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Kady Pascual

Hawaiʻi Scene on Social

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"EJ is already one hammah!"}]

JbKillinIt

<title>Hawai‘i Scene on Social: Start um young</title>

Today’s social media find comes from @JbKillenIt, with a stoked little grom.

Hawai‘i Scene on Social: Start um young

EJ is already one hammah!  Make sure you follow @JbKillenIt on Instagram!

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A. Kam Napier

Columnists

Government & Politics

Aloha State Daily received a press release today from a Mainland-based national interest group, U.S. Term Limits (USTL), letting us know that “2026 Hawai‘i state senate candidate, Wallyn Christian (District 13) has committed support for term limits on Congress by signing the term limits convention pledge.”

Why does this matter to that organization? “(USTL, the leader in the national, non-partisan movement to limit terms for elected officials, is gathering support from state lawmakers across the nation,” the statement says. “Its mission is to get 34 states to apply for an amendment proposal convention specific to term limits on Congress.”

Term-limiting Congress is a popular idea, and USTL cites a 

 that, “An overwhelming majority of adults (87%) favor limiting the number of terms that members of Congress are allowed to serve. This includes a majority 56% who strongly favor this proposal, just 12% are opposed.”

The idea emerges often for local politicians, as well. Civil Beat has found public support for term limits to be as high as 70% in a 2018 poll of likely voters, a stat Honolulu Civil Beat resurfaced 

 of the lawmakers themselves to see where they stand on the idea of limiting their own time in office. “Nearly half of House members and more than a third of senators say they support term limits. There are enough undecideds in both chambers to give it a good shot if they held their position for two years,” CB found.

Respectfully, all of these people are wrong. Well intentioned, but they're aiming term limits at the wrong people.

I mean, I totally understand where the frustration is coming from. We elect people, nationally and locally, then are disappointed in their results. We could end their terms ourselves by simply not reelecting these people and yet obviously a lot of the people who say they want term limits do something very odd: They seem to reelect the lousy politicians they say they want to term limit.

You want to limit someone’s term? You’re just a month away from your next opportunity to vote for someone else!

So we’ve always had the power to fire politicians with every election, but don’t, then remain convinced that what we need is more turnover in government to make it more efficient, effective and responsive. Somebodies’ terms need limiting, but who?

Easy: The workforce. The bureaucrats. See, I want term limits, too, but I want them on the people staffing all the departments and agencies that we’re perpetually frustrated with. 

Consider, to cite just one example, how many different mayors you’ve seen over the past 20 or 30 years promise to reform the departments of planning and permitting in each county. The mayors have term limits. They come and go. Have any of them succeeded at this reform?

Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi has done more than any predecessor but there’s a long way still to go.

How many Hawai‘i governors — term-limited governors — have promised Hawai‘i a public education second to none? Which of them succeeded? Who is still in place, immune to reform?

What happens in real life is, candidates make bold promises of reform, we elect them, then they announce bold plans for reform and those plans run headfirst into a culture of unfirable civil servants shielded by union protections. These folks don’t even have to noisily and aggressively oppose the reform, all they have to do is … not do it. And wait. Four years later, or eight years later, their antagonist is gone, the staff remains, with its culture of job security over excellence safely intact.

[{"type":"text","text":"We, the taxpayers and voters, then sit around wondering what happened."}]

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Two Hawai‘i’s"}]

What’s happened is simple: Since statehood, Hawai‘i’s people have steadily split into two camps, those who work for government and everybody else. The appeal of Government Hawai‘i is the security and benefits — lifelong employment, if you want it, totally protected from market forces and competition, with solid benefits like healthcare and retirement, paid for by the rest of us in Real Hawai‘i.

If you think the security and the bennies of government jobs are a trade-off to compensate for low pay, guess again. Government Hawai‘i earns more than Real Hawai‘i.

The annual average wage of a non-government job in Hawai‘i is 

 from the state Department of Labor and Industrial Relations.

The average annual wage in state government? 

What does Real Hawai‘i get in return? One of the highest tax burdens in America for one thing, and then very little to brag about in high-quality government service. (

I would say that that two Hawai‘i’s have hardened into opposing camps, except that’s not exactly true. Government Hawai‘i drives an Us vs Them dynamic, that was never clearer to me than it was during Covid, when Government Hawai‘i showed us that it will shut the rest of down for years at a time given the slightest opportunity. It will also protect itself first, at the expense of the public is supposedly serves, as we see in the lingering effects of the schools closing for so long. That policy made no one safer, but it did mess up the kids. (And have you noticed ever since then, Government Hawai‘i takes the day off for even bad weather like it never did before, while the rest of us soldier on with our work?)

