World

Hawaii Lawmakers Take Aim At Vacation Rentals After Lahaina Wildfire Amplifies Maui Housing Crisis

Published

7 months ago

2024-04-21

Kiara Grace

AP - VOR News Image

HONOLULU — Amy Chadwick, a single mother of two, worked hard and saved for years before purchasing a home in the town of Lahaina on the Hawaiian island of Maui. However, after a horrific fire destroyed Lahaina in August, Chadwick’s home was reduced to white dust, and the cheapest rental she could find for her family and dogs was $10,000 per month.

Chadwick, a fine-dining server, relocated to Florida to stretch her homeowner’s insurance costs. She’s concerned that Maui’s expensive rental prices, fueled in part by holiday rentals that dominate a limited housing supply, may hollow out her close-knit community.

AP – VOR News Image

Hawaii Lawmakers Take Aim At Vacation Rentals After Lahaina Wildfire Amplifies Maui Housing Crisis

Most individuals in Lahaina work for hotels, restaurants, and tour businesses and cannot afford to pay rent of $5,000 to $10,000 per month, she added.

“You’re displacing an entire community of service industry workers. So no one will be able to sustain the tourist that you’re prioritizing over your town,” Chadwick said over the phone from her new home in Satellite Beach on Florida’s Space Coast. “Nothing positive will come of it until they take a firm stance, putting their foot down and effectively regulating these short-term rentals.

The August 8 wildfire killed 101 people and destroyed houses for 6,200 families, exacerbating Maui’s already severe housing scarcity and exposing the massive number of holiday rentals in Lahaina. It reminded lawmakers that short-term rentals are a problem throughout Hawaii, prompting them to pursue legislation that would give counties the ability to phase them out.

During a recent press conference, Gov. Josh Green became so frustrated that he shouted out an expletive.

“This fire uncovered a clear truth, which is we have too many short-term rentals owned by too many individuals on the mainland and it is b———t,” Green said in a statement. “And our people deserve housing, here.”

Vacation rentals are a popular alternative to hotels for individuals looking for kitchens, lower pricing, and the chance to experience ordinary island life. Supporters claim they enhance tourism, the state’s largest industry. Critics accuse them of raising housing costs, upsetting neighborhoods, and contributing to the dynamics that drive locals and Native Hawaiians to flee Hawaii for less expensive places.

This migration has become a big issue in Lahaina. According to the Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement, a charity, at least 1,500 households have departed since the August wildfire, accounting for a quarter of those who lost their houses.

The fire destroyed single-family homes and apartments in and around downtown, which is the heart of Lahaina’s residential community. According to a study conducted by the University of Hawaii Economic Research Organization, holiday rentals accounted for only 7.5% of all units in February 2023.

Lahaina communities that were spared from the fire have a considerably larger ratio of vacation rentals. Short-term rentals account for roughly half of all housing in Napili, located around 7 miles (11 kilometers) north of the burn zone.

When Chadwick began house hunting in 2016, she thought she had discovered a place to buy in Napili. However, a Canadian woman secured it with a monetary offer and converted it into a vacation rental.

Outside the burn zone, there are scores of short-term rental condominium structures built decades ago on apartment-zoned land.

AP – VOR News Image

Hawaii Lawmakers Take Aim At Vacation Rentals After Lahaina Wildfire Amplifies Maui Housing Crisis

In 1992, Maui County explicitly permitted owners of these buildings to rent units for less than 180 days at a period, even without short-term rental permits. Since November, demonstrators have seized the beach in front of Lahaina’s largest hotels, urging the mayor or governor to exercise their emergency powers and rescind this exemption.

Money is a major incentive for owners to rent to travelers: according to 2016 state data, a Honolulu vacation rental earns 3.5 times the revenue of a long-term rental.

The Housing Committee chair, State Rep. Luke Evslin, stated both Maui and Kauai counties have experienced net losses in residential housing in recent years due to a lack of new building and the conversion of so many properties to short-term rentals.

“Every alarm bell we have should be ringing when we’re literally going backwards in our goal to provide more housing in Hawaii,” he told the crowd.

In his own Kauai district, Evslin sees people fleeing, becoming homeless, or working three jobs to get by.

