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Kady Pascual

Hawaiʻi Scene on Social

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<title>Hawai‘i Scene on Social: ʻOhana means family</title>

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Hawai‘i Scene on Social: ʻOhana means family

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Keliʻi Akina, Ph.D.

Viewpoints

Government & Politics

I’m pleased that the League of Women Voters of Hawaiʻi has filed a lawsuit intended to stop so-called blankety-blank bills from being introduced at the Hawaiʻi State Legislature.

 before, have broad and vague titles such as “Relating to government” or “Relating to taxation,” and they contain no actual content at all, other than a bit of boilerplate language about taking effect upon approval and so on.

Also known as short-form bills or shell bills, these measures get thrown into the mix as an attempt by our legislators to bypass the Legislature’s bill-introduction deadline and the state’s constitutional requirement that a bill’s subject must be reflected in its title.

 that this practice is unconstitutional because the public has no way of researching or preparing to testify on the final subject matter of such bills.

, titled “Relating to Government,” which during the 2025 legislative session went from being an essentially blank document to a 36-page bill about pension benefits for judges that was ultimately signed into law by Gov. Josh Green. The League says its fight is not about the contents of SB935, but rather the way it was passed.

Some lawmakers have claimed that blankety-blank bills are needed occasionally to deal with unexpected issues and emergencies that might crop up during a legislative session. But no one can argue that the pensions of judges are an unforeseen emergency.

Legislators actually appear to be using blankety-blank bills as a replacement for their former practice of “

,” which the Hawaiʻi Supreme Court declared unconstitutional in 2021 — as the result of a lawsuit also brought by the League of Women Voters.

Similar to gut-and-replace measures, shenanigans such as blankety-blank bills can result not only in unconstitutional measures being adopted, but also greater public distrust of our legislative system — as if it wasn’t already suffering from a credibility deficit.

I’m thinking the credibility of our government is something we should all be taking an interest in, so my sincerest appreciation goes out to the League of Women Voters of Hawaiʻi for tackling this issue head-on.

Reprinted with permission from the Sept. 15, 2025 "Presidentʻs Corner" of 

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Hawaii State Capitol 7 29 25

<title>Community Voices: Hawaiʻi Legislature sued over ‘blank’ bills</title>

The League of Women Voters of Hawaiʻi contends that this practice of passing a measure with boilerplate language is unconstitutional. Learn also what lawmakers claim.

Community Voices: Hawaiʻi Legislature sued over ‘blank’ bills

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Christian Shimabuku

Sports

For multiple weeks, Micah Alejado's status was 

The University of Hawai‘i quarterback played one healthy half of football in the team's season-opening win over Stanford. Since then, his injured right ankle has been one of the biggest mysteries surrounding the Rainbow Warriors in 2025. 

Alejado ended up missing two consecutive games, both wins for the Rainbow Warriors, as backup Luke Weaver displayed his full capabilities in victories over 

As the 'Bows enter conference play against rival Fresno State on Saturday at the Clarence T.C. Ching Athletics Complex, there was no hiding UH's intent before or after Tuesday's practice: Alejado will be a full go. 

"He's expected to go this Saturday and be the quarterback," Chang said following Tuesday's practice. 

While speaking to media for the first time since the postgame press conference against Stanford, Alejado reflected on the weeks since 

. He's received treatment on his ankle three times a day. 

"Daily, it was wake up, get treatment before practice, come out, support the guys and try to help coach them up a lot, and then after go back and get treatment again, and then take some time off, and then come back to treatment in afternoon," Alejado said. "I was getting some type of treatment three times a day. It was more so just to be able to stay on top of it. It was hard mentally just coming back and slow process for sure. But it was definitely great for me, and I feel great right now. Probably the best it's been a long time, so it'll be fun."

 in various drills and workouts in practices leading up to the team's game against Portland State, Alejado also got plenty of mental reps in while wearing a headset during both the Sam Houston and Portland State contests. 

"It was definitely a different experience just hearing what the coaches are saying," Alejado said. "Hearing the reactions and hearing the communication for the coaches, I think it's definitely a great experience for somebody to have if they want to go into the coaching level. Seeing how coaches are operating, calling plays. Having a headset and taking a step back and watching, it was fun."

Giving his teammates pointers and seeing how the offense operates from the sideline was a valuable experience for Alejado, but his heart remained set on returning to the field and 

 the redshirt freshman displayed in spurts over the past two seasons. 

Eager as he was to play, Alejado understood he needed to give his ankle time to heal in order to return to the best version of himself. 