Out here in Real Hawai‘i, we grumble but otherwise settle for apathy (i.e., low voter turnout) or outright flight to states where it feels like a good life is more possible. I don’t know who Government Hawai‘i is going to tax when the last of us moves to Vegas.

With all that in mind, term limits on government service seem like the one revolution we haven’t tried, haven’t even discussed, but should. Say 10, 15 years max, total lifetime employment in government at any level. We want people to stay long enough to learn the ropes and finish things they’ve started, not so long that they just settle in and kill time until retirement.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"The upsides:"}]

Breaks up all the pockets of resistance to change. Turnover would occur systemwide, one person at a time, as they age out. Reformers at the top have a chance building support in the workforce among newer staff.

[{"type":"text","text":"Brings in new people and new ideas in government at every level."}]

Opens up more opportunities for Government Hawai‘i and Real Hawai‘i to trade places and live in each other’s worlds. This may be the biggest upside — more of us would get a chance to feel like we had a chance to change the system from the inside and deliver the service we’ve always wanted, while more of them would be forced to realize that Real Hawai‘i is something more than subjects to be ruled and tax cows to be milked.

Forces a revolution in how government hires. Using Mayor Blangiardi again as an example, he’s talked about how it took people six months on average to get hired by the City & County of Honolulu when he assumed office. 

, he had cut that down to three months. Compared to the speed at which the private sector can hire, that’s still an eternity, and that would have to change immediately to deal with the kind of turnover we need.

(To be fair, government is not alone on this front. In my decade at Pacific Business News, I heard executives at Hawai‘i’s larger companies talk endlessly about a labor shortage. At the same time, I knew plenty of talented people who could not land great jobs. Something is seriously broken in the hiring process, and I suspect HR, especially using automated keyword-based filters on resumes, is to blame. Make Direct Hiring by Managers Great Again!)

Loss of expertise, I suppose, but we’ve seen what the accumulated expertise gets us: A chief elections officer who thought a lauhala basket suited the dignity of a Hawai‘i electoral tie-breaker and ended getting his office sued — successfully — and 

. Scott Nago has worked at the Office of Election for nearly 26 years, almost 17 of those years as its chief election officer. As Civil Beat 

, it’s just about the only place he has ever worked in his life. Well, in the private sector, you can lose your job for bungling things so badly you get sued. Under my plan, the private sector is where he would’ve been sent years ago. Had someone else, perhaps with a wider range of life experience, been at the helm, maybe that person would've made better decisions.

[{"type":"text","text":"So, OK, there are no downsides."}]

Term limits on government service. If you like this idea, spread the word. We’d be moving a mountain to make it happen. But that’s got to be better than carrying the mountain of Government Hawai‘i on our shoulders forever.

A. Kam Napier is editor in chief of Aloha State Daily. His opinions in Pipikaula Corner are his own and not reflective of the ASD team.

Term limits i Stock 517737402 16x9

People take time out of their lives to participate in the democratic process by testifying before committee hearings. Too often, the committee isn't there.

I Stock 1169235347

Pipikaula Corner: Invisible Legislators

It's not getting much media attention, but the private diaries of Dr. Anthony Fauci have been published online by Sen. Rand Paul in advance of his hearings this week into Fauci and Covid-19. What they reveal across thousands of pages is man in love with the adulation he received, who privately knew that many of things he said publicly about the pandemic were wild exaggerations.

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Pipikaula Corner: Fauci revealed as fear-mongering, fame-loving fraud

<title>Pipikaula Corner: Limiting the wrong terms</title>

It's an election year, and some people are running on the popular idea that legislators and Congress should have term limits to prevent lifers from working the system. ASD Editor in Chief A. Kam Napier argues this is a great idea, with the wrong target. What if it's actually the government workforce itself that needs a term limit?

Pipikaula Corner: Limiting the wrong terms

Stephanie Salmons Headshot

Stephanie Salmons

Business & Tourism

Several new retailers and restaurants have recently opened at Ala Moana Center in Honolulu and more are set to open soon, the center announced Wednesday. Here’s what you should know.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"What's new:"}]

, a locally owned coffee roaster serving breakfast, lunch and craft coffee, has opened on Street Level 1 of the ‘Ewa Wing.

 can be found on Mall Level 2 of the ‘Ewa Wing.

