The Trials of Rickules
Sing, O Muse, of the ‘Herculean’ effort that could not tame the Cretan Bull of Planning and Permitting, a maddened beast of code and chaos that now stampedes over a cliff, crushing all hope in its path.
Logan’s Run
The absurdity of Honolulu’s police commission fiasco deepens. Like a naked stadium streaker, ousted chief Logan’s salary demand makes everyone uncomfortable, and Mayor Rick’s favored, rejected replacement drops the ball in his own endzone.
Tea For Two
Spilling the tea on the inappropriate relationship between a powerful State Senator and his māmaki tea business, and the conflict of interest inherent within.
Ain’t No Sunshine
The 2025 Hawaiʻi legislative session ended with an ignominious whimper when it comes to good government reform, or “sunshine,” bills—the last of which died in conference committee the week before this cartoon ran.
Wheel Of Extortion
Are you an unethical lawmaker willing to sacrifice the common good for your own personal enrichment and that of your friends and benefactors? Come on down and spin the wheel of extortion on “Quid Pro Go!”
Legislative Tightrope
A proposed package of pay raises for public servants would be a lot more palatable to voters if lawmakers hadn’t nixed a bill to make the legislature year round and ban side jobs.
Field Of Dreams
State lawmakers want to redevelop Aloha Stadium—predictably, for as little money as possible. The developer wants double the amount the state wants to spend in order to add all the bells and whistles to the project needed to make it profitable.
In The Doghouse
John Mizuno, the state’s former homelessness czar, is in the doghouse after criticizing the high costs associated with some of his boss’s signature Kauhale tiny home villages.
Crazy Train
Built backwards, started 30 years too late and handled by the most bumbling assortment of public and private officials imaginable, and now—with yet another lawsuit to slow it down and expand its cost to the taxpayer—it’s no wonder the Honolulu Rail project is making everyone a little crazy.
Price of Paradise
The Honolulu City Council is slated to vote on a new tax on homes that stand empty, a measure supporters say will force owners to rent the properties and help provide badly needed housing for local residents. Critics complain it’s unfair to the property owner.
Big Green Political Machine
The candidates with the most cash have an overwhelming likelihood to end up the winner in our current election system. That held true in 2024 as the Carpenter’s Union PAC “For a Better Tomorrow” spent more than $500,000 to ensure Tom Cook and Tasha Kama were re-elected to the Maui County Council over Kelly King and Carol Lee Kamekona.
Insurance Policy
Defeated Speaker of the Hawaiʻi State House, Scott Saiki, might get a bailout from his buddy, Governor Josh Green, who is rumored to be considering appointing Saiki to be the new state insurance commissioner. Must be nice to have that insurance policy!
Kakaʻako Consequential
A reaction to August 2024 Hawaiʻi primary election in which challenger Kim Coco Iwamoto defeated the sitting Speaker of the Hawaiʻi State House of Representatives—the only time in U.S. history that's happened during a primary election.
Not a Crook
On former Honolulu city prosecutor Keith Kaneshiro’s “not guilty” verdict in his public corruption case.
The Monolith
Land is power in Hawaiʻi, and local politicians know the right alter at which to worship.