Par to Rebrand Hawaii Stations to Hele
California Raises Smoking Age to 21
Edison to Add Infrastructure for 1,500 EV Chargers
Aloha Fined $ 650,000 By U.S. EPA
San Francisco Mandates Paid Parental Leave

PAR TO REBRAND HAWAII STATIONS TO HELE

HONOLULU, HI. — Par Hawaii Inc., which recently acquired Tesoro's operations in Hawaii as well as Mid-Pac Petroleum in the island state, will be rebranding its service stations in Hawaii.

Par Hawaii said it will rebrand its 37 of its gasoline stations to Hele, a new independent brand being developed by the company. The word "hele" means "to go" in English.

"We were looking for something dynamic and local, and it's going to be a new look that the community will love," Jim Yates, president of Par Hawaii, said to local reporters. "It's also part of our continued investment in this market."

He continued, "We wanted a Hawaiian sense of place," adding, "We had the option to continue on with the Tesoro brand, but this allows us to control our own destiny."

The remainder of the company's 97 service stations will keep — or be rebranded to — 76. When Par Hawaii acquired Mid-Pac Petroleum, they also acquired the exclusive rights to utilize the 76 brand in the Hawaiian Islands.

The company anticipates the rebranding project will cost approximately $4 million across the Hawaiian islands and will be completed by the end of September.

CALIFORNIA RAISES SMOKING AGE TO 21

SACRAMENTO, CA. — Following the lead of Hawaii earlier this year, California has become the second state to raise the smoking age from 18 to 21.

Included in the change are all tobacco products, including e-cigarettes.

The new law prohibits the sale, purchase, possession or consumption of cigarettes, other tobacco products and electronic smoking devices to anyone under 21. Fines and possible legal action may be levied against those selling tobacco products to those under age 21 as well as to young adults found trying to buy products.

Military personnel are exempt from the California state regulation. In Hawaii, military personnel are subject to the state law and must be 21 years old to smoke. In addition, Hawaii Marine Corps and Navy bases in the state have stopped selling tobacco products, including smokeless tobacco and electronic smoking devices, to anyone under 21.

Matthew Myers, president of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, praised the action, saying, "Increasing the tobacco age to 21 will reduce tobacco use among youth and young adults — age groups when nearly all tobacco use begins."

EDISON TO ADD INFRASTRUCTURE FOR 1,500 EV CHARGERS

EL MONTE, CA. — Southern California Edison has announced that they plan to help install 1,500 electric car charging stations throughout Southern California.

The utility received regulatory approval mid-January from the California Public Utilities Commission for a $22 million pilot program to upgrade the electrical grid to allow for vehicle charging.

Under their plan, Edison will install and maintain the infrastructure but individual property owners will be responsible for buying, operating, and maintaining the charging equipment.

Edison also noted that the property owners will be charged for any electricity used for refueling but they will have the option of passing along the costs to the vehicle owners who are using the equipment.

The utility company said they will focus on installing the charging stations at locations where cars are parked for long periods of time such as workplaces, campuses, recreational areas and housing complexes.

"A major barrier to electric vehicle ownership is that there aren't enough charging stations where people normally park their cars," said Caroline Choi, Edison's vice president for energy and environmental policy, announcing the initiative. "We believe that by giving electric vehicle owners more options to charge their vehicles, this program can actually help to accelerate the market in Southern California."

"These investments would be depreciated over time, just like any other electric grid investments are," said Gary Stern, director of energy policy for Edison. "The cost is recovered gradually over the years through rates."

If the pilot program is successful and property owners install the charging stations for electrical vehicle owners, Edison will seek to increase the number of charging stations across Southern California to about 30,000 for a total estimated cost of $355 million.

ALOHA FINED $650,000 BY U.S. EPA

HONOLULU, HI. — Aloha Petroleum has reached a settlement with the United States Environmental Protection Agency after the government agency charged that Aloha violated clauses of the Clean Air Act.

Aloha was charged with failure to install the appropriate vapor controls at its Hilo East Terminal on Hawaii. In addition, the EPA said the oil company had not installed correct secondary spill containment on all of its oil storage tanks.

Aloha agreed to pay $650,000 in fines to the EPA as well as make sure its spill containment equipment and facilities are in compliance with the law at an estimated additional expense of $3.5 million.

Aloha, a division of Sunoco LP, operates approximately 100 gas stations under the Shell, Aloha and Mahalo brands in the Hawaiian Islands.

SAN FRANCISCO MANDATES PAID PARENTAL LEAVE

SAN FRANCISCO, CA. — The City of San Francisco has mandated a new paid parental leave program, requiring employers to pay their employees while on parental bonding leave.

According to the new ordinance, which takes affect on January 1, 2017, employers must pay "supplemental compensation" to their employees when they take California paid family leave (PFL) benefits for new child bonding. This program allows employees to take a six-week leave from their job to bond with a minor child during the first year after birth or the child's placement through foster care or adoption. Under the state program, employees receive 55% of their income in benefits, up to $1,129 per week. San Francisco's ordinance will now require employers to pay the other 45%, allowing employees on PFL to receive 100% of their income while they are not working.

San Francisco's ordinance will apply employers with 20 or more employees, as long as one of those employees works in the city.

Employers with 50 or more total employees must begin offering the supplemental pay on January 1. Employers with 35 or more employees must begin offering it on July 1, 2017; and employers with 20 or more employees must offer it on January 1, 2018.

Employees are eligible for the benefit after they have been employed for 180 days. To be eligible, the employee must work at least eight hours per week and at least 40% of the employee's total weekly hours must be within San Francisco. Employees covered by a collective bargaining agreement are not included in the new mandate.

Under the new rule, employers can require employees to use up to two weeks of accrued vacation when the PFL starts. If an employee does not agree to use his or her accrued vacation, the employer is not required to provide supplemental compensation.

In addition, employers are required to "conspicuously post" a notice explaining the program. Notices must be posted in English, Spanish, Chinese, and any language spoken by at least five percent of employees at the worksite.

Originally published in the September 2016 issue of O&A Marketing News.
Copyright 2016 by KAL Publications Inc.