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UP CLOSE & PERSONAL 2010 Jason Schwartz with NETRA HALPERIN, candidate for South Maui State House District 11 race.
Summary & Transcript Below…
[00:09 → 01:18] Introduction and Opening Reflections
The program opens with a poetic reflection on the paradox of modern connectivity: despite the world feeling smaller through media like television, bridging distances has ironically made it harder to truly see and understand one another. The metaphor of the world as a stage, with actors playing roles scripted by fear, doubt, and greed, underscores the need for a new narrative—one that embraces reverence for life and peace at every level, starting within our own hearts. This sets a contemplative tone, emphasizing the importance of inner peace as foundational for societal harmony.
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[01:18 → 02:41] Guest Introduction and Democratic Engagement
Host Jason Schwartz welcomes Netra Halperin, a political candidate with deep experience and commitment to democracy. Netra articulates the essence of democracy as more than just names on posters or brief campaign ads—it involves genuine listening and understanding who the candidates are, what they stand for, and whether they truly represent the voters’ values. With nine election cycles behind her, Netra notes growing public recognition and engagement, signaling a positive trend in political awareness. The segment stresses the importance of lengthy, meaningful dialogue with candidates beyond typical soundbite-driven campaigns. -
[02:41 → 05:04] Political Experience and Legislative Process
Netra recounts her political journey beginning with her 2008 run for Maui County Council, where she gained valuable knowledge of local issues and community connections despite not winning. She then worked as an aide to Representative Rita Cabanilla, learning the intricate legislative process: bill submission, committee assignments, crossover between House and Senate, and the essential role of committee approvals. She highlights that legislative success hinges not only on good ideas but also on building trust and relationships among legislators. A trusted peer, Joe Suki, confirmed the importance of these dynamics, reinforcing that political effectiveness comes from both understanding process and cultivating collegial support. -
[05:04 → 07:26] Constituent Engagement and Campaigning
The discussion moves to electoral strategies emphasizing direct contact with constituents. Netra shares an example from Kihei where candidates engaged voters in small groups, allowing apples-to-apples comparisons of candidate responses—a method fostering transparency though challenged by logistics like audibility and reach. She underscores the advantages of district-based elections, allowing candidates to connect door-to-door, a stark contrast to countywide races where reaching tens of thousands is daunting. Netra has personally visited nearly every house in her district (Kihei), leaving door hangers when residents were absent, demonstrating her grassroots commitment. This segment emphasizes the importance of relationship-building and personal outreach in effective campaigning. -
[07:26 → 10:48] Key Issues: Economy, Small Business, and Regulation
Netra identifies education and the economy as the two primary concerns voiced by constituents. On the economy, she advocates for supporting small businesses, criticizing the county’s overregulation, particularly around signage, vacation rentals, and home businesses. She stresses that Hawaii is one of the toughest states for small businesses due to burdensome regulations, contributing to high failure rates. Netra recounts her involvement in legislative efforts to ease restrictions on home businesses, working alongside chamber representatives. Despite passing the House, the bill was stalled in the Senate committee, illustrating the challenges reform faces within the legislative process. -
[10:48 → 13:39] Legislative Process and Committee Power Dynamics
Netra explains the legislative process in detail, noting that many bills never reach a full House or Senate vote because committee chairs wield significant power to “kill” bills by simply not scheduling hearings. She highlights the considerable influence held by the Speaker of the House and Senate President in assigning bills to committees and the concentration of power this creates. This system enables a few individuals to block legislation, regardless of public support or merit, a structural obstacle to reform. Discussion includes the recognition of ongoing conversations about reforming this power imbalance. -
Peaceful Maui natural zone featuring lush greenery and vibrant tropical flowers for relaxation.
[13:39 → 16:01] Local Control of Schools and Vested Interests
Education emerges as a vital focus, with Netra advocating for the return of art, music, and physical education to schools, and for local control over education decisions. She notes universal public support for these ideas, yet acknowledges resistance from some entrenched administrative employees who fear losing jobs. Despite representing a small group compared to the total population, their influence is disproportionate. Netra attributes this to low voter turnout, which empowers small, vested interest groups. She stresses the critical importance of voting, citing extremely close election margins that illustrate how every vote counts. -
[16:01 → 18:15] Public Participation and Bill Advocacy
Netra urges constituents to actively participate beyond voting by engaging in the legislative process through submitting testimony. She explains how citizens can draft simple proposals describing problems and solutions, which legislators can then formalize into bills via professional offices. Digital testimony submission is accessible, allowing widespread input without geographic barriers. She emphasizes that testimony influences committee decisions significantly, sharing an example of a successful bill requiring community organization support to progress. This segment promotes civic engagement as essential for democracy to function effectively. -
[18:15 → 22:59] Examples of Legislative Advocacy and Testimony
Netra recounts a specific bill called “Return to Home,” designed to assist homeless individuals from mainland states to reconnect with family and return home safely. She describes the process of gathering testimonies from trusted organizations, which influenced committee chairs to advance the bill. This story illustrates how legislative decisions depend on both expert input and community advocacy. She also explains the importance of knowing which committee handles a bill to direct testimony effectively. The segment reinforces that legislators rely on constituents and stakeholders to inform their decisions and that ongoing participation is necessary after elections. -
[22:59 → 26:57] Background and Social Work Perspective
Netra shares her professional background as a child and family therapist working with various social service agencies addressing youth, mental health, and domestic abuse issues. She describes witnessing recurring cycles of poverty, substance abuse, crime, and incarceration that perpetuate themselves, especially when children grow up in unstable environments. She argues that early social interventions are more cost-effective than incarceration, which she labels “retail” in contrast to “wholesale” prevention. Netra underscores the staggering increases in public safety budgets and private prison expenditures, highlighting the unsustainable costs of current punitive approaches. -
[26:57 → 31:25] Private Prisons and the Incarceration Crisis
Netra critiques the private prison industry’s profit-driven model, which relies on high incarceration rates and repeat offenders to maximize revenue. She references investigative journalism revealing that Corrections Corporation of America (CCA) has expressed a desire to maintain or increase crime levels, including opposition to marijuana legalization, to sustain their business. This ethical conflict underscores the systemic problem of prisons profiting from crime. Netra stresses the need for reform to break this cycle, emphasizing that incarceration often worsens criminal behavior rather than rehabilitating offenders. -
[31:25 → 34:43] Justice Reinvestment and Reform Efforts
Netra introduces the concept of Justice Reinvestment, a data-driven approach to redirect funds from costly incarceration toward community-based rehabilitation and prevention programs. She highlights successful collaborations with activists and attorneys who have helped multiple states reduce prison populations and reinvest savings into social services. Key to implementation is political will, requiring support from high-level officials including the Speaker of the House, Senate President, Governor, and judicial leaders. She notes ongoing efforts to educate legislators and build support for systemic reform in Hawaii. 