The Democrat was one of 47 House members who cosponsored a bill that would phase out short-term rentals. One goal is to give counties more authority after a US judge found in 2022 that Honolulu violated state law by attempting to limit rentals of fewer than 90 days. According to Evslin, this ruling left Hawaii’s counties with minimal means for controlling holiday rentals, such as property taxes.

Lawmakers also proposed increasing Hawaii’s housing supply by requiring counties to allow additional houses to be built on individual lots. However, they scaled down the legislation after local officials stated that they were already investigating the notion.

Short-term rental owners claimed that a phase-out would violate their property rights by taking their property without compensation, potentially forcing them into foreclosure. Some anticipated legal issues.

According to Alicia Humiston, president of the Rentals by Owner Awareness Association, several communities in West Maui were created for tourists; thus, they lack schools and other facilities that families require.

“This area in West Maui that is sort of like this resort apartment zone — that’s all north of Lahaina — it was never built to be local living,” he said.

AP – VOR News Image

Hawaii Lawmakers Take Aim At Vacation Rentals After Lahaina Wildfire Amplifies Maui Housing Crisis

According to one housing advocate, just because a city allowed vacation rentals decades ago does not imply it should still do so now.

“We are not living in the 1990s or 1970s,” stated Sterling Higa, executive director of Housing Hawaii’s Future. States “should have the authority to look at existing laws and reform them as necessary to provide for the public good.”

Courtney Lazo, a real estate agent and member of Lahaina Strong, the organization that is occupying Kaanapali Beach, says tourists can now stay in her city, but many locals cannot.

“How do you expect a community to recover, heal, and move forward when the people who make Lahaina, Lahaina, aren’t even there anymore?” she asked at a recent press appearance, her voice quivering. “They’re moving away.”

SOURCE – (AP)

Related Topics:Hawaii Lawmakers Take Aim At Vacation

Up Next

Satellite Photos Show New Port Construction In Gaza Strip For US-Led Aid Operation

Don't Miss

Next UN Climate Talks Are Critical To Plot Aid For Poorer Nations, Says Incoming President

World

Biden Escalates Ukraine War With Long-Range Missiles

Published

6 days ago

2024-11-18

Geoff Brown

The Kremlin announced on Monday that President Joe Biden’s decision to allow Ukraine to hit targets inside Russia with US military long-range missiles is “fuel to the fire” and will exacerbate international tensions.

Biden’s decision to allow Ukraine to employ US military long-range missiles to strike deep within Russia has raised concerns about growing tensions, with many fearing that this decision could lead to world conflict.

On Monday, with less than two months remaining in office, President Joe Biden authorized American-provided Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS) to strike deep within Russia.

“It is obvious that the outgoing administration in Washington intends to take steps and they have been talking about this, to continue adding fuel to the fire and provoking further escalation of tensions around this conflict,” said Peskov, the spokesman for the president.

Peskov reminded journalists of a September statement by President Vladimir Putin, who stated that enabling Ukraine to target Russia would dramatically raise the stakes.

It would alter “the very nature of the conflict dramatically,” Putin stated. This would mean that NATO countries, the United States, and European countries would be at war with Russia.”

Peskov asserted that Western countries that deliver longer-range weaponry also provide targeting services to Kyiv. “This fundamentally changes the modality of their involvement in the conflict,” he said.

Ukraine War Escalation

In June, Putin threatened that if NATO permitted Ukraine to utilize the arsenal of its partners to attack Russian territory, Moscow would send longer-range weapons to others to strike Western targets.

“The Westerners supply weapons to Ukraine and say: ‘We do not control anything here anymore and it does not matter how they are used.'” Putin had said. “We can also say, ‘We supplied something to someone — and now we have no control over anything.'” “And let them think about it.”

Putin again emphasized Moscow’s willingness to deploy nuclear weapons if it perceived a threat to its sovereignty.

Biden’s decision will “mean the direct involvement of the United States and its satellites in military action against Russia, as well as a radical change in the essence and nature of the conflict,” Russia’s Foreign Ministry stated.

The new policy has unpredictable consequences. ATACMS, with a range of roughly 300 kilometers (190 miles), can travel deep behind Ukraine’s 1,000-kilometer (600-mile) front line, although their range is modest compared to other types of ballistic and cruise missiles.

President-elect Donald Trump, who takes office on January 20, has not responded, but he won the election on promises to stop the conflict, and some people close to him have decried the action as a hazardous escalation.