Korean beauty retailer Lume Harmony can be found on Street Level 1 near Center Court.

, offering a selection of toys, plushies, collectibles, stationery, beauty essentials, home goods, fragrances, electronics, snacks and other accessories, can be found on Level 3 of the ‘Ewa Wing.

, an ear piercing and jewelry brand, has opened on Level 3 of the ‘Ewa Wing.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Coming soon: "}]

, which will showcase contemporary works by local and international artists, is set to open this month in an 8,000-square-foot space on Street Level 1 of the ‘Ewa Wing.

, an indoor family entertainment venue and indoor playground spanning more than 42,000 square feet, will open in October on Mall Level 2 of the Mauka Wing. The space will have multilevel play structures, slides, an indoor zipline, trampolines and other play areas, along with amenities like supervised drop-off services, private party rooms, luggage storage and the Kids City Café.

, a modern beauty and wellness boutique offering a curated selection of facial and body spa treatments, personalized skin consultations, lash services, permanent makeup, Korean beauty products and more, will open this month on Level 3 of the ‘Ewa Wing.

, known for designer toys, blind boxes and collectible figures, will open its first Hawai‘i location this month on Level 3 of the ‘Ewa Wing.

, a luxury wellness and recovery destination, and 

, offering a modern take on traditional tea culture, are expected open in October. You'll find BB Wellness on Street Level 1 of the Diamond Head Wing and Molly Tea on Mall Level 2 of the Mauka Wing.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Relocations and renovations:"}]

 will reopen its expanded and newly renovated permanent location on Street Level 1 near Center Court in September.

 will relocate to a temporary boutique on Mall Level 2 of the Diamond Head Wing later this month, while its permanent location undergoes renovation. The newly renovated permanent shop is currently expected to open in late 2027.

Ala Moana Center opened in 1959 and is the world's largest open-air shopping center with more than 2.4 million square feet of retail space. It offers more than 350 stores and restaurants, including more than 160 dining options.

Ala Moana Center 052526

<title>What's new at, and coming to, Ala Moana Center</title>

The shopping center has recently welcomed a number of new tenants with more coming soon.

What's new at, and coming to, Ala Moana Center

Cheryl Tsutsumi

Cheryl Chee Tsutsumi

Aloha Spirit

Kate Johnson’s life has been shaped by two seemingly incongruous passions: music and cycling. She has been a clarinetist with the Royal Hawaiian Band for 25 years, first as a part-timer, then earning a full-time chair in 2024. Cycling also brings her pleasure and fulfillment. She has finished numerous races in Hawai‘i and on the continent, including Kona’s Ironman World Championship in 2015, which includes a 112-mile biking leg.

Johnson was born in Columbus, Ohio, and raised in Fullerton, Southern California, the youngest of five children. She started playing the clarinet in the fourth grade, developing what her band directors and clarinet instructors saw as exceptional musical talent over the years.

While attending California State University, Long Beach (Long Beach State), Johnson was active in the school’s choir and orchestra. For many years, famed alumni Richard and Karen Carpenter—the Grammy Award-winning 1970s duo, The Carpenters—headlined the Winter Festival concerts on campus.

“Karen passed away in 1983, the year before I enrolled at Long Beach State, but for the four years I was there, I had the incredible opportunity of performing in the concerts with Richard, both as a clarinetist and a vocalist,” Johnson said. “He augmented his band with student musicians and always featured the choir in his songs.”

During her junior year in the spring of 1987, Johnson sent an audition tape to Robert Marcellus, then professor of clarinet at Northwestern University, hoping he would accept her as a student. Impressed, Marcellus, who had been the principal clarinetist for the renowned Cleveland Orchestra for 20 years, responded with an unusual but enticing proposal: If Johnson could come to Door County, Wisconsin, where he spent summers, he would teach her. His wife, he said, could help her find a part-time job and a place to stay.

Two months later, Johnson and her dad were in her Mazda pickup truck, driving to Door County. For nine weeks, she lived with a family that had two young girls and worked at a gourmet wine and cheese shop in Sister Bay, about eight miles away, to pay for her room and board and private weekly lessons with Marcellus. At the time, he was charging $100 per lesson, which lasted from one to three hours. That was a lot of money for a college student, but, for Johnson, a big bonus was meeting his friends—prominent flutists, harpists and pianists—who were regulars at the shop.

