The governor’s emergency order says, however, that the boards shall reasonably allow for public participation consistent with social distancing practices, allowing written testimony to be submitted and livestreaming of meetings, as Common Cause Hawaii points out.

“Common Cause has always contended that the public should be able to comment and provide testimony in real time because our testimonies can change based on what is discussed at the meeting because we cannot anticipate in advance what’s discussed,” said Common...

This controversial meeting was held on Thursday without oral testimony. In light of the economic crisis facing the city and the state due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with many furloughed or laid off, several elected officials and citizens objected to the nearly across-the-board 3% pay raises, with many of the listed officials already making well over $100,000.