[34:43 → 38:28] Local Prison Issues and Restorative Justice
Netra discusses Maui Community Correctional Center (MCCC), emphasizing that many inmates are pre-trial detainees held simply because they cannot afford bail, not because they pose a threat. She critiques plans to build a costly new prison facility without adequate rehabilitation services, instead proposing renovation of existing infrastructure combined with restorative justice principles rooted in Native Hawaiian traditions like Ho’oponopono. Restorative justice circles involve stakeholders addressing offenders’ needs to promote healing and reduce recidivism. She presents startling statistics showing that 85% of incarcerated individuals have substance abuse issues, indicating a public health crisis rather than purely criminal justice problem.-
[38:28 → 41:43] Economic Costs and Substance Abuse
Netra highlights the enormous economic impact of methamphetamine use in Hawaii ($400 million annually), money that could instead fund education and prevention. She explains that incarceration is expensive and counterproductive, as prisons often exacerbate criminal behavior through negative peer influences. Investing in rehabilitation and prevention would reduce crime and related social costs. She stresses that reform efforts are gaining traction in the legislature, supported by activists and some legislators, signaling hope for meaningful change. [41:43 → 45:48] Passion for Public Service and Holistic Perspective
Netra expresses deep passion for public service, combining her social work experience with small business ownership to offer a well-rounded perspective essential for effective legislation. She values translating activist ideals into actionable policy. Her understanding of business, real estate, and social issues equips her to make informed decisions benefiting diverse community needs. The conversation acknowledges the complexity of issues like homelessness and crime, with no easy answers, but a strong commitment to compassionate, practical solutions.-
[45:48 → 48:52] Homelessness and Affordable Housing Solutions
Addressing homelessness, Netra distinguishes between chronic homelessness, often linked with mental health or substance abuse, and situational homelessness caused by economic hardship. She advocates for compassion and direct help for those in need. Solutions include removing regulatory barriers to affordable housing and promoting innovative zoning approaches such as cluster subdivisions that balance development with environmental protection and community needs. She emphasizes updating outdated regulations that hinder home businesses and housing opportunities, asserting laws should serve people’s needs rather than constrain them unnecessarily. -
[48:52 → 51:56] Community Development and Prevention Initiatives
Netra discusses the rapid growth of South Maui and the urgent need for infrastructure improvements including a new hospital and high school tailored to local needs. She plans to engage experts in alternative education models like Montessori to enhance youth development. She also participates in public health initiatives promoting prevention of lifestyle diseases through increased access to healthy food, linking health outcomes to economic and social well-being. Her holistic approach integrates education, health, environment, and economic vitality as interconnected priorities for community prosperity. 
Photo of a woman speaking in a lush, tropical Maui environment at Maui Neutral Zone.
[51:56 → 53:37] Closing Appeal and Call to Civic Engagement
Netra closes by thanking listeners for their community interest and political engagement. She urges voters in Kihei to support her candidacy and to participate actively in the upcoming primary and general elections. The message reinforces the importance of being informed voters who hold representatives accountable. The program concludes with a reminder that democracy depends on citizens’ awareness and participation to shape quality of life through elected officials.-
[53:37 → 54:45] Final Poetic Reflection
The episode concludes with a reprise of the opening poetic theme, emphasizing the need to rewrite the ancient script of fear, doubt, and grief into one that honors life and peace—at global, national, community, and individual levels. The call to cultivate peace in our hearts as the starting point serves as a hopeful, unifying message to inspire listeners toward collective betterment.
Overall Summary:
This in-depth discussion with candidate Netra Halperin offers a comprehensive view of the challenges and opportunities facing Maui and Hawaii at large, spanning political engagement, legislative processes, education, small business, criminal justice reform, homelessness, and community development. Netra draws on her extensive experience in social work and politics to advocate for systemic changes grounded in empathy, transparency, and active citizen participation. She highlights structural obstacles like concentrated legislative power, regulatory burdens, and the profit motives underlying incarceration, while presenting concrete reform strategies such as Justice Reinvestment and restorative justice. The conversation underscores the necessity of voting, testimony, and ongoing civic involvement as essential to shaping policies that reflect community values. Netra’s holistic vision integrates economic vitality, health, education, and environmental stewardship, aiming to foster a more just, compassionate, and sustainable future for South Maui and beyond.
00:09
Seems like now the world’s so small we see it all right here on our TV Seems like
00:23
The more we bridge the distance, the harder it becomes for us to see. Well, for all the world’s a stage for actors in a play. With an ancient script of fear and doubt and greed. To write another page, to find a better way.
00:46
Reverence for life is what we need For peace in our world For peace in our country For peace on our street Peace in our hearts And it starts with peace in our hearts
01:18
Aloha! Welcome to another Up Close and Personal 2010. I have a very special guest. This is Netra Halperin.
01:34
Netra, thank you for running. You’re welcome. Thank you for being here on this show. Well, thank you for inviting me, and thanks for all that you do to further democracy by letting the public know who the candidates are. That is the essence.
01:49
People sharing a conversation outdoors amidst tropical foliage in Maui.
of democracy is people knowing who they’re voting for. So it’s not just a name on a poster or even a little small 32nd or a poster, but it’s listening, listening to us candidates. Who is the candidate? What do they got to say? And hearing, do we represent your values? Thank you for noticing. Do we care? Have we done our homework? But thank you for doing this. I’m in nine election cycles and people are starting to ask me when am I running, which is a good sign.