"We flew back from Arizona that Sunday and woke up on Monday, and I felt I'm not putting the team in the best position to win," Alejado recalled. "We sat down and talked about it and thought the two weeks would help me a lot, and sat down with trainers about what the recovery process would look like. And it's paying off a lot."

There will be no easing Alejado back into the swing of things. Hawai‘i coaches continued to give intense instruction towards players on Tuesday ahead of the team's rivalry game against Fresno State. 

The Rainbow Warriors and Bulldogs have been conference rivals in both the WAC and Mountain West, with Fresno State holding an all-time advantage of 30-25-1 in the series. 

Saturday's contest, which kicks off at 6 p.m. at the Clarence T.C. Ching Athletics Complex, will be the last meeting between the 'Bows and Bulldogs for the foreseeable future. Fresno State is 

 in favor of a revamped Pac-12 next summer. 

"The history of Bulldog and Warrior football...those battles that we've had, there's extra history, and love playing them and they love playing us, and it's a good battle," said Chang. "Them leaving and the unknown of playing them again, it is what it is. But we'll just focus on this one."

The Rainbow Warriors and Bulldogs are both 3-1 overall heading into Saturday's contest, but neither team has played a Mountain West game in 2025 prior to Saturday. The game figures to serve as a tone-setter for conference play. 

"What a big game," Chang said. "It happens to be an opponent, a familiar foe that is playing very well, a well-coached team, first-year coach (Matt Entz) that has a great pedigree and is installing that toughness through that old Pat Hill mentality back into that football team. What a challenge for us. Both teams are 3-1. Opening up conference play is pretty exciting. 

"We got to go out there and compete and look at the game plans and then execute the game plans. It was a great practice today, and we need more great practices throughout the week to give us a chance to to perform on Saturday."

Micah Alejado 091625

<title>Micah Alejado returns to practice ahead of Hawai‘i's Mountain West opener against Fresno…</title>

Alejado was sidelined for consecutive weeks with a right ankle injury.

Micah Alejado returns to practice ahead of Hawai‘i's Mountain West opener against Fresno State

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Katie Helland

Arts & Entertainment

Crime & Courts

 on Saturday, Sept. 13, drew thousands to Waikīkī. The event was a one-night-only tribute to George Brooks Veikoso, known as 

, who died in July. Tickets to the event were free and 

Fiji was known for his island/reggae music and lived in Hawai’i as a teenager, according to Spotify, where he has more than 975,000 monthly listeners.

 were expected to attend the event, according to city officials. 

The Honolulu Police Department made no arrests “despite the unprecedented crowd size," the agency shared. It did tow 30 vehicles, according to representatives of HPD. The department declined to share how many officers were present at the event, which also had more than 150 private security, according to organizers.

The tribute had planned performances from Common Kings, Maoli, The Green, Sammy J, 

, Ekolu, Josh Tatofi, Mana’o Company, Three Plus, Rebel Souljahz, Siaosi, Irie Love, Spawnbreezie, Hot Rain, Na Drua, Peni Dean, Damon, Loleka, Jeff Rasmussen, H Dawg, Bet, Westafa, Sean Na’auao, Na Wai, Hawaiian Style Band, Ilona Irvine, Finn, Johnny Suite and more, according to the event’s website.

The event was hosted by Davey D, Lina Girl, Big Koa, BigBodyCisco, and Mikey Monis.

It was livestreamed to more than a quarter of a million viewers, according to YouTube. As of Monday, Sept. 15, the concert had 

In honor of the occasion, Rick Blangiardi, the mayor of the City and County of Honolulu declared May 10, Fiji’s birthday, as "George Veikoso Day." 

Gov. Josh Green declared Sept. 13, 2025, the day of the concert, as “Fiji Day” in a proclamation describing him a “pioneer of Pacific Island sound” and “affectionately called the ʻKing of Island Reggae.’” The proclamation also recognized his 10 solo albums and awards that include the Nā Hōkū Hanohano Award for Male Vocalist of the Year in 1998 and a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Pacific Music Awards in 2021.

The City and County of Honolulu had multiple departments working on the event. The Department of Enterprise Services oversees the 

, where performers took the stage. Just outside, community members could also get ticketed access to see the show via a large screen inside Kapi’olani Regional Park, which falls under the jurisdiction of Department of Parks and Recreation.   

The event included a flower drop, where a helicopter released petals on the crowd below.

