A section in the controversial Senate Bill 91 that had that low- to moderate-risk defendants released without bail has been reversed in a new bill, HB 312.
On Thursday, the Alaska Senate voted to give judges their authority back so they may order bail when they think there’s a risk of repeat offending, or if they think the defendant will skip court. This puts the brakes on what has become known as the “catch-and-release” clause of SB 91, one of the problematic aspects of the bill signed by Gov. Bill Walker in 2016.
Alaska has seen crime — especially property crime — grow at an alarming rate in the past two years, and some attribute the crime wave to SB 91. But only since January have people charged with misdemeanors been nearly automatically released without bail.
Anchorage Republican Sen. Mia Costello wants to make sure judges can use their judgment again.
Remove mandatory release requirements; judges have discretion;
Make it a crime to attack medical professionals who are trying to help people;
Grant judges more flexibility to hold offenders in jail while they await trial;
Empower the attorney general to use emergency orders to ban dangerous new drugs;
Ensure judges can take into account out-of-state criminal charges when making pre-trial release decisions.
“I heard from many Alaskans who said they are frustrated when the criminal who victimized them is caught, only to be immediately released, and then there are additional victims,” Costello said.
(Update: The above video is my acceptance of his apology.)
This is what happens when you poke the liberal dragon. Assembly District 1 is represented by Christopher Constant, who cleverly wrote on his Facebook page his latest opinion of a fellow resident and voter in Anchorage, someone who probably should not look to him for assistance with legislation in the future.
Constant ran from a platform of ending homelessness and his term ends in 2020. To review the donors to his campaign, which include many Democratic women and Mark Begich, click here.
Readers may not initially see what he has written, but to be clear, he is not calling the woman in question a “calumnious unfit noisome turd.”
Nope. It’s a much stronger and more misogynistic term formed by the acronym, hidden in plain sight:
Evidently, that was a second version of his efforts. He spent some time thinking this up. The first version, where he advises readers to “Read between the lines,” shows creativity at play:
Such a clever boy.
By day, Constant is director of grants, contracts and marketing at Akeela Inc., an agency funded by the State of Alaska and dedicated to helping people recover from addiction. Interested readers may sent a note (respectful only, please, no references to female anatomy) to Akeela CEO, Courtney Donavan, here.
CUTTING THE LEGS OUT FROM UNDER CRAFT TASTING ROOMS
BY ANDREW JENSEN ALASKA JOURNAL OF COMMERCE
Chronicling political hypocrisy is typically no more difficult than shooting the idiomatic fish in a barrel.
And sometimes the fish jump in front of the bullets.
Such is the case with the 11th-hour hijacking of a bill to update Alaska’s alcoholic beverage regulations known as Title 4.
In the works for six years to develop points of consensus among stakeholders, Senate Bill 76 was sent to the House in a unanimous vote on April 30.
Less than a week later, a former bar owner, Rep. Louise Stutes of Kodiak, and a current bar owner, Rep. Adam Wool of Fairbanks, were aided in passing an amendment aimed at cutting a leg out from under popular craft tasting rooms by the reliably anti-business Rep. Andy Josephson of Anchorage and the reliably unremarkable Rep. Gary Knopp of Kenai.
Rep. Adam Wool
A parade of bar owners testified on May 2 to the House Labor and Finance Committee with their complaints about the success of craft beer and spirit tasting rooms.
Despite having very limited hours to serve no more than 36 ounces of beer or 3 ounces of spirits to a single customer, and prohibited from offering any entertainment such as televisions, live music or even a pool table, these craft tasting rooms have apparently unlocked the secret to success: offering a product people want in an atmosphere they enjoy.
To hear the bar owners tell it, though, these crafty craft room owners are simply succeeding because they have the unfair advantage of not paying upward of $250,000 for a beverage dispensary license.