02:19
Yes, because they know you know all the issues because you’ve been listening. But I also know that when I’m here with a candidate, this isn’t about me. This is about you and giving you a chance to really show yourself. More than a couple of minutes in one of these soundbite moments that we call election season. Right, that’s true. So you ran last time for…
02:41
I ran for county council in 2008, and it was a very good experience. I learned everything about county issues. I met a lot of people, and a lot of people started to learn who I was. And I didn’t win, so then I went to the State House, and I worked as an aide for a legislator for Representative Rita Cabanella. She’s great.
03:05
And I learned everything about how that process works. It’s an elaborate process. You know, there’s all these different dates with different, you know, first you’ve got to get all your bills in, then you’ve got to get all your bills assigned, then they have to get through the various committees, and then they cross over.
03:24
The bills that were at the House go to the Senate and vice versa. Then it has to go through that process. And so there’s a very elaborate process, and that’s important to know. And also I got a chance to meet a lot of the legislators. So, of course, I got closer with several of our Maui legislators and also meeting several legislators from other islands or Oahu. And so what that means is when I get elected and I get into the seat, I’m going to hit the ground running.
03:54
Because being a legislator isn’t just having great bills. It’s also having relationships with your colleagues. First, you’ve got to get the vote of the constituency. Then you’ve got to get the vote of your colleagues. Because if they trust you and think you know what you’re up to, they’re going to support your bills more than just, okay, it’s a good bill. It’s a lot about relationships and about forming relationships. I was sitting in this very spot with Joe Suki.
04:25
who’s Speaker Emeritus, Speaker of the House, 28 years. He said the exact same thing. So you’re running on the right track. You know the process.
04:34
And you’re meeting the people because it is the relationships. Exactly. I mean, it’s the relationships with the constituents. And with the constituents, it’s you folks feeling that, bottom line, it’s about trust. Because unless you’re a professional legislator, you’re not going to have time to study all the issues. I mean, there’s going to be your favorite issues that you know what you feel on, but you’re not going to be able to have time. It’s just a matter of time to study it all. So what you need to feel is that I have…
05:04
the intelligence and the caring and the empathy for your situation that I’m going to make decisions that are going to be in your best interest. And that’s what you need to know and that’s what we’re trying to do as far as exposing and candidating is letting you know who we are. That’s a very interesting word, candidating. I wonder if we did very candid dating if we get better candidates.
05:33
Well, in Kihei, the Kihei Community Association, of which I’m on the board, they did a process in Kihei. And they put us all in groups of maybe 10, 12 people. Not us, excuse me. They put the constituents in 10, 12 people. And then we went around in groups. So, for instance, myself and the two other Democratic State House District 11 candidates went together. And then the constituents asked questions.
06:03
and then the constituents can see what our answers were apples to apples. Not one person’s talking about this or that. They would ask a question and they would get each of the candidates’ responses. The only thing about that that I didn’t like was you couldn’t really hear. People even in the circle couldn’t hear. We were in a nice big room, but we could do it in a better place. And also, I really wish that stuff could be taped a little bit because maybe there were 50 or 100 people there
06:31
but there’s so many other people that needed to see it. You’re fortunately in a race where you have a district. And so that is totally different than having to be three county wide. Those poor candidates, 100 people see them, they still got to see 100,000 more. Whoa, it’s quite a workout. And that’s why many of us believe in district council elections. Now that’s not totally my kuleana, but as a Maui County resident, I definitely believe in
06:59
district county elections. So exactly as Jason mentioned, as a statehouse candidate for South Maui, I have the privilege of walking door to door to door to door in Kihei. I have pretty much hit almost every house in Kihei. Not necessarily, like for instance, Wailea, it’s mostly Republican and therefore they’re not going to be voting in the Democratic
07:26
primary so I’ll go to those houses after the primary when it’s the general election but as far as I’m trying to focus now on Democrats because that’s who’s going to vote in the primary in my race and I’ve been able to go to pretty much every house not necessarily every condo because
07:45
People aren’t home very often. But as far as houses, and I love condo dwellers, it’s just hard to find them, catch them at home. But I’ve been to almost every house, and if you weren’t home, you might have found my little door hanger or my car.
08:00
I put that there myself, just so you know. It wasn’t one of my helpers. I personally came to your door, and you weren’t home, so we’ll have to meet another time. But, yes, exactly what you’re saying, Jason, is I have been able to meet so many people because I have a district. What is the most significant issue
08:20
that people bring to you? Because you’ve been out there. I was doing census, and that’s different. But you got a chance to talk to them. What’s on their heart? What’s going on now? I would say education. I mean, of course, the economy. But I think what most people realize is, as a State House candidate, yes, I can help with supporting small business. I can help with certain regulations, especially with small business.
08:48
Well, I’m going two different issues. But anyway, let’s stick with the economy first. And then education, of course, is the other big issue. So with the economy, I support small business. And I think I’ve been very vocal that I have not been pleased with how the county
09:03
has addressed small businesses, signage, vacation rentals, home business. But at the state level, it’s more about taxation and regulation.
09:18
County, small businesses are way over regulated in this state. This is one of the most difficult states for small businesses in the entire country. And that’s why you have such a high small business failure rate. And small businesses are the lifeblood.
09:33
And also, especially now, during this recession, we need to give people the opportunity to have home businesses. The regulations were made before the internet. Now many people sit at their homes and just go like this. Nobody can hear it, nobody can see it, it’s not bothering anybody.
09:51
It’s helping that person bring in an income, be able to pay their mortgage, and also I actually did write a bill when I was working for the legislator, and I gave it to her to submit, and she did, about home business.
10:08
Basically, we wanted to have, and also Pam Tumpap of the Chamber of Commerce. I worked together with her on that. She emailed in the testimony. I discussed it with her. And then I was in the room promoting the bill and basically reinforcing what she said. So it was like a team, a tag team effort. So that was a really good effort. It didn’t go through. It went all the way through the House.
