role of citizen suits."

The next hurdle is the Senate Judiciary Committee. Please call or email Sen. Taniguchi to request that he schedule a hearing of this bill:

sentaniguchi@Capitol.hawaii.gov

You can make it short and sweet. Just say we need SB1088 to help protect and preserve public beach access for future generations!