These sneaky entrepreneurs have apparently discovered a loophole in the system whereby they can pay $3,000 for a brewery license to sell those three beers per day per customer after investing a half-million dollars or more in tanks, equipment, ingredients, payroll, construction and transportation costs.
Were it not for the real world implications of such a transparent effort to pinch the profitability of another part of the industry he inhabits, Wool’s naked self-dealing would be laugh-out-loud comedy.
Local governments build their budgets around adopted lists of priorities and community concerns. While most of us agree that education and to a lesser degree, recreation, parks, and arts are important, ensuring public safety is the No. 1 priority in most Alaskans’ minds.
First responders — police, EMTs, and firefighters — should be considered before other less important “wants” are fully funded.
Win Gruening
This is playing out now in a very visible way in our state as rising crime rates, increasing homelessness, and rampant opioid abuse are overwhelming public safety providers.
In Juneau, Mayor Ken Koelsch recognized the urgency of the problem and appointed a public safety task force, choosing Deputy Mayor Jerry Nankervis (a former police captain) to chair it. Their task was to examine the issue and make recommendations to the full Assembly. The final report was recently presented to the Assembly by Nankervis and is available online at juneau.org.
The task force recommendations ranged from staffing changes to drug treatment and diversion programs to possible legislative actions.
VACANCIES EXCEED 20 PERCENT
One of their most important findings was the growing national shortage of persons qualified and interested in serving as sworn police officers. In Juneau, this shortage has led to a critical situation where almost 15 percent of Juneau Police Department (JPD) officer positions are vacant. When subtracting new hires in training, this number exceeds 20 percent.
Even more concerning: eight positions are now eligible for retirement with another eight eligible within five years. During one of the Task Force meetings last November, Deputy Chief David Campbell went so far as to describe these numbers as “starting to get kind of scary.”
JPD has faced similar vacancy levels before, but now they are challenged by a diminished pool of candidates at a time when they should be focused on dealing with an epidemic of property crimes. While JPD is doing an admirable job in meeting their primary mission, this situation has raised stress levels in the department and is overtaxing their existing work force.
Task force members did not evaluate whether a staffing increase is warranted at this time, but strongly recommended increased efforts toward recruitment and retention of police officers to fill vacant slots. When JPD approaches a full complement of sworn officers, it will be easier to determine whether staffing increases are necessary.
NEED TO RECRUIT LOCALLY
Last month, Chief of Police Ed Mercer and members of his staff gave a presentation to the Assembly on their plans to recruit more vigorously throughout the region and local area.
Their rationale for doing this is twofold. First, competition for these candidates among other law enforcement agencies will be less. And second, they believe there are local candidates who may not have considered a career in police work but could be hired and trained more quickly than external candidates. These candidates could be younger, possibly looking for their first or second job. They could also be older, more nontraditional candidates who have no law enforcement experience but are looking for a change and view police work as important and fulfilling.
Alternatively, experienced law enforcement officers in the region and other parts of Alaska may see JPD as a logical next step in broadening their background and career options.
Regardless of their experience level, retention of these individuals is likely to be more assured than individuals recruited outside Alaska.
While many of the ideas noted won’t be expensive to implement, the JPD presentation included other possible changes to improve recruitment and retention, including signing and longevity bonuses, hiring of civilian staff to alleviate officer workload, and an extensive public recruitment campaign in our region and state. These changes, if implemented, would necessarily increase existing budget levels.
Current and past Assembly members have been very supportive of JPD budget requests in the past.
Given Juneau’s escalating levels of crime and drug abuse, these needs shouldn’t be considered discretionary but imperative.
Win Gruening retired as the senior vice president in charge of business banking for Key Bank in 2012. He was born and raised in Juneau and graduated from the U.S. Air Force Academy in 1970. He is active in community affairs as a 30-plus year member of Juneau Downtown Rotary Club and has been involved in various local and statewide organizations.
Rep. David Guttenberg announced his retirement from office Wednesday.