10:36
And then it actually died in the Senate, in the Transportation Committee. So that was too bad. So I do plan on reintroducing that bill. What does that mean, it died in the committee? It means they can hold onto it and just basically not bring it to the floor?
10:48
Right. I’ll tell you how it works. Now, everybody thinks that every bill is voted on. Big, big high-profile bills, like civil unions, that’s going to be voted on by the whole House and the whole Senate. But the vast majority of bills aren’t. What happens is, okay, so I’m a legislator. I write a bill. I give it to the Legislative Reference Bureau. They make it all legally a bill, give it back to me. If I agree, okay, that’s good.
11:15
I get a certain number of bills that I get to submit. Every legislator gets a quota. So then I submit all those bills. Then the Speaker of the House, in my case, looks at all the bills and assigns them to committees. So for instance, let’s say it was a bill on
11:34
You know, cruelty to animals. Probably, I say he because currently it’s a he. It could be a she next time, but currently it’s a he. He would give it to the judiciary. Or let’s say it’s something that had to do with, like, aquarium fish ban. That would go to Water Land because that’s Water Land. The speaker gets to decide which committees it goes to.
11:58
then the chair of that committee gets all these bills and they get to decide if they’re going to hear it or not wow so this this state legislature our state legislature the committee chairs have a lot of power so they could just say i don’t like this bill and not hear it so there’s no vote it’s just one individual can stop a bill wow um
12:26
Have you seen any people talking about a better way? Oh, yeah. Oh, yes. Dale Bonar, I was speaking to him the other day, the president of Maui Coastal Land Trust, and he was mentioning that that’s a big problem. And, of course, his bills are going to be, his interests are going to be about preserving the aina and preserving land, and that that’s what can happen. And if you get a chair that doesn’t like…
12:53
your viewpoint or your issue, they just cannot hear it. And so that’s how it is now. So because the chairs get to decide so much, then the Speaker of the House or in the Senate, that would be the Senate President, has a lot of power. More, I think, it’s not spread out as much as it should be. So there’s definitely talk of changing that. Wow.
13:21
You know, the more I learn about the system, the more I realize why things don’t change. I mean, all these years, a lot of us have been talking about all kinds of things that I thought surely would be up there and voted on and with all the sentiment for them. But one person can stop a cold.
13:39
Exactly. For instance, one of my campaign issues is local control of schools. I have gone house to house, and many houses, the only thing I talk about is education, because that’s pretty near and dear to most people’s hearts. And as I was saying, as far as the economy goes, people understand that a lot of what the economy is is national.
14:05
I mean, the legislators have a certain amount of control, but not total control. Education, that’s more close to home. You know, the state of Hawaii has our own education system.
14:16
And every single person, when I said, I want to bring art, music, and physical education back into the schools, everybody without exception said, oh, that’s great. And local control of schools, oh, yes. I never got anybody saying they disagreed with that.
14:36
Yet there are those that want to keep things as they are. And frankly, it’s the people that have jobs at the administration level don’t want to lose them. But the weird part is that’s a handful of people. I don’t know, maybe even several hundred. At the most, a thousand. But there’s a million people in our state. But the amount of influence they have is astonishing.
15:05
And that’s pretty much what’s happening is people in certain vested interests have a lot of influence. And partly the reason they have so much influence is because everybody else isn’t voting. That’s the bottom line. If everybody voted, everybody would have much more due influence. There wouldn’t be these vested interests that didn’t have a lot of people. You mean those guys? Them out there?
15:32
All you, yes, vote. This is your vote. You know, you may think at the federal level, you don’t have a lot of power. But at the state level, people lose or win races by 100 votes here. Actually, I know someone who lost a Senate race by, I think it was six or eight votes in a Senate race. This was in Oahu. So your voice makes a big, big difference. Wow.
16:01
So just remember that that’s a really, really important point. Oh, yes. We have to realize that this is a responsibility and a right. You get an opportunity to shape the destiny of what’s going on here. And when you have somebody that is there and caring and you want to
16:20
really pledge support to them, that’s the mechanism. You’ve got to go vote. That’s the mechanism. And then there’s further mechanisms. For instance, there is a woman who wants a ban on foie gras. And this is what I say to any constituents who have an issue that presented to me that I agree that that’s a good issue. I say, write a bill. And I don’t mean write it all fancy, because people don’t know how to do that. I mean, write down what the problem is,
16:50
Thank you.
16:51
and how things should be. And you also have to write, the way it is now is X, the way it should be is Y, because of Z. You have to just give me that amount of information, and if I look at it and I think, yeah, I agree with that, then I’ll give it to the Legislative Reference Bureau or the HMSO, House Majority, Senate Speaker’s Office, anyway, Services Office, and basically to professional offices, and they will make it into a bill.
17:21
and then I will introduce the bill. Then the other part you have to do is submit testimony. Now, Maui people, don’t worry, you don’t have to fly to Oahu. All you have to do is type it out and email it in. On their website, there’s just a link. It’s as easy as pie. You just say, you know, here’s the name of the committee, the name of the chairs of the committee, chair and vice chair, and then you just say, you know, on bill HB 321.
17:50
And then you say, I support this bill because X, Y, and Z. And then that gets submitted electronically. And then the speaker or the chair of that committee then gives it to everybody in that committee and everybody reads it. They actually do listen. And it actually does impact. And let’s say I had this great bill, but nobody came and supported it. They wouldn’t pass it.
18:15
Even if, like for instance, when I was working for Rep. Cabanilla, there was a bill, it was called Return to Home. And I heard you talking to some of the other candidates about the homeless issue. And this was Rep. Cabanilla’s bill, and it was that if somebody, and this is more Waikiki, but it can also apply here. If somebody came from the mainland with some kind of idea, oh, it’s all hula girls in the sun and everything’s all great and you don’t need any money,
18:45
And then they come here and realize, well, no, it’s not really like that. You need money here just like you do anywhere, and it costs even more, and it’s even harder to get a job, and it’s even harder to get a job that pays enough money to pay for everything.
