Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 13, Number 5, 1 May 1996 — Ceded land victory, no steal OHA's kālā, homeless [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Ceded land victory, no steal OHA's kālā, homeless

by Moanike'ala Akaka Trustee, Hawai'i Mahalo to Judge Daniel Heely for denying "immediate approval" to sell ceded lands on Maui and Kailua-Kona for _______

"affordable housing" that really is not affordable to most Hawaiians. The sale of ceded lands was an issue of eoneem in the late eighties when I was part of a team of OHA tmstees negotiating with the Office of State Planning, but

(the State) refused to allow a moratorium on the sale of ceded lands. It took the suit of OHA, Bill Meheula, Hayden Aluli, other Hawaiians, and Judge Heely's ruling to halt any sale until this issue goes to trial. Judge Heely cited the federal "apology bill" in denying the state request saying it would "shut the door of the court house to Hawaiians." The Attomey General argued that as long as OHA receives 20 percent of sale for those

lands, 'āina ean be sold. To Hawaiians the 'āina will always be more valuable than kālā. Why not long term leases for state housing projects? The very day Judge Heely mled in our favor, SB 1698

HD3 appeared ealling for an 80 percent cut of ceded revenue OHA receives from the State - a loss of $12 million annually to Hawaiians. It is an outrage! Act 304 approved by the Legislature in 1990 states: OHA receives 20 percent of gross

revenues annually. Now. however, Governor Cayetano insists Hawaiians receive net ineome. Of the two categories of ceded revenue, the state receives 100 percent of sovereign ineome and 80 percent of proprietary (means state receives 180 percent) while OHA gets 20 percent for programs/services, for 50 percent and morc blood quantum Hawaiians. That amounts to one half of one percent of the revenues received by the state.

Today the State of Hawai'i is over $1/2 hillion in debt, but this deficit is not the fault of the Hawaiian people. The shortfall should not be shouldered on the backs of Hawaiians. We are tax payers and like any other resident we pay our

share for governmental expenses. But now the state wants to renege on owed debt for theft of our islands. OHA has already assumed funding for DLNR positions while human- services go unmet. As of March, physically and mentally disabled have had their $418 monthly general assistance checks cut by $200. These are not able-bodied continued page 14

OHA gets 20 percent of proprietary eeeleel lands revenues. That amounts to one half of one percent of the revenues received by the state.

Akaka /mmu

persons anei many are Hawaiians. Legal Aid is now asking OHA to fiind the transition of these Hawaiians to Social Security. I favor such funding, for the way we treat the most vulnerable reflects who we are as a people. We do not need more homeless Hawaiians. Senator Inouye's Hawai'i Housing Study shows "Hawaiians Hit Hardest in Housing - Twice as Likely to be Homeless as Any Other Ethnic Group." This study was released as Govemor Cayetano threatens Mākua families with eviction on June 15. Working in collaboration with Mākua Council. OHA and other service agencies, including DHHL, are coming together to help the Mākua people, the majority Hawaiians. Though DLNR cited sanitation as one reason for evictions, it was DLNR who canceled contracts for portable toilets the people of Mākua paid for. Many families are there because of high cost housing! Senator Inouye's study cites "demand for low-cost housing will increase as Hawaiian households grow twice the rate of overall household growth in the next decade." I don't know how we're going to resolve these social problems without Hawaiian style kibbutz-like communities - as Govemor Cayetano suggested to me before he was elected.

Senators Aki, Bunda, Solomon, and Representative Arakaki are eoncemed about Mākua people and the govemor's Mākua plan. Senator Solomon: "Why is it when they go to displace persons of Hawaiian ancestry, they bring the S.W.A.T squad, the dogs and guns?" Senator Robert Bunda, chair of Senate Housing, feels the Govemor "does not address the fundamental problem of where the families will go ... eviction is only kneejerk reaction ... the Govemor attempts only to band-aid a highly emohonal and controversial issue." The Mākua homeless situation is a complex social issue state wide - it ean no longer be ignored. Karl A. Godsey, Lieutenant, Honolulu Poliee states, "Ask yourself, wheie will they go? Are homeless persons human beings, or ean we herd them from plaee to plaee like catde?" Put the people on ceded lands! Mālama pono. Ua mau ke ea o ka 'āina i ka pono.