Missile Decision Sparks Anger

The Military Industrial Complex appears to want to start World War III before my father has a chance to restore peace and rescue lives. We need to lock in those $Trillions. Life be damned!! Imbeciles!” Donald Trump Jr., the President-elect’s son, posted on X

“On his way out of office, Joe Biden is dangerously trying to start WWIII by authorizing Ukraine to use U.S. long-range missiles against Russia,” said Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., on X. “The American people gave a mandate on November 5 against these exact American last decisions.”

Rebekah Koffler, a former Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) officer and author of “Putin’s Playbook,” speculated that the stories were a “trial balloon to disrupt Trump” and that Biden may not have authorized the ATACMS strikes yet.

According to Dani Belo, PhD, Director of Security and International Relations at Global Policy Horizons Research Lab, Ukraine’s ability to currently hit Russian territory has the potential to escalate the war with Russia.

However, Donald Trump’s victory is likely to moderate the escalation.

There is speculation that Donald Trump’s administration would restrict military hardware deliveries to Ukraine, putting political pressure on Kyiv to resolve the crisis. This implies Ukraine has no motivation to escalate now and lose its fighting capability in a matter of months.

Russia sees no reason to escalate the situation at this time. Moscow expects that Trump’s administration will try to finish the war soon, so the Kremlin will likely take a wait-and-see approach until the new presidential administration takes office without significantly escalating the conflict. As a result, any escalation is unlikely.

Source: AP

Trump Shakes Up Pentagon Names Pete Hegseth Defence Secretary

Trump Shakes Up Pentagon Names Pete Hegseth Defence Secretary

World

A Court Filing Reveals Elon Musk Flatly Rejected OpenAI’s ICO in 2018.

Published

1 week ago

2024-11-15

Salman Ahmad

(VOR News) – Elon Musk, the billionaire and CEO of Tesla, claims in a subsequent court filing that was submitted on November 14 that he was successful in stopping OpenAI from doing an initial coin offering (ICO) in 2018.

According to the filing requirements, this information was disclosed.

Musk and his legal team have claimed that two of OpenAI’s founders, Greg Brockman and Sam Altman, tried unsuccessfully to create a token in early 2018 to help the company grow. To the best of our knowledge, this was the founders’ intention.

Elon Musk accurately described the scenario.

Elon Musk made the remark during the pertinent time period, according to the lawsuit’s accusations.

This, in his opinion, would lead to a significant decline in trust in OpenAI and everyone involved in the initial coin offering (ICO). These statements are extracted from his initial declaration.

A unique project backed by Altman, Worldcoin launched a token twenty-three years ago with the goal of creating digital identification for verified individuals.

Furthermore, the company in charge of token distribution was Worldcoin. Through the use of the token, Worldcoin was able to authenticate individual identities.

When OpenAI was first founded, it was a nonprofit organization dedicated to creating safe artificial general intelligence (AGI).

In this context, the acronym AGI stands for artificial global intelligence. “Musk has continuously voiced concern about the grave threat that these sophisticated systems pose to humanity,” his attorney wrote in the complaint. These sophisticated technologies represent a serious threat to humankind.

“Musk remains apprehensive regarding this threat.” “Musk regards these threats with the utmost seriousness.” “Elon Musk has harbored these concerns for an extended period.”

This led to Musk joining OpenAI’s board of directors and continuing to serve as co-chair of the board. Furthermore, he was appointed to that board of directors post.

Elon Musk contributed $44 million to the enterprise.

OpenAI declared in a March 5th news release that it was imperative that the company adopt a profit-making structure in order to obtain the necessary funding to achieve its objectives. In order to enable OpenAI to fulfill its objectives, this transition was necessary.

According to both the OpenAI statement and the amended filing, Elon Musk advocated for the combination of OpenAI and Tesla to help the artificial intelligence startup with its financial issues.

The aforementioned measures were implemented to mitigate the challenges that the organization was facing at that specific moment. Musk submitted his resignation as an OpenAI employee in February 2018.

He founded his own artificial intelligence company, which he named XAI, in the ensuing years. His efforts directly led to the achievement he achieved.

We are deeply disappointed that our friendship with someone we have always held in the highest respect has deteriorated.

