Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 7, Number 3, 1 Malaki 1990 — Bay Area Hawaiians comment on Blueprint [ARTICLE]

Bay Area Hawaiians comment on Blueprint

By Deborah L. Ward Mainland Hawaiians still feel close ties to Hawai'i and are keenly interested in current Hawaiian affairs. They do not want to be left out in the coming wave of political change for Hawaiians. This was the message of a crowd of about 75 Hawaiians living in the San Francisco bay area who attended an informational hearing on the OHA draft Blueprint on Jan. 7 at the Foster City Holiday Inn. The hearing was originally scheduled for Oct. 18, 1989 but had to be postponed due to an earthquake whieh occurred the day before. In fall 1989 OHA trustees and staff made 9 presentations in 14 days in mainland cities to begin reaching the estimated 100,000 Hawaiians living on the mainland. They presented information on OHA and the draft Blueprint and Operation 'Ohana.

OHA trustees Louis Hao, Moanikeala Akaa and Manu Kahaialii conducted the meeting. Government affairs officer Jalna Keala was also present. Seven testimonies were given from the podium during the Foster City afternoon hearing. There was also dialogue in the form of discussion, questions and answers and statements throughout the hearing. Several Hawaiians wanted further assurances printed in the Blueprint that mainland Hawaiians would indeed be included in the decision-making for any proposed federal entitlements package.

Manuel Neves, Jr. of San Francisco asked how will Hawaiians on the mainland benefit from any settlement of state ceded and/or federal entitlements. Jalna Keala replied that since federal programs now restrict services to Hawaiians in Hawai'i, OHA is conducting Operation 'Ohana nationwide to find out how many Hawaiians there are and where they are. Onee Hawaiians are documented (via the US census and Operation 'Ohana), OHA will be able to say to Congress, "These Hawaiians on the mainland have needs, too." Testimony was also heard from: Moniea Kalei Flores of San Francisco, a U.S. Postal service administrator, who helped found a Hawaiian cultural center there; Manuel Neves, Jr., who said Hawaiians were pioneers instrumental in settling northern California; Mona Peterson, a Hawaiian entrepreneur who asked the OHA trustees to work with other agencies to develop technical assistance services for established businesses; and George Kiili who spoke on the need for Hawaiians to gain education and political power. James Kalanui, formerly of Nanakuli, now living in Sacramento said Hawaiians should ask for all ceded land back, not just a substantial portion. David Nahinu, a 35-year resident of California who wants to return to Hawaii, asked who is looking out for marine resources and native Hawaiian entitlements to them.