18:57
So then people are homeless. So then if this person says, you know what, I just would love to go back to Michigan. My family’s in Michigan, but I can’t get there. This bill would call their family up in Michigan and say, so would you support John Doe? Would you pick him up from the airport and help him get back on his feet? And if they say, yeah, yeah, yeah, we want him home. We’re going to help him out.
19:22
Okay, fine. So then this organization would get them some, you know, clothes that looked halfway, you know, like going on an airplane and, you know, a little bit of money to take care of things and they put them on the plane and that person would pick them up. So that was one bill. So I went to testify and Susie Chun Oakland was the chair of that bill. She’s great.
19:44
She’s a senator. And she said, you know, I need to have the organizations, the usual organizations that always talk about these issues, I need to hear what they have to say. So I’ll defer it till 9 o’clock tomorrow morning.
19:59
So I ran back to the office, and we called them all up. We got to get your testimony, and please, please, please. So then they said, yeah, we agree with this. We were just busy with other things. So then they sent in their testimony, and then Senator Oakland, Sean Oakland, saw it. It’s like, oh, okay, you know, the Waikiki development agrees with this, and, you know, the Palama family settlement agrees with this. And, you know, she could see that the people who she relies on
20:28
Oh, I got it. See, because the senators and the representatives that are chairing these committees, they don’t know everything about everything, and literally everything comes in front of them. So they have to go to their experts, to their consultants, to let them know. And if these organizations who they trust say, yes, yes, that’s a good bill, and this and this and this is why, then they’ll say, oh, okay.
20:51
So that’s why it’s a give and take. In this case it was heads of non-profits, but it can be anybody. It can be anybody who has a viewpoint. And that’s how our democracy, our government is set up. We are supposed to be the representatives.
21:11
not those who make decisions. So I’m supposed to be representing Kihei, and then I need Kihei people to say, yeah, yeah, yeah, we agree with that bill. So that would be you. So it’s not just, okay, you elect me, and then, okay, then you’re free. You’re also invited to continue to participate in the issues that you are passionate about. I think that this kind of process right now is very important because
21:39
I know that I didn’t realize just how important testimony is. Oh, it’s the only thing that will get a bill to pass. So when you have a passion about an issue, take the time to submit things to your representatives. Yeah, and then what you do is you go to the… Oh, what is it? Hawaii… Capital dot… H-I dot…
22:05
gov i think or dot hawaii dot gov check check it in google and then you just go to the link of submit testimony and then you type in the bill number and then it goes straight to the chair of that committee so when when sometimes people and myself included if there’s a certain bill you send testimony or you send your viewpoint to everybody on the committee or everybody in the whole house and senate
22:31
But that’s for kind of general issues. But if you know where it is and which committee, then it’s very, then they’re more likely to read it because it’s kind of their homework. You know, it’s like, oh, okay, that’s what I’m supposed to read to keep up with what is supposed to be happening next in the committee of which I am a member. And as opposed to, you know, I mean, there’s thousands of bills. Nobody can pay attention to every single little thing, so they’ve got to focus on what’s in the committees of which they are a member.
22:59
What other areas are part of you? When I think of you, I think from the issues I’ve seen. Education, for sure. Crying and social programs. Give me some feeling about your situation, because I know you’ve got a couple of feelings. Yes. Okay, so my background is a child and family therapist. I worked at Maui Youth and Family Services. I worked at Aloha House, Children’s Mental Health, Women Helping Women.
23:29
And I did that because, you know, going back before that even, when I was around 12, I looked around and said, oh my God, this world is not just, it is not kind, and it’s not honest. And so that’s why I got my master’s in psychology, and I went into social work or child and family therapy for decades.
23:51
social service agencies and I did that for in all about 12 years but what I found is that I would keep seeing the same cycle and the cycle is about poverty domestic abuse substance abuse
24:10
and in crime and then incarceration and then incarceration then the parents are incarcerated and then the kids have no one at home or they have parents that are involved in this criminal justice system and then it creates more poverty dropping out of school substance abuse domestic abuse and crime and incarceration and this just goes around and around and around
24:36
and especially for people who say i don’t believe in social problem programs then i would ask you can pay i would say you can pay wholesale or you can pay retail wholesale is taking care of the problem at its roots incarceration is extravagant it’s extremely expensive that is retail to the max boutique retail
24:59
So basically, it costs the same amount of money to incarcerate two people or to pay one teacher’s salary. And that’s why I’m so interested in this issue, because everybody says we need more money for education, but the question is, where do we get it? The budget for Hawaii’s Department of Public Safety has gone up 90% in the last 10 years.
25:25
And it’s gone up 255% for private prisons. Those numbers are staggering. Both of them are staggering. Yeah. 255%? Exactly. Wow. Private prisons. So wouldn’t rehabilitation need less prisons? Isn’t that what we’re trying to do? Exactly. Let me explain a little bit about private prisons.
25:52
A hotel’s business model is we want the most guests for the longest stays and the most repeat customers, and that’s all fine. A private prison has the exact same business model. We want the most prisoners, the longest terms, and we want the most repeat offenders.
26:14
So let me state that clearly. We want the most repeat offenders, is what a private prison wants. There was an article in Maui Weekly, maybe about a month ago, it was called Maui’s Prison Conundrum. And the…
26:32
author, Paul James Brown, looked in the annual report of CCA, Corrections Corporation of America, and what he found was several sentences basically saying that the CCA wanted to make sure that there was just as much crime, if not more, and that certain activities that are currently proscribed
26:57
do not become legal, and by that I think they meant marijuana. They wanted to make sure that the crime continued, arrest continued, and incarceration continued so they would make money. So it’s an inherently unethical business model. Wow. What do we do about it?
27:17
Okay, there is an organization called Justice Reinvestment. I am in communication with them. I’m working also with Kat Brady. She is Community Alliance on Prisons, Carrie Ann Shirota. She is an attorney with the Soros Fellowship to look at this issue. And they’ve already helped 14 different states. That’s including Texas, Arizona, Kansas, very heavy-hitting states.
27:45
They’ve helped them take money out of the black hole of incarceration, you know, millions and billions of dollars, and put it into the communities from which most inmates come. Wow. And even Texas. I mean, nobody thinks of Texas as this namby-pamby liberal state. No, they are very conservative, but they care more about saving money than they do getting revenge.
