This week, following a big news conference Monday about fireworks enforcement, we learned that Jordan Lowe, the director of the Department of Law Enforcement, stepped down.
HPR talked with Gov. Josh Green on Thursday morning following the sudden announcement. He discussed illegal fireworks and his recent trip to Washington, D.C., where he voiced his opposition to President-elect Donald Trump's selection of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to head the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Interview highlights
On the resignation of DLE Director Jordan Lowe
JOSH GREEN: Jordan Lowe is a very good guy. I so appreciated his work for two years, and as we reach this two-year halfway mark of our term — there can always be some change. We have thanked Jordan — he's going to stay in the administration for some time, continuing doing law enforcement. But Mike Lambert, who is a deeply respected community member, who's been a high-level officer at HPD, is going to be coming in. I worked with Mike really closely as we started the first kauhales and the joint Outreach Center in Chinatown when I was lieutenant governor. He comes how they recommended, and he will fit in very nicely as we take the next step with the Department of Law Enforcement.
On enforcement against illegal fireworks
GREEN: We will be amping our work on fireworks. You saw that we recommended some changes where people will just also be eligible for citations, up to $300 citations — like tickets. I think that's going to make it easier for law enforcement to send a message on New Year's Eve or on Fourth of July — if people are setting off dangerous fireworks. So there's that, plus because of the tragedy and the sheer scope of the tragedy, if someone takes another person's life or someone dies, even accidentally — we will be able to increase the penalties into a Class B and Class A felonies, if legislation passes. So that's where we are right now. I actually think it's likely that just the basic ticketing will be impactful because that's what people — theyʻll understand well. But I just humbly ask everybody, look, I love fireworks too, but we can't be lighting them off anymore. They are too significantly hazardous, and we've seen a lot of injuries. This year, we had 24 people critically injured in the large explosion in Salt Lake. Last year, eight people lost part or most of their hand. That's a terrible set of injuries for our citizens, and those are self-inflicted wounds. We really have to change things, and I'm going to also authorize our teams to have more public fireworks shows, which hopefully will kind of take down some of the pent-up need for those performances. There's just a lot of things that need to be done, and we will get advice from the past directors now, but we're also moving forward with some new blood.
On kauhale communities for people who are unsheltered
GREEN: I'm going forward, no matter what, with this four-year plan to get to 30 kauhale over the course of our term in office. If I'm fortunate enough to be given a second term in the governorship, then we will increase the scope of each of them and continue to increase services. But we'll get at least 1,500 chronically homeless individuals into kauhales, and then they go on to permanent housing a lot of the time. So it's a good system. It supports a lot of the other work that people have been doing with housing first. We're getting indications that the Legislature is pleased with our funding request and actually may increase them in some ways for long-term housing as part of this kauhale movement — and that would include some long-term housing and other resources that their Revolving Housing Trust Fund's been able to offer. So it's just a good thing overall, and I hope that people see the compassion in creating villages where people live in a community — rather than either being just kind of swept and then coming right back, or some people just aren't really ready to go into permanent housing. We've seen that and heard that from the houseless community. They've often told me that they get put into an apartment, and they immediately leave because of the isolation. I understand, because I've talked to a lot of people, thousands of people that are homeless, and that is one of the refrains.
On vaccinating Hawaiʻi's keiki and RFK Jr. for Trump's Cabinet
GREEN: Please, please, please, get your children vaccinated. Because if we lose critical mass of our vaccination statewide, we will not have immunity — it's called herd immunity, and lots of outbreaks will occur. Remember, children under age 1 are not even eligible for measles, mumps, rubella shots, which means if we have a decrease in vaccinations among school-age kids and adults — those people will be vulnerable, those little people. So that is really worrisome.
I'm likely to have to go back to Washington, D.C., the week after next. It appears that I'm being invited by the committee to testify, and in fact, just requested to testify. It turns out that RFK Jr. did some bad things. He misrepresented what he was doing. He said he didn't engage in dissuading Samoa from being vaccinated. Well, he got paid $2.2 million by the Children's Health Defense, the organization he started — $2.2 million to actually represent and be an anti-vax leader. That is what is translating across our country, because people spread misinformation about COVID vaccinations or routine childhood vaccinations, the percentages drop 5%, 10%, 15%, and when that happens, you get outbreaks. That means ultimately you will see measles outbreaks. You will see polio outbreaks again, which is completely tragic. There's just really a lot of concern about this, and, unfortunately — I have nothing against RFK Jr. from a human perspective, he should probably be an environmental leader, that's the kind of thing he's trained for — but under no circumstance should he be a health secretary. So his health secretary position, or the potential position, will doom us to outbreaks for our kids.
On what he'll be discussing in his State of the State speech next Tuesday
GREEN: I'm going to speak mostly about housing and homelessness and probably public safety. I want to stay focused on the top priorities that we have, and it's affordability and housing, with, you know, some early education and some health care. I will stay very focused on that and give everyone the update.
This interview aired on The Conversation on Jan. 16, 2025. The Conversation airs weekdays at 11 a.m. on HPR-1. Tori DeJournett adapted this story for the web.