As we started to make significant strides toward OpenAI’s goal on our own, this person, who had previously motivated us to achieve greater heights, abruptly predicted that we would fail, established a rival company, and filed a lawsuit against us, according to the group’s press release.

In August of this year, Musk filed a lawsuit against OpenAI and its CEOs, Altman and Brockman, claiming that they had violated federal RICO statutes, engaged in unfair competition, and committed fraud. OpenAI is the target of legal action taken by Elon Musk.

According to Elon Musk, they have engaged in additional illegal activity. Microsoft was named as one of the defendants in the dispute in the updated complaint, which was submitted on November 14.

It’s being presented as a case at the moment. Microsoft and OpenAI started working together in 2019, and Microsoft committed $1 billion in the partnership.

In July 2023, OpenAI’s native cryptocurrency, Worldcoin (WLD), was made available to the general public. Not too long ago, an article published by The Block disclosed this knowledge. When the market closed on November 15 at 11:36 p.m. Eastern Time (16:36 UTC), the price of a share of WLD was $2.21.

SOURCE: TB

World

Trump Appoints Robert F. Kennedy Jr to Head HHS

Published

1 week ago

2024-11-15

Geoff Brown

Trump Appoints Robert F. Kennedy Jr to Head HHS

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to run the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)

President-elect Trump appointed Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (RFK Jr) to run the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), sending Democrats and Big Pharma allies into a tailspin.

“I am delighted to announce Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS). For too long, Americans have been crushed by the industrial food complex and medicine firms, which have engaged in deception, misinformation, and disinformation regarding public health,” Trump stated in his announcement.

“The safety and health of all Americans is the most important role of any administration, and HHS will play an important role in ensuring that everyone is safe from harmful chemicals, pollutants, pesticides, pharmaceutical products, and food additives that have contributed to this country’s overwhelming health crisis.

Mr. Kennedy will restore these agencies to gold-standard scientific Research and Transparency traditions, stopping the Chronic Disease Epidemic and making America Great and Healthy Again!” Trump added.

Reactions to RFK Jr HHS Appointment

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) oversees the Food and Drug Administration, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Medicare, Medicaid, and the National Institutes of Health.

Kennedy is a former environmental justice lawyer who has recently started an anti-vaccine nonprofit. He ran for president as an independent candidate in 2024 but dropped out to join Trump’s closest circle.

House Republicans have reacted to Donald Trump’s nomination of former presidential contender Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as health secretary.

Chip Roy, a Texas congressman, calls it “great news”. He tells me, “We need disruption throughout the federal government.” He’ll be fantastic at HHS [the Department of Health and Human Services] to do that.”

Roy adds that he expects Kennedy’s candidacy will clear the Senate.

“There’s been a few Kennedy’s in the Senate in the past so maybe there’ll be some legacy there that they will want to move him through,” he speculates.

South Carolina Congressman Ralph Norman concurs with Roy on Kennedy’s confirmation in the Senate: “I believe he was an excellent choice by the president, as have all of them. Kennedy is interested in, and passionate about, the medical industry. He will do a terrific job with it.”

According to Public Citizen, a progressive nonprofit group focused on consumer protection, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. “is a clear and present danger to the nation’s health.”

He should not be allowed to enter the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), let alone be appointed director of the nation’s public health agency.”

“Donald Trump’s mishandling of public health policies during the Covid outbreak resulted in hundreds of thousands of deaths. “By appointing Kennedy as secretary of HHS, Trump is courting another policy-driven public health disaster,” the organization continued.

Apu Akkad, an infectious disease physician at the University of Southern California, described the statement as a “scary day for public health”.

Meanwhile, pharmaceutical stocks such as Pfizer and Moderna plummeted following news of Kennedy’s nomination for HHS Secretary, as investors considered his potential impact on vaccine sales.

Novavax and BioNTech finished down more than 7%, with almost all losses occurring when word of the selection broke—Novavax shares fell to $7.22, and BioNTech shares fell to $103.56.

Moderna’s stock closed 5.6% at $39.77, reaching its lowest point of the year.

Sanofi’s stock fell 3.4% to $47.82, continuing a weeks-long share price decline that began after the company’s latest earnings report last month.

Pfizer lost less than its competitors on Thursday, closing down 2.6% at $26.02, despite having its sharpest drop of the day immediately following the RFK Jr. announcement.