28:11
And so what they’re doing is they’ve stopped building prisons, and they’re building rehab centers and halfway houses. And so Justice Reinvestment, they would need a letter from the Speaker of the House, who the Senate President and the
28:29
Governor, probably Chief Justice, and several of those people, we don’t even know who they are at this moment in time, but they need something from all those people saying, yes, we’re going to really take this seriously and try to implement what you’re doing. So they’re not about getting a lot of money, they just don’t want to waste their time if their suggestions aren’t implemented.
28:50
So then they would come do a data-driven analysis of the criminal justice system that would take about six months or so. And then they would say, okay, you should do this, you should do that, you should do the other thing. And that’s looking at our criminal justice system. We have currently about 6,000 criminal files, and they would look at all those. They would look at…
29:11
Like for instance, somebody already did an audit of 2,700 of them, almost half, and they found gross over classification. And what that means is people were being put at a higher level of security than is required. Let’s just say they were writing bad checks. Yes, writing bad checks is not a good thing, but they are not a huge menace to the safety
29:37
of people. They’re not violent. What they’re doing needs to be addressed, but putting them away for many years is going to cost society a whole lot more than those checks. A whole lot more.
29:53
Plus, there’s the other thing, which is, I don’t know if people believe this, but birds of a feather flock together. Why are you taking someone who writes bad checks and putting them in for a longer period with people that really aren’t good role models for them? What is that about?
30:09
And it’s exactly what you’re saying. You know, there are cases where, like, some young guys, they’re drunk, they’re, you know, being rowdy, they steal a car of their friend. Maybe they even steal their friend’s car. Not a good thing. But then they go to prison. Then they often get sexually assaulted.
30:27
They get in with exactly, they learn from their peers. We all learn from our peers. We hang out with people and we share and learn. Well, they’re going to learn how to be more professional criminals. They’re going to get angry. And when they eventually get out, they’re going to feel that society owes them. And remember, 97% of the people that go to prison get out eventually. So to say, oh, we need him in prison to keep us safe,
30:56
it doesn’t make any sense because we’re putting them somewhere where they’re getting more angry more educated in crime there’s even people more into drugs in prison i’m telling you that’s what i’m hearing and then they eventually do get out and come back to our communities more angry more criminal and worse off so so prisons are not only not cost effective they are counter effective they actually create more crime
31:25
And I’m sure that they bring all their
31:28
newly learned technique back to the community they’re in. And they’re training others in what they’ve just learned. How crazy is that? So I do have, as I mentioned, a concrete solution. It’s called Justice Reinvestment. Also, I’m in communication with Senator Espero. He’s the chair of the Senate Public Safety Committee. And also with Representative Faye Honohano. She is the chair of the House Public Safety Committee.
31:57
Actually, Hanohano, she’s interesting. She worked for 25 years in Kulani Prison as a guard. Now, Kulani Prison was on the Big Island. They had a substance abuse treatment program, sex offender treatment program, 19 different work lines, an auto mechanic certification, and a working ranch. They had tools that would help, this was for men, guys get out of that cycle.
32:26
both the psychological and the job training. It’s a two-part process. One is the psychological, internal, emotional, and the other is learning a skill that’s valuable. The state shut it down.
32:40
What? The state shut it down. Because? They said it was too expensive because it had all these programs. Now they want to spend up to $250 million of bonds, which means that they would borrow money. They would buy bonds and these would be borrowed money.
33:01
And then they would build a prison here in Punene, on our very own Punene, behind the raceway, or behind the National Guard, in the place where the raceway is now, displacing them. And then there was a public meeting. So many of us came. I invited Senator Sparrow over to come and see what the Maui community felt. And after he left, he was very shocked.
33:26
Before that, he thought, oh, it’s just Netra and Kat and Carrie Ann, and, you know, they’re just very radical. But then he realized the entire Maui community, not one person said, oh, please, we’re just waiting for this. Nobody wanted it. Nobody wants it. And they’re trying to shove it down our throats anyway. Then some nonprofits said, well, on this plan, we don’t see any place for the rehab facilities. And Department of Public Safety and DAG said, oh, you nonprofits can build the buildings.
33:56
I thought now, like, what kind of fantasy are they on? Non-profits don’t have money. That’s the definition of non-profits, is they don’t earn money. And so basically, the $250 million would not include any treatment. That’s ridiculous. Now, I… I don’t know what to say after that. That’s ridiculous. How could anyone consider that?
34:22
They aren’t considering. Now, I understand I did work at MCCC back last summer. And yes, it does need work. And I understand that. However, I would like that place to be rehabilitated, or the buildings renovated. Renovate the buildings, rehabilitate the people.
34:43
And there are ways to do it. And first of all, we need to find out how many people truly need to be in jail or prison. Now, MCCC houses what’s called pre-trial offenders. And what that means is somebody is arrested and they cannot afford bail. It’s not about that they’re too dangerous.
35:07
It’s that they just don’t have money. So because they can’t afford, like somebody gets arrested, they have money, they post bail, they go home, live their life until their trial comes up. Somebody cannot afford to post bail, we, the county of Maui, pay their room and board and surveillance for up to six months. So it’s totally ridiculous. Now there’s this thing called…
35:30
restorative justice. Restorative justice. And this is, it’s based a lot on the principles of Ho’oponopono and other Native American, Native Alaskan processes. But Ho’oponopono, of course, is Hawaii, so that’s the one that people here can relate to.
35:48
And it’s about the way the Restorative Justice Circle works is let’s say somebody is arrested. So then you organize a circle. You invite them, a support person that they can bring, a social worker, someone from maybe drug court, someone from various different stakeholders. And they sit there and they basically say to that person, what do you need to ensure that you stay clean and sober? Oh, I need to mention…
36:18
85% of the people in jail and prison, and this is actually nationwide, Hawaii is not special this way, of the people in the criminal justice system have a substance abuse issue.