“That was a really iconic and beautiful part of the event,” Kainoa Enos, public information officer for the Department of Enterprise Services, told Aloha State Daily. “It was really, really beautiful.”

"For the Fiji concert, the park was left in good shape after the show, and operationally the event went smoothly from our perspective," shared Nate Serota, with the Department of Parks and Recreation. "People started arriving in the park that morning for the show."

Fiji Tribute concert

<title>'No arrests' in Fiji Tribute concert, HPD says</title>

Aloha State Daily reached out to several city departments, including the Honolulu Police Department and those overseeing the Tom Moffatt Waikīkī Shell and Kapi’olani Regional Park, which each hosted events for ticket holders.

'No arrests' in Fiji Tribute concert, HPD says

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Michael Brestovansky

A group of over 100 Hawai‘i hotel workers have won a class-action lawsuit against their employers over improperly paid tips.

In 2016, Reneldo Rodriguez was working at the Mauna Kea Beach Hotel on Hawai‘i Island serving food during banquet events. While he was working there, the hotel imposed a fee, called a “service charge” or “gratuity” on guests.

Although the hotel informed guests that those charges would not be distributed in full to employees, it did not specify the actual percentage of the money that would go to staff. The disclosures at the time read, in part: “We allocate a portion of the service fee to our employees as tips or wages.”

[{"type":"text","text":"And that, it turns out, is illegal."}]

Rodriguez filed a class-action suit against Mauna Kea Resort, Hawai‘i Prince Hotel Waikīkī and Prince Resorts Hawai‘i in Dec. 2016 on behalf of “over 100 servers, porters, bartenders and other employees,” arguing that their hotels had violated a state law protecting against unfair and deceptive business practices.

The law in question — Hawai‘i Revised Statutes 481B-14 — specifically applies to hotel or restaurant service charges. Under that law, any establishment that applies service charges for food or beverage services must either distribute the service charge directly to its employees as tip income or “clearly disclose” to the purchaser that the charge is being used to cover expenses other than employee wages and tips.

The word “clearly” was the linchpin of the argument by attorney Brandee Faria, representing the plaintiffs. She never disputed the fact that the hotel did inform guests that service charges didn’t entirely go to employees.

But obfuscating how much of those charges did go to workers, she argued, goes against the understood definition of “clearly.” She suggested that providing the specific percentages of where the charges go would fulfill the requirements of the law.

With the hotels having failed to meet legal requirements, Faria argued that the plaintiffs were entitled to 100% of the service charges levied during their employments, with damages to be determined at trial.

While the First Circuit Court agreed with the plaintiffs, the defendants appealed and the Intermediate Court of Appeals reversed the lower court’s decision.

[{"type":"text","text":"But the ICA’s reasoning was flawed, Faria claimed."}]

In a follow-up appeal to the Hawai‘i Supreme Court, she argued that the ICA had wrongly focused on her suggestion of providing percentages, when that was only one of any number of potential ways to “clearly disclose” the use of service fees.

“The question … is whether a disclosure that does not provide sufficient or meaningful information to consumers to make a gratuity determination — that is, whether and how much to tip — ‘clearly discloses’ that the service charge is not a gratuity or tip,” read Faria’s Supreme Court filing.

[{"type":"text","text":"On Monday, the Supreme Court issued a verdict in favor of the plaintiffs."}]

 that the law serves a dual purpose: to ensure consumers are well-informed and service workers are adequately compensated. The law exists to “patch” a previous issue where employers used service charges to cover their own administrative costs, while consumers — who believed the service charges had already covered workers’ tips — left no tips for employees.

Eddins cited in his opinion the Merriam-Webster Dictionary definition of "clearly" ("'free from obscurity or ambiguity,' 'easily understood,' or 'unmistakable'), concluding that the hotels had failed to meet such a standard.

“Does a portion of the service charge mean nearly all of it?” Eddins wrote. “Or almost none of it? Does ‘a portion’ [allocated] to ‘tips or wages’ mean that 

 of the service charge is allocated to tip income? Or does it mean that nearly all of it is? It’s any consumer’s guess.”

Eddins noted that, in early 2017, the hotels updated their disclosures to be more specific. One such example specified that 18.7% out of a 22% service charge is pooled and distributed to relevant staff, with the remaining 3.3% retained by the hotel, which Eddins considered a sufficiently clear disclosure.

The Supreme Court’s decision overturns that of the Appeals Court, and remands the case back to the First Circuit Court for further proceedings.