Representing Fairbanks, he has been a legislator for eight terms and was a legislative aide for four years before being elected. That gives him 20 sessions in Juneau, plus many special sessions in the past few years.
Earlier this year, the 66-year-old Democrat suffered a health scare relating to his heart and ended up in the hospital. He had collapsed and lost consciousness for periods of time on March 6, while in the State Capitol.
Guttenberg, a member of the House Democrat-led majority, currently serves on House Finance Committee.
Running for his seat in a moderate-conservative portion of Fairbanks is well-known Republican Jim Sackett.
Guttenberg is one of several House Democrats to leave this year, including Rep. Dean Westlake of Kotzebue, Rep. Zach Fansler of Bethel, and Rep. Justin Parish of Juneau. All three of those had very public problems with sexual harassment or assault. Westlake and Fansler were replaced after being forced from office. Fansler may even face charges.
Parish faced an uphill battle for re-election and chose to step down after his one term.
Rep. Sam Kito of Juneau is also not running for his seat.
Also possibly not returning next year will be Rep. Paul Seaton of Homer, who is rumored to be retiring. He is one of three Republicans who have been kicked out of the Alaska Republican Party.
Democrat Rep. Scott Kawasaki of Fairbanks has filed for a Senate seat, so he won’t return and could be replaced by Republican Bart LeBon. And Democrat Majority Leader Chris Tuck of District 23 Anchorage may choose not to run again.
And if Rep. Jason Grenn, a nonpartisan, makes a try for Sen. Mia Costello’s Anchorage Senate seat, his House seat will likely go to a Republican.
This group alone means not only will Juneau have an entirely new delegation, but the entire fragile Democrat-led caucus could see the tables turned on it during the November election.
CAME FOR PIPELINE JOB, STAYED FOR THE POLITICS
Guttenberg grew up in New York City, graduated from the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, and moved to Alaska in 1969 to work on the Trans Alaska Pipeline.
“Working on the pipeline gave me a foundation of financial security for the rest of my life, and showed me what Alaskans were capable of,” he wrote in April.
He was elected in 2002 to the House. Guttenberg missed much of the legislative session in 2013, when his wife Marilyn fell ill; she died later that year. He lists his occupation as politician and peony farmer.
On their way to Andrews Air Force Base, the three U.S. hostages released by North Korea touched down briefly at Ted Stevens International Airport for refueling, before continuing on their journey on Wednesday evening.
The plane landed after 2 p.m. Alaska time and left two hours later. It had arrived in Anchorage from Kadena AFB in Japan.
The three freed Americans released a statement: “We would like to express our deep appreciation to the United States Government, President Trump, Secretary Pompeo, and the people of the United States for bringing us home.”
They arrived at Andrews Air Force Base at 10:40 pm Alaska time, where President Donald Trump is greeting them. The men were heading for Walter Reed Medical Center.
REMEMBERING A HOSTAGE WHO DIED
Last June, after 17 months in North Korean captivity, Otto Frederick Warmbier was released to the United States, although he was comatose and died just six days after his reform.
He was arrested in North Korea in January, 2016 for attempted theft, after allegedly attempting to steal a propaganda poster. Warmbier had been traveling as a student when he took a guided tour of North Korea.
One month after being imprisoned, he suffered a neurological trauma that has never been fully understood. He fell into a coma and was repatriated to Ohio, where he died June 17, 2017.
Gov. Bill Walker is asking for another 41 employees in the Department of Health and Social Services because the overwhelming number of “Medicaid expansion” applicants has meant those applying for food stamps can’t get the help they need from the department.
“[Monica] Windom says her staff has been overwhelmed by Medicaid cases since the 2015 program expansion. Now, it can’t keep up with the food stamp program either,” KTVA reported.
