A Cautious Legislature, Locked In The Capitol, Played It Safe - Honolulu Civil Beat
A Cautious Legislature, Locked In The Capitol, Played It Safe
Critics hoped the pandemic would be the catalyst for significant changes to address long-term problems facing Hawaii. But the budget shortfall dominated the 2021 session. Reading time: 10 minutes.
The past year was a time of astonishing political foment on the mainland, with Black Lives Matter protests demanding law enforcement reforms and an abrupt shift to a liberal, activist government with the election of President Joe Biden.
But the Hawaii Legislature remained locked in a Capitol building that was closed to the public during the pandemic, and its leaders behaved as if they couldn’t hear all the noise outside.
A number of Californians are among the inaugural class being inducted into the LGBTQ Hall of Fame May 2 by the LGBTQ Victory Institute. A total of 20 LGBTQ elected officials, appointed officials, and candidates are being honored for their lasting impact on LGBTQ political history.
The list includes lesbian former San Francisco supervisor Roberta Achtenberg, 70, who went on to be the first openly LGBTQ presidential appointee to a Senate-confirmed position, and gay former state Assembly Speaker John A. Pérez (D-Los Angeles), 51, the first openly LGBTQ leader in the state Legislature. San Franciscan James C. Hormel, 88, who became the first out LGBTQ U.S. ambassador in 1999 with his appointment to Luxembourg, will also be inducted.