[{"type":"text","text":"Aloha State Daily reached out to Faria for comment."}]

Prince Waikiki

<title>Hotel workers prevail in service charge lawsuit</title>

Supreme Court rules hotels didn't clearly disclose gratuity fees.

Hotel workers prevail in service charge lawsuit

Kelli Shiroma Braiotta Headshot

Kelli Shiroma Braiotta

Food & Dining

 has a new eatery in West Oʻahu. Haliʻa by Side Street Inn, located in Wai Kai (in the former Kitchen Door restaurant space) officially opened yesterday to the public.

Opening a west Oʻahu restaurant location has been in the works for years, according to Lisa Meyer, who co-owns Hali‘a by Side Street Inn, Side Street Inn on Da Strip and the original Side Street Inn on Hopaka Street with business partner Cheryl DeAngelo. (DeAngelo also co-owns Bubbly & Bleu, a Kaimukī-based charcuterie business, with her husband, chef Fred DeAngelo.)

“People have been asking for so long, ‘When are you coming to the west side?’” she says. “Colin (Nishida) always wanted to open someplace on the west side. When we came here (to Wai Kai), it felt good; it’s very family oriented. We’re just happy we’re here; everybody’s so excited.”

“We have been looking at various locations for Side Street Inn on the west side,” DeAngelo adds. “This location came at the perfect time, and we love everything about it — amazing views, perfect size and lots of parking!”

The name “Haliʻa” means “fond remembrance,” according to Meyer, who says the restaurant name was chosen to honor Nishida, who died in 2018. Prior to his passing, though, both Meyer and DeAngelo came on board to help their friend with his business.

“When we thought of the name, we wanted to honor him,” she says. “It’s Haliʻa by Side Street Inn, people will know it’s Side Street food.”

The food menu is the same as Side Street Inn’s other two locations. The ‘Ewa Beach location will eventually have seafood specials, but that’s still to come.

The fresh, island-style poke (market price) comes highly recommended; choose from options like shoyu and spicy ‘ahi, along with kimchi tako poke, limu tako poke and ocean clams poke.

We opt for the spicy ‘ahi poke, which features a spicy-mayo style with sweet onions, green onions, tobiko, Sriracha drizzle and furikake. The fish tastes fresh and the poke packs some heat, due to the generous amount of Sriracha.

If you’re craving something lighter, go for the tofu salad ($13 half portion, $20.50 full portion). It features spring mixed greens topped with tofu, bonito flakes, kizami nori, cucumbers, grape tomatoes, sesame seeds and oriental dressing. The pieces of tofu are so soft, and we enjoyed the salad’s refreshing flavors.

If you order the eatery’s boneless kalbi, it’s served on a sizzling platter, just like the sizzling rib-eye steak (market price). While I usually order bone-in kalbi when getting Korean-style short ribs, I highly recommend this boneless version because it’s buttery and boasts that melt-in-your-mouth texture. The short ribs’ tenderness, along with the marinade’s sweet-yet-savory flavor, makes this one of the most memorable dishes of the evening.

No visit to Side Street Inn is complete without its loaded fried rice. This savory staple ($25) is loaded with bacon, Portuguese sausage, char siu, green onions, peas and carrots. Its slightly smoky flavor and savoriness is just as good as I remember.

Of course, if you want to upgrade your fried rice, you could get “The Works” version ($29), which includes kimchi and lup cheong.

Side Street Inn’s famous pan-fried pork chops ($33) are a crowd pleaser. They’re thick, meaty and sure to satisfy.

If you’re dining with a group, you can also opt for Colin’s Classics prix fixe menu ($161 for 4-5 people, $317 for 8-10 people), which features a variety of the eatery’s bestsellers. The menu includes edamame with Alae salt; farmer’s salad (mixed greens topped with grape tomatoes, avocado, Maui onions, capers, and bay shrimp with red wine vinaigrette and Okinawan potato curls); signature fried rice; garlic fried chicken; famous pan-fried pork chops and sizzling boneless kalbi.

Desserts include the eatery’s signature peanut butter crunch ($15), brownie served with Roselani’s vanilla ice cream ($13), Mom’s sweet bread pudding ($13), lilikoi creme brulee ($13) and chocolate haupia puff ($14). The peanut butter crunch was something I remember ordering at Side Street Inn’s Kapahulu location, so we just had to get it.

The decadent dessert features a bread pudding-like base topped with a layer of peanut butter crunch, Roselani’s vanilla ice cream and a chocolate drizzle. It’s dense and indulgent, but that crunchy peanut buttery layer will keep you coming back for more.