36:33
Meaning they don’t necessarily got there because of substance abuse. No, no, no. That’s why they got there. Either they have a substance abuse issue or drugs and alcohol were related. I’m just watching this car racing by. I think this is his track because that’s the second time I’ve seen it. So either… 85% of the people got there because of substance abuse. Either that moment or they have the medical criterion of substance abuse disorder. That’s staggering.
37:03
Right. So let’s just say, you know, you cut your arm and you decided you didn’t want to clean it. And then you got, it got infected, and then you got gangrene, and then they had to cut it off. All you had to do was clean it. Now, substance abuse is a little harder than cleaning it. But basically, we’re not dealing with a public health issue that this society has. So we’re spending $250 million, or thinking to, instead of putting that money toward rehabilitation?
37:33
and changing the system so maybe we can deal with these things not as criminal acts, but as social rehabilitation programs. Right. Methamphetamine is costing Hawaii $400 million per year. Wouldn’t the Department of Education be happy to have $400 million a year? We could hire more teachers. We could give kids books in their classes. We get what it was when we were growing up.
38:01
We could use that money, but instead of dealing with it, Hawaii is pretty much mostly ignoring it. So what happens is these people are on ice, they then commit crimes, go to emergency rooms, require child protective services, and then get incarcerated. Incarceration, MCCC, is $100 a day. Wouldn’t you like to have $3,000 more in your pocket every month?
38:28
Well, that’s what it costs to incarcerate someone. Now, if that person had $3,000 a month, a lot of those people would not be committing crimes. I don’t mean just give it to people. You can’t just do that. But you have to use that money to help people get on right track, and then eventually they could get a job that paid that, and they could pay their bills. So the whole thing is basically let’s forget about rehabilitation or prevention, which is even better, and then it’s just all triage.
38:57
Is there any discussion of this kind of stuff in committees there? I mean, with the knowledge that you’ve just shared, who do you share that with? The public, but I mean, in this legislative process. Can you get that kind of a conversation going on in committee?
39:11
Well, all last session, Kat Brady, she’s Wonder Woman, she was there in the Capitol, she lives over there, every day working with all the senators, all the reps, and continuing to educate them. Now, she’s been doing this for many years, so I jumped in this year, and I sent in all of my testimony to all of them, and then I talked more to Senator Sparrow, because he’s the Senate chair of that committee,
39:38
And I think in several, like a senator from Maui, when I first let them know about this, they were like, hmm. And then later I saw their name on a bill to audit the closure of Corrections Corporation of America.
39:56
and their relationship, their contract with Hawaii, and also the closure of, wait, sorry, to audit the closure of Kulani Prison and audit the contract with CCA. I saw their name on a bill and I said, hey, what’s this? And they’re going, oh yeah, they’re so critical of what they’re doing. And so they’re getting it. People are starting to get it. And so…
40:15
That’s why I was sending in my testimony this year, because I care about the issue and also just as a kind of introduction to myself to all the other legislators. So that when I come there, they will, oh yeah, I remember. I mean, they all kind of have a sense of vaguely meeting me. Some know me somewhat and some know me more.
40:37
but they’re going to know who I am and what I stand for already. And so I’ve been preparing the way so that this issue can be handled. And even if you don’t care one bit about criminal justice reform, how could that be?
40:52
Everybody cares about education. Everybody cares about parks or highways or anything. I mean, the budget of this state would be different. We’d have 400 million, well, maybe not quite all of it, because some of it would be going to prevention and rehab, but certainly a lot more money for the budget, and we could use that money for rehab. And as I said,
41:18
other 14 other states in this country already doing that and this is all in the last couple years this is a new thing that they’re doing this so we would not be alone this is not very very radical this is very concrete and very legislative and cut and dried and it can be done quite a candidate what other i mean as i’m hearing you it sounds like you have so much passion for what you do
41:43
I mean, I just see you as eating this up, like this is what you do. Oh, yeah, this is totally, totally, all I’m thinking about is this. I’m totally interested in this and I just love, I mean, if I could actually, many of my friends are very socially aware.
42:02
But the key is, if I can actually be in a position to take that and actually have an impact. I mean, being an activist is all well and good, but you don’t have the same amount of leverage. And what I want to take
42:18
is the values that myself and my friends and people that care have and actually put it into practice. And to me, that is so exciting. That is the culmination of everything I’ve done in my life, between the social work and also owning small businesses. Because owning small businesses, as I said, gives me knowledge of how difficult it is to run a small business, but it also helps me understand
42:45
the world of business, real estate, construction, design. It helps me understand those things because a legislator needs to be kind of well-rounded. You need to understand about all these things so you can make informed decisions. Well, I think that we have had a whirlwind of you here. I mean, we’ve covered education, crime, rehabilitation. We’ve covered small business.
43:16
I know it’s a sensitive subject, and I don’t think there’s an easy answer, but the homeless issue. I mean, there are homeless that are homeless because they’ve been that way. But there are people now that have lost their house in foreclosure. There are no jobs. They have limited money. They’ve been renting. Things are getting… The social services have less available money. Yes, exactly. Less available everything.
43:40
What do you feel we can do? Not only legislators, but what can we all do? I am always pushing compassion. You see someone hurting?
43:50
help them. Any thoughts about this whole thing? I mean, the homeless issue, one thing is removing, I mean, exactly as you said, there’s the chronic homeless and the situational homeless. Now the chronic homeless, generally speaking, are going to have a substance abuse or mental health issue. That’s just…
44:15
That’s what the people that are chronically over 10, 20 years. Recent homeless, that’s a lot. That’s going to be exactly what you said, just the economy. Just the fact that people can’t pay their mortgages. They could look and look and look for a job and they cannot find one. Or they have a job and their job… I mean, there are homeless people who have full-time jobs.
44:35
That just cannot, and this is not that recent, this is maybe three, four years ago, before the recession totally hit. Because if you work at a low-paying, minimum wage job, it’s pretty hard to gather enough money to pay rent.
44:52
All you guys who are working two and three jobs know that, right? Exactly. Okay, so several things. One is more affordable housing. So partly what we need to do is remove regulatory barriers to affordable housing. And that’s where the whole planning and development and zoning issue comes in. We need to make sure that we protect the environment while at the same time ensuring that people have adequate housing.
