Carol Lee Kamekona for Maui County Council

Want to know which businesses and entities are actively opposing raising the minimum wage? Here y’go:

Pfizer CEO: Third dose of COVID-19 vaccine 'likely' needed within 1 year. Pfizer's CEO said Thursday that COVID-19 vaccine recipients will likely need a third... dose between six to 12 months after they’re fully vaccinated and suggested vaccinations for coronavirus could be needed every year. Albert Bourla told CNBC’s Bertha Coombs at a CVS Health event that he predicts based on current data a likely scenario will involve the COVID-19 vaccine being administered to patients annually. Bourla said it remains to be seen how often any potential additional vaccines would be provided. A likely scenario is there will be likely a need for a third dose somewhere between six and 12 months and then from there there would be an annual revaccination, he said at the event. But all of that needs to be confirmed and again the variants will play a key role, he continued. It is extremely important to suppress the pool of people that can be susceptible to the virus because they are vaccinated with high-efficacy vaccines. Earlier this month, Pfizer, along with German partner BioNTech, reported their vaccine remained 91 percent effective at least six months after the second dose. Bourla said the six months of data shows extremely, extremely high protection from COVID-19, noting that protection still goes down by time. Health officials have previously raised the possibility that the public may need booster COVID-19 shots. Top infectious diseases expert Anthony Fauci told MSNBC on Sunday that people "very well may need" a booster vaccine to protect themselves from the virus. David Kessler, the White House's chief science officer, told lawmakers during a hearing on Thursday that people "should expect" to get booster shots, noting that officials "don't know everything at this moment." Pfizer and BioNTech said earlier this year they were testing a third dose of their vaccine against the COVID-19 variants that have spread worldwide. Peter Marks, the director of the Food and Drug Administration's Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, said during an American Medical Association webinar that officials think protection is "probably going to last at least nine months." CDC finds less than 1 percent of fully vaccinated people got COVID-19 Oxford study shows higher clotting risks from COVID than vaccines "It is possible, we don't know for sure, that somewhere at nine months, a year, we may need to have boosters, but we'll get a better sense of that, probably with each month we'll get more certainty about when that might be necessary," he added. Almost 103 million doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine have been administered in the U.S. and more than 87 million doses of the Moderna vaccine, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data.

Maui needs to invest in better infrastructure, especially the roads, water and sewer systems that will support affordable housing for our workforce. We have so...me of the lowest property taxes in the United States, so Council Member Johnson is proposing a 5-6% increase on investment properties such as short term rentals, hotels and non-owner occupied luxury homes. That will raise about $20 million in additional funds to be used for affordable housing and infrastructure. Its time for people who are profiting off Maui to pay their fair share. We can no longer coddle the wealthy, when people who live here working two jobs can’t afford a home. Putting $20 million into infrastructure is also a two for one. This allotted funding would put the County in a great position to receive matching Federal funds, $1 for $1, through the American Jobs Plan slated for passage in mid-Summer. That would double the value of the fund, turning it into $40 million of funding for Maui infrastructure and housing. If you support this idea please let the council know ASAP! They are making decisions TOMORROW (Tuesday). You can leave an e-comment at this link: https://mauicounty.granicusideas.com//1313-bu/agenda_items Or testify live at the hearing at 9 am tomorrow here: https://bluejeans.com/441891331

If you could change the law in Maui County, what would it be? Now is the time to SPEAK UP! Every 10 years Maui residents have the opportunity to rewrite the cou...nty laws - Give your input on laws that effect taxes, tourism, development, food security, water rights, affordable housing, agriculture, transportation, education and more. More info at: https://mauicounty.gov/1791/Charter-Commission See more

Via CM Kelly King: Councilmember King is introducing a bill to place a moratorium on new visitor accommodations at this Friday's County Council meeting which st...arts at 9am. To view the agenda for the meeting and see ways to provide your testimony on this issue, visit https://mauicounty.legistar.com/View.ashx To read the proposal, visit: https://mauicounty.legistar.com/View.ashx Earlier this year, CM King introduced a Resolution Expressing Support for Sustainable Tourism, which emphasized the importance of managing the tourism industry rather than allowing it to grow at the unsustainable rates it expanded at in the past: https://www.mauicounty.gov/DocumentCen//125760/Reso-21-018 Please note that the bill being transmitted tomorrow is not intended to be the final form which will be passed. It is a start to the legislative process and crafting regulations that will work for the people, culture, and environment of Maui County. Please consider advocating to have this matter referred to the Climate Action, Resilience, and Environment Committee, as the matter concerns sustainable tourism and our Council's Planning and Sustainable Land Use Committee is deep in Community Plan deliberations. To get involved and provide your thoughts on this issue, you may provide testimony or contact our office via email: [email protected] cc [email protected]