The monthly meeting of the board of the Public Land Development Corporation has been canceled because staff failed to send out an email notification of the meeting. 

If the PLDC were to go forward with the meeting, scheduled for Thursday, it would violate Hawaii’s Sunshine Law.

Boards and commissions are required to personally inform people who request it of upcoming meetings. Usually, an email notification is sent out. A staff member of the PLDC posted notification of the meeting on its website, the online state calendar and at the Ledge, six days before the scheduled meeting — as required — but failed to send out the email by the same deadline. 

Randal Ikeda, PLDC secretary, said that it would be rescheduled as soon as possible.

It’s not the first time that the PLDC has struggled to keep the public informed of meetings, as Civil Beat has previously reported:

Development Corp. Trips Over Sunshine Law

New State Lands Agency Violates Abercrombie Order on Public Meetings

You can find the agenda for the meeting here. 

The missing email caused some cyberspace commotion this weekend. 

DLNR watchdog and Big Island resident, Glenn Shiroma, noticed on Saturday — six days prior to the meeting — that he hadn’t received the email. On Sunday, the first day of the missed deadline, he sent out an email to top state officials informing them of this, which stated in part:  

As of this date and time, PLDC’s administrative staff FAILED to email ME the agenda for upcoming PLDC meeting that was scheduled for Thursday, July 19, 2012 which falls under the Hawaii Sunshine Law …

Shiroma promptly received an email with the meeting notice and agenda from the office of DLNR chairman, William Aila. 

Shiroma emailed back the following to his secretary: 

Aloha Sue..

Sorry you had to get involved on a Sunday, but its too late.

Glenn