“Mr. Marcellus was a taskmaster, but I learned so much about the 

 of playing music from him,” Johnson said. “To say he left a profound imprint on my life is an understatement. I remember him telling me, ‘When you think you have given 100% into playing the music, you’ve really given only about 60%. You have more in reserve. Dig deeper.’”

It’s advice Johnson also found invaluable as an athlete. In 1985, she had been introduced to cycling by a college boyfriend who was training for the 

Race Across America. At the time, that grueling June bike competition went 

3,000 miles from Huntington Beach, California, to Atlantic City, New Jersey.

He bought me my first road bike, and I was hooked,” Johnson said. “We primarily rode 

in the mountains of the Angeles National Forest, about 20 miles north of Los Angeles,

 with others who were training for the race, so the rides were strenuous, and I was expected to keep up with them. I loved the freedom I felt on the bike—moving forward under my own power, feeling the sun and wind on my face. Riding to the point of exhaustion was exhilarating! I wound up dumping the guy and keeping the bike.”

Johnson married in 1989, the year after she graduated from Long Beach State with a major in clarinet performance and a minor in choral vocal technique. In 1990, her husband, Loren, an Army intelligence officer, received a five-year duty assignment to Germany, where they were stationed in 

There, Johnson bonded with the local and military communities through music. Among other things, she directed the bases’ chapel choirs; was the principal clarinetist for the Weiden Symphony Orchestra; joined a 

, a band specializing in German folk music; and founded and conducted two 75-member choirs comprising German and American soldiers and civilians.

Back in the U.S. in 1995, Johnson resumed cycling in earnest. She participated in triathlons from 1998 to 2016, ultimately deciding to step away from that to focus on coaching cyclists, which she had started to do in 2007 for Boca Hawai‘i. She continued coaching in person in Hawai‘i and online for clients on the continent until the end of last year.

Giving up coaching was one of the hardest decisions I’ve had to make,” Johnson said. “It was a privilege to accompany athletes on their journey, some of them going from never ever having ridden a bike to, within three years, finishing their first Ironman triathlon. Both jobs—coaching and being in the Royal Hawaiian Band—are time and energy intensive. The band has become the higher calling for me.”

In her spare time, Johnson is researching the band’s history and organizing its photos, records and news clips. Tuesday mornings, she volunteers at the Hawai‘i State Archives. Her current project is helping to digitize the vast record album collection that belonged to composer and bandleader Harry Owens, who’s known for establishing the hapa haole style of Hawaiian music.

For fitness and recreation, Johnson cycles about 60 miles per week around the Royal Hawaiian Band’s busy performance schedule. 

“For me, going to retirement homes is especially rewarding,” she said. “We might play Chinese or Japanese folk songs, and the kūpuna’s eyes light up as they sing the lyrics in their native language. Everywhere I’ve lived, I’ve seen how music brings people joy, touches their hearts and souls. Music bridges gaps. It connects us as human beings. The band is such an important part of Hawai‘i’s history. How amazing is it that Ke Akua has allowed me to be a very small part of it?”

Strike Up the Band

Founded by King Kamehameha III in 1836, the Royal Hawaiian Band is observing its 190th anniversary this year; it’s currently the only full-time municipal band in the United States. Each year, it performs free of charge at 300-plus events for schools; parades; shopping malls; community centers; retirement homes; city, state and military functions and more.

At 9 a.m. on May 1, the band will present a program of Hawai‘i-themed songs for the Lei Day celebration at Kapi‘olani Park. Most Fridays, you can enjoy their noon concert on the grounds of ‘Iolani Palace. On Sundays, the band is usually at Kapi‘olani Park Bandstand at 1 p.m. Visit rhb-music.com for more information.

Haleakala Cycle to the Sun 2018 16x9

<title>Uncles and Aunties: Kate Johnson, the cycling clarinetist of the Royal Hawaiian Band</title>

Kate Johnson has been a clarinetist with the Royal Hawaiian Band for 25 years, and has competed in numerous triathlons. She still gets in 60 miles of cycling a week in between performances.

Hawai‘i Scene on Social: Start um young

Kady Pascual

Social Media & Marketing Manager

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Hawai‘i Scene on Social: Start um young

Authors

Kady Pascual

Social Media & Marketing Manager

More in Hawaiʻi Scene on Social

Enter for a chance to win tickets to see Disney’s live action adaptation of the animated film ‘Moana’

Hawai‘i Scene on Social meets Hawai‘i Skies

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