Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 8, Number 8, 1 August 1991 — OHA Board Business [ARTICLE]

OHA Board Business

By Christina Zarobc Assistant Editor

Concerned about Native Hawaiian communities receiving fair representation in the state Legislature and U.S. Congress, the OHA Board of Trustees has voted to support a reapportionment plan that considers to.tal population of a district. The board's unanimous vote eame at its June 28 regular business meeting held at the Cameron Center in Wailuku, Mau'i. The decision was made the day before OHA presented its testimony at a reapportionment hearing at the state capitol. The state Reapportionment Commission, whieh consists of nine members, is currently in the process of deciding who should be counted in the formula that determines the population base on whieh Hawaii's legislative districts are drawn. At hearings held across the state, criticism had been aimed at a draft plan considered by the commission. It is based on the number of eligible voters, thus excluding those under 18 and nonresidents such as military members. But after listening to objections, commission members voted last month to work with a formula counting all residents including those under 18 years but excluding non-resident military personnel and non-citizens. By July 30, the commission will have presented final reapportionment plans with the lieutenant governor. Testifying before the commission at a June hearing, Trustee Frenchy DeSoto said the Office of Hawaiian Affairs objects to using only the adult populahon in the count. The result would "significantly penalize and underrepresent" Native Hawaiians during the decade that the new districts are in plaee since there are a large number of Hawaiians under 18. The adult only category also means Native Hawaiian communities are likely to become part of eanoe districts — districts that cover more than one island, DeSoto testified. "All 'eanoe districts' — most conspicuously Moloka'i, Hana and the Wai'anae coast — act to deprive Native Hawaiians of appropriate representation by attempting to submerge our population with a non-associated populahon," the OHA testimony stated. At the board meeting, Trustee Louis Hao, who represents the islands of Moloka'i and Lana'i, pointed out the "big difference between the urban environment and Moloka'i" and the needs of its residents. The other formula the commission could use in determining district populahon would be tO include only registered voters. Referring to calculating registered voters, the OHA stance noted that the formula is "a likely vioiation of U.S. Supreme Court rulings related to 'one person, one vote.' " Calling the option the "most democratic, wellbalanced and beneficial to Native Hawaiians," OHA backed the plan to figure in all residents.

A positive aspect of this proposal would be to give OHA and other organizations the ehanee to start voter education plans. It would also "consolidate districts, giving true 'voter power' to areas with a high population of unregistered, eligible Hawaiian voters who, historically, have not fully exercised their voting privileges," DeSoto testified. At its June meeting, the OHA board of trustees also unanimously passed a resolution objecting to the Department of Education's (DOE) planned closing of Maui's Ke'anae School in September. The small school in the predominantly rural Hawaiian community dates back to 1887 when the first achival report recorded 30 boys and 23 girls attending the school. "For over 100 years Ke'anae School has

provided educational opportunities to the children of the area, itself becoming a natural cornerstone of the social life and times of an isolated Hawaiian fishing and farming village," the board's resolution states. If the school is closed, youngsters will travel by bus 36 miles away to Hana Elementary School. "The kids will be burned out. My push is toward the cultural sensitivity of Ke'anae and its children," said Trustee Kamaki Kanahele, noting that "cultural education" is vital to a child's background. Trustee Abraham Aiona agreed about the "importance of being culturally sensitive." He quietly added, "As I get older I love my culture more and more." The resolution charges that the DOE has based its decision on the "needs of a centralized bureaucracy that overwhelm the personal needs of the students, parents and community by systematically destroying the fabric of an idyllic, Hawaiian lifestyle without providing more accessible educational alternatives." The trustees urged the DOE to find other solutions to closing the small school, investigate thoroughly the various proposals and work closely with the Ke'anae community. In other board action: 1. A request to appropriate $45,000 in special funds was approved for contracting Lawrence S. Okinaga, an attorney with the Honolulu law firm Carlsmith, Ball, Wiehman, Case, Mukai and iehiki. The budget, finance, policy and planning committee made the request fcrr professional legal and technical advice as it begins to research alternative investment options. 2. Also approved was a one-year allocation of $33,444 from special funds to Child and Family Services for the Wai'anae Coast Teen Network/Hawai'i Island Teen Service Project. The agency asked the Legislature for $320,000 but received $286,556. Provided through the program are health education and counseling for pregnant and parenting teens, their partners and families in the Wai'anae, Hilo and Kona areas. 3. Another request was approved from the budget, finance, policy and planning committee to make a proposal to lease 1,700 square feet for general office purposes in the Pacific Brewing building located at the corner of Imi Kala and Eha Streets on Mau'i. The building would also house offices for Alu Like ine., Department of Hawaiian Home Lands, and the Hui No Ke Ola Pono. The request also included appropriating $103,499 from special funds for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1992 and $39,021 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1993. 4. Funding was also approved to hire part-time administrative aides to assist trustees in coordinating meetings and full-time trips, processing correspondence, preparing for meetings, reviewing reports and other duties.