Stay tuned — the eatery plans to start a weekend brunch menu and add new seafood specials to its dinner menu in the upcoming months. Customers can also enjoy live music, which will be starting soon.

“We are excited that we get to be a part of the west side,” DeAngelo says. “People travel to our locations in town, and we are excited that we can bring our food to them. In addition to dine-in, we will be doing a lot of takeout and catering. The events at Wai Kai are awesome, too.”

Open 4-10 p.m. Mondays-Thursdays, open 4-11 p.m. Fridays-Sundays

Halia by Side Street Inn chef Fred De Angelo 080425

<title>Haliʻa by Side Street Inn is now open in ‘Ewa Beach</title>

The new eatery is in the former space of Kitchen Door at Wai Kai. You can still find Side Street Inn’s classic dishes, including that signature fried rice and pan-fried pork chops, along with new seafood dishes and brunch coming soon.

Haliʻa by Side Street Inn is now open in ‘Ewa Beach

The Taste of New York ($83.95) is one of my favorite indulgences from the happy hour menu at 

, the famed steakhouse by Wolfgang Zwiener that is located in Royal Hawaiian Center.

This popular selection is now also available at the open-air terrace located right outside of steakhouse called The W Lanai by Wolfgang Zwiener. It’s designed to offer customers the same premium quality and service the steakhouse is known for, but at a lower price point and in a more casual ambiance.

“In the face of rising dining costs due to inflation and currency fluctuations, we created The W Lanai to provide a more accessible dining option in Hawaiʻi,” states Masahiro Kido, general manager of Wolfgang’s Steakhouse Waikīkī.

The W Lanai by Wolfgang Zwiener soft opened in June, but celebrated its grand opening on July 1. We were invited to check out the new space during a recent media event.

Besides a luxury drink collaboration with LVMH (Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessy), W Lanai’s beverage menu includes sparkling wines and premium champagnes by the glass (ranging from $10 to $65), along with original cocktails made with locally produced spirits like Ocean Organic Vodka and Kō Hana Rum. Choose from cocktails ($14 each) like Road to Hana with Ocean Vodka, pineapple, liliko

i and lychee; Papa Hemingway with Kō Hana Kea rum, grapefruit, lime, simple syrup and club soda; and Liliko

i Mo He Toe with Kō Hana Kea rum, tropical gomme, lime, mint and club soda.

The W Lanai’s food menu includes a few exclusive dishes. The venue’s fish ceviche ($18), cheese board ($26), USDA prime beef and fish tacos ($18), jumbo garlic shrimp ($24) and Wolfgang’s meatball ($18) are all exclusive items that you can’t get in steakhouse. We especially enjoyed the refreshing ceviche’s bright flavors; the succulent, tender garlic shrimp; and flavorful, juicy meatball.

While it’s not a W Lanai exclusive, the seafood combo ($26) is one of my favorite dishes (it’s also available during the steakhouse’s happy hour). It features six crostini topped with ‘ahi tartare, lobster and a lump crab mix. It’s the perfect indulgence for any seafood fanatic, since you get a sampling of spreads and the eatery doesn’t skimp on the lump crab.

As mentioned before, diners can still enjoy the Taste of New York ($83.95), which is a popular choice from the steakhouse’s happy hour menu. It includes a 12-ounce, bone-in, dry-aged New York sirloin, sides of creamed spinach and mashed potatoes, and a New York-style cheesecake for dessert.

If you order the Taste of New York, remember that the steak is still cooking slightly on the sizzling hot plate when it’s delivered to your table. Keep that in mind when choosing your desired level of preparation.

Customers who dine at The W Lanai by Wolfgang Zwiener can receive validated parking at the Royal Hawaiian Center parking garage. The first hour is free with restaurant validation; parking costs $3 per hour thereafter.

Open 3-10 p.m. Sundays-Thursdays, 3-10:30 p.m. Fridays-Saturdays

Validated parking is available at the Royal Hawaiian Center parking garage.

Hawai‘i Scene on Social: ʻOhana means family

Kady Pascual

Social Media Editor

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Hawai‘i Scene on Social: ʻOhana means family

Authors

Kady Pascual

Social Media Editor

More in Hawaiʻi Scene on Social

Hawai‘i Scene on Social: Running late

Hawai‘i Scene on Social: PTO preparations

Hawai‘i Scene on Social: When locals become tourists

Hawai‘i Scene on Social: Stink eye

Most read