A reader notes that a proposed SB1271 SD1 HD1, which appears to strip certain state employees of their accrued vacation, will be heard today by the House Finance Committee. Part 2 of the Proposed HD1 would also impose a partial hiring freeze for two years and result in the elimination of a significant number of vacant positions. The bill is attributed to Sen. Donna Mercado Kim and has drawn considerable attention and concern among legislative staff who would likely be impacted by the vacation-related provisions.

Despite Karl Rhoads’ attempts to kill the bill with no hearing, he was forced to sign a request for re referral to FIN. After “input” from legislative service agency heads, initial indications from M. Oshiro were that he, too, would refuse to hear it, he put the bill on for hearing Wednesday. It is the ONLY bill on the agenda and is being heard at the last possible moment so it couldn’t be any more obvious that the “good” Senator’s nutcrackers extend all the way into the House.

If this comes to pass, don’t be surprised to see mass retirements on the eve of the bill’s effective date. About as smart as term limits (a different subject, I realize).

You know, there’s so many better ways to handle the real or perceived abuse this bill was meant to address. For one thing, an employee of the type targeted here could be required to pay back the excess value of the vacation, based on the difference between the “old” and the “new” salary, if the employee is rehired within, say, a year. There is already a section on the books regarding recoupment of overpayments by withholding from subsequent pay. There are myriad other ways to accomplish the same result.

Under the proposed HD1, most state departments would be allowed to fill only 30 percent of positions that become vacant over the next two years. An additional 30 percent would be assigned to a statewide pool and allocated by the governor “to fill essential positions”, while the remaining 40 percent of vacant positions would be eliminated.

At the University of Hawaii, 70 percent of vacant positions could be refilled at the discretion of the president and the Board of Regents, “provided that these positions shall be reallocated as necessary to restructure and organize the university to ensure the continued provision of appropriate, direct, student-related services“.

Refilling the remaining 30 percent of vacant positions would have to remain vacant for a year, and then would require legislative approval to be used for “essential positions” designated by the University president.

That seems to mean that many UH departments will lose positions vacated by resignations and retirements over the next two years.

That’s news that will shake the UH system as it percolates through the ranks.

Two recent National Public Radio programs are worth noting. A piece broadcast yesterday reported on the Voice of San Diego, a nonprofit news service that won a top award for investigative reporting in the annual Investigative Reporters & Editors competition. More on that award can be found at the VOSD web site.

And last week, NPR’s Talk of the Nation featured an interview with the members of “Spinal Tap”, perhaps the most famous fake band and subject of the 1984 Christopher Guest “mockumentary”. This one shouldn’t be missed.

The recent gang-related violence in Chinatown has suddenly focused public and political attention on gang issues. That’s a positive. But it’s a mistake to talk about gangs as a Chinatown issue or to focus primarily on that particular “turf war”. As we’ve seen over several years, local gang violence has spread across the island of Oahu, as evidenced by repeated gang fights involving large groups of combatants, some leading to injuries and deaths. We’ve seen the spread of drive-by shootings, home invasion robberies, and other symptoms of the spread of gangs. These aren’t isolated to particular neighborhoods as used to be the case.

The pronouncements by the chief of police and elected officials have failed to provide any information on how, or even whether, the city and state are responding. Pulling HPD resources from other parts of the island into a few square blocks in Chinatown may make downtown businesses feel better but won’t address the overall gang problem that has emerged in the last several years.

The public has a right to expect more.