Gov. Walker promised in 2015 that Medicaid expansion was essentially free. So Must Read Alaska reviewed the timeline:
1. In August, 2015, Walker expands Medicaid by executive order. He says it will save the state money. In August of 2015, he wrote:
“If we act now, we can expect to bring in $1 billion in new federal health care dollars over the next six years, and save more than $100 million in state general funds. Medicaid expansion also means up to 4,000 new jobs. In the first year that we expand Medicaid, the state will save $6.6 million. This will provide a much-needed boost to our economy and relief to our budget. We can’t afford not to expand Medicaid,” Walker wrote in the Alaska Dispatch News. “We anticipate $240 million in savings over the next six years as a result of initiatives to improve and streamline the program, and my administration is working with a consultant to identify further opportunities.”
2. Republicans in the Legislature sue to stop him because the Legislature has appropriation power and, besides, they don’t believe this will save the state money.
3. Walker wins the lawsuit and immediately expands Medicaid to adults without children who are earning 138 percent of the federally established poverty level. Superior Court Judge Frank A. Pfiffner said in his ruling that legislators had not proved that expanding the program would cause the state “irreparable harm.”
4. By 2017, over 184,000 people in Alaska are covered by Medicaid.
5. By February, 2018 Alaska’s Medicaid and public assistance applications are backlogged at 20,000. Caseworkers are falling behind.
6. In March, 2018, the Legislature approves $45 million in supplemental spending that the Administration needs to keep Alaska’s Medicaid program from imploding before the end of April.
7. In May of 2018, the Public Assistance Division says it can’t process the paperwork fast enough, and are so busy signing up able-bodied adults without children for Medicaid, that workers cannot process applications for food stamps or electronic benefit transfer cards (EBT cards). And people are now starving, according to news reports.
8. In May of 2018, Walker blames Senate Republicans and wants to hire 41 new state employees to process paperwork for the food stamp program.
9. By 2018, more than 200,00 Alaskans are enrolled in Medicaid due to its massive expansion.
10. Local media outlets blames Republicans for starving people.
Alaska state flags are lowered to half-staff in honor of the passing of Avrum Gross, Alaska’s attorney general from 1974 to 1980 under Gov. Jay Hammond.
Gross was a lifelong liberal who oversaw the Department of Law during the heady years leading up to the pipeline boom in Alaska, including the creation of the Alaska Permanent Fund, the passage of Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act, and other measures.
“Av Gross was a remarkable man, who helped set the course that would define Alaska for decades to come. As a leader, we’ll miss his vision, and as a friend, we’ll miss him,” Walker said. He was 82.
Gross had been living primarily at a home he owned near Chatham Strait with AnnaLee McConnell, former Office of Management and Budget director under Gov. Tony Knowles.
Gross was a regular at the Southeast Alaska Folk Festival, playing fiddle. The name of his band was “Honest Attorney Two Flights Up.”
Flags will return to full-staff at sundown on Thursday, May 10, 2018.
In the final year of a governor’s tenure, it’s not uncommon for people in politically appointed positions to find a safe landing spot for their career.
John Hendrix, the governor’s oil and gas adviser, has done just that, heading to NANA Corporation after serving for nearly two years in the Walker Administration.
Hendrix will be the president of NANA’s commercial group, including its subsidiaries in the oil field and mining support services, construction, and other capital projects.
Hendrix has been in Walker’s cabinet for nearly two years at a wage of $185,000 per year. He has attempted to advise a headstrong governor on matters relating to oil and gas development, as it occurs in the real world, outside the Third Floor of the Capitol. Observers say that the job has been challenging at times, as Gov. Walker has been nearly obsessed with bringing his LNG line to fruition, while oil production has taken a back seat.
In a media release, Walker’s office congratulated Hendrix on the new position. The governor timed the announcement to come a few days after he announced he had joined the Democratic primary, according to sources in the administration.
Hendrix is an experienced oil and gas executive who worked for Apache Corporation as general manager and managing director in Egypt.
Earlier this year, Commerce Department Commissioner Chris Hladick left for a job as the administrator of Region 10 for EPA; other high-level appointees are said to be shopping around their resumes.