45:19
And there’s lots of things that we can do that are creative. One is, like I said, remove regulatory barriers, make it more streamlined. And there’s something called cluster zoning, cluster subdivisions. So, okay, normally you take a big piece of land and a developer comes in and they chop it. Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom. Everybody gets their little plot and their little individual space. People are going to have maybe half acre or maybe, you know, 600 or 6,000 square feet.
45:48
That’s like at Kua Bay View, I used to have a house there. And then they’re going to put landscaping because that’s what you’re going to do. With the cluster subdivision, you can do is you look at the pattern of the whole property and then you cluster the homes, not one on top of each other, but just at an appropriate distance. And then all the rest of the land either remains natural, you put in a park,
46:14
or you put in diversified agriculture. And we haven’t even gone there yet. Oh, you know what? I’m sorry. You wanted to talk about homeless. It’s clear in a time like this, we can’t talk about everything. But the one thing that is also very clear is you have some opinions. And you’re not just strolling into the seat casually and wanting to volunteer your time because you’re
46:39
a public citizen who wants to do. You really jump in the deep end of the pool and when you talk about your issues, I can tell you’ve done some homework. Oh, that’s all I’ve been doing. That’s all I’ve been doing for the last couple of years is thoroughly researching all of these issues because I want to know the facts. So anyway, so that’s, but let me get back to homeless before I go on to sustainable agriculture.
47:07
So that’s one of the issues. The other one is, like I said, to deal with the chronic homeless and deal with the substance abuse. The other thing is, back to the people who can’t find work, I would say home business. There are people who are losing their homes because the county zoning.
47:23
is shutting them down and their business is not harming anybody but it’s against certain zoning rules that have not been updated. So that is again a county issue and it’s not my kuyana but I obviously have an opinion on it which is people need to earn a living and as long as they’re not bothering anybody else they should be allowed to earn a living. Laws to me are to protect people from each other.
47:51
not to just follow blindly. Laws are to conform to what people need. We are not meant to conform to the laws. Metro Halperin, State House District 11, that’s Kihei Wailea McKenna. Yes. Well, I must say, I am very impressed. I know that if you sat in that seat, you’d be there.
48:17
I would say, what’s your husband going to do? He’s never going to see you. Well, I don’t have a husband, so that would rule that out. Okay. Well, we’ll have to figure out what to do because you’re so totally dedicated. But I tell you, as someone who would want a representative there, you really have a singular focus.
48:40
You’ve shown that you really jump into your work and you know what you’re talking about. And just the thought that you were caring enough to be able to spend the time to understand these processes
48:52
before you, right? It’s huge. Yeah, I mean, I want to hit the ground running. I want to be effective. Kihei Wailea McKenna needs an effective legislator. They need someone who has a lot of energy, a lot of drive, and will implement what people are saying. And as I said, I have been talking to many Kihei residents, many of you listening,
49:16
And I’ve been listening. You know, I’ve heard certain things I’ve never thought of before and many things I’ve heard repeated over and over and over again, which is we need to improve our education system. We need to support small business. We need to clean up the ocean. We need to stop cane burning. We need to get that hospital in. We need to get the high school in. We need to start getting things for South Maui. South Maui is one of the fastest growing areas in all of the state.
49:43
And we need to start having services just for us. We need our own hospital. We need our own high school. And as a child and family therapist, I plan on being as involved as I can with the development of the high school to make sure that it appropriately fits the needs of kids that age. So I’m going to bring in, like I know, a…
50:11
high school Montessori, Montessori high school expert, Betsy. I don’t remember her last name, but she came here for a meeting and she would be happy to give her mana’o. So, you know, I think Kihei Wailea McKenna has so much potential. I mean, it’s an awesome place, but we can start creating more of a sense of community. And the high school is going to really help with that. You know, a hospital, a teaching hospital with a huge…
50:39
prevention component, a big natural medicine component, nutrition, all things about preventing illness. And so many of our diseases these days are preventable. They’re lifestyle diseases. That’s why Dr. Lauren Pang,
50:59
department, health department, Maui public health officer, put me on the leadership committee for communities putting prevention to work, which is a Michelle Obama stimulus grant to help people, especially those that are most at risk of lifestyle diseases, have more fruits and vegetables. Something just simple like that.
51:25
would stop so much disease, would be so much cheaper. Yes, it costs a lot of money for the person buying it, but the back end, which is the public, we’re paying for the emergency room. We’re paying for the height of insurance premiums. We’re paying for, you know, when someone’s life spirals downhill, everybody pays for it. I mean, ultimately, we are all connected. And that is just factual on an economic sense, and I also believe it on a spiritual sense.
51:56
Well, I’d like to keep on and such, but I know we’re at the end of our hour, so I’m going to give Netra just a couple of seconds, although she’s had a lot of time talking. I think we should deliver kind of a closing thing to our guys here. And gals.
52:09
Okay, well thank you so much for listening. I appreciate your attention to politics and caring about the community and that says something about you, that you care about the community. So I am asking that if you like what you heard here, if you know anybody in Kihei, if you live in Kihei, please tell them what you heard and what my message is and how I really want to work together as a community
52:35
And we can make this place great. And we are continuing to make this place great. So please come to the primary election on September 18th. And if you’re watching this after that, please come to the general election on November 2nd and vote for your values. Mahalo. Thank you all for joining us. So please remember Nyetra Halperin. And please remember to keep watching all these shows because
53:05
This is really all about you being informed so you can make a vote and take part in what is the quality of our life through representatives that are here to serve us. Thank you all for joining us. Thank you for joining us. Thank you, Jason, once again. Thank you so much. Aloha.
53:37
Seems like now the world’s so small We see it all right here on our TV
53:47
Seems like the more we bridge the distance The harder it becomes for us to see Well, if all the world’s a stage For actors in a play With an ancient script of fear and doubt and grief To write another page To find a better way
54:14
Reverence for life is what we need For peace in our world For peace in our country For peace on the street Peace in our hearts It all starts with peace in our hearts
54:45
Thank you.
