Senator Mike Gabbard
August Newsletter
Vol. 18 Issue 8
Agriculture and Environment Committee, Chair
Judiciary Committee, Vice Chair
Government Operations Committee, Vice Chair
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Aloha e friends,
I hope you and your ‘ohana are well and enjoying the waning days of summer, a.k.a. “interim” here at the Hawai‘i State Capitol. This is the time when many of the legislators take the opportunity to attend conferences and spend more time in their districts. My staff and I have been busy doing both.
As always, please contact me at (808) 586-6830 or sengabbard@capitol.hawaii.gov if I can help you or your family in any way. I invite you to follow me on social media: Instagram @GabbardAloha, Facebook, YouTube, and X @SENMIKEGABBARD. Also, if you’d like to be added to my mailing list, please send me an email with “mailing list” in the subject line.
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Listen Story Meeting
Please join me at my next Listen Story Community meeting on August 17, from 9am-10am at the Kapolei High School Teachers’ Lounge. I gave a 2024 Legislative Session Wrap-up at May’s meeting. In case you missed it, you can view the zoom recording on my YouTube channel here. During June’s meeting, we hosted Major Mike Lambert with the Honolulu Police Department. He gave an overview of crime on the West side, including detailed information on theft, human trafficking, gun violence, and game rooms. You can view his presentation on my YouTube channel here. I usually have an in-person meeting each month, and virtually for those who can’t make it in person. Hope you can attend this month.
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Major Mike Lambert with the Honolulu Police Department - June Listen Story | |
Crime Prevention Townhall | |
On May 28, Sen. Gabbard co-hosted a Crime Prevention Townhall with Councilmember Andria Tupola and Representative Diamond Garcia. Guest speakers were from the Prosecutor's Office, the Honolulu Police, Attorney General and Homeland Security. | |
Kapolei Regional Park Site Visit | |
With Councilmember Andria Tupola June 10, 2024. | With Representative Diamond Garcia June 10, 2024. | On June 10, I was invited by Councilmember Andria Tupola, along with members of the business community, represented by the Kapolei Chamber of Commerce, and other state and county officials, on a site visit to the Kapolei Regional Park to discuss the growing homeless situation and identify possible solutions. We were joined by the Dept. of Parks and Recreation; U.S. Vets; Steve Kelly, Pres. of the James Campbell Company; and others. While homelessness has been a long-standing issue in our state, unfortunately, it’s increased tremendously in our growing second city since 2018. According to the 2024 Point in Time Count Report, the homeless population in Kapolei and Ewa increased by 22% between 2023 and 2024. (Point in Time Count Report 2024.) Many mahalos to Councilmember Tupola, and Executive Dir. of the Kapolei Chamber, Kiran Polk, for organizing the site visit. | |
Sen. Gabbard with Dr. Raj Kumar, President- IAFC, Hawaii Chapter & Founder & President Emeritus GIIP-Gandhi International Institute for Peace - International Yoga Day - June 21, 2024 | |
On June 21, I was invited to speak at the 10th Annual International Day of Yoga. In 2019, I worked locally with the Gandhi International Institute for Peace (GIIP) to introduce a bill designating June 21 as "International Yoga Day" in Hawai‘i. House Bill 349 was signed in law, ACT 102 on June 26, 2019, making Hawai‘i the first state in the nation to officially recognize International Yoga Day (IYD)! I presented an Honorary Certificate to the GIIP on behalf of the Senate and House. The international theme for this year’s celebration was “inner peace and world peace.”
If you go to the Legislature’s website, you’ll find Act 102, the law passed to declare IYD in Hawai‘i. The language is inspiring. It reads in part: “The legislature finds that yoga is a long-standing aspect of Indian civilization and gift to humanity. Its practice emphasizes moral, physical, and mental well-being resulting in physical, mental, and spiritual balance... Yoga is not just physical exercise; it is a spiritual path to control the mind and senses and to know one's higher self and purpose in life, and it encourages living in harmony with society and nature. Yoga is a way of life and can promote health and well-being and insight into addressing environmental concerns and facilitating world peace. More than three hundred million people around the world practice some form of yoga. Yoga embodies unity of mind and body; thought and action; restraint and fulfillment; harmony between man and nature; and a holistic approach to health and well-being. It is not about exercise, but to discover the sense of oneness with yourself, the world and nature.”
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Villages of Kapolei Upcoming Events | |
SELF DEFENSE & SAFETY FOR ADULTS
August 10, 2024, 10 a.m. - noon
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KEKUILANI NEIGHBORHOOD SECURITY WATCH
August 19, 2024, at 6:00 p.m
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WORLD OF WATERCOLORS
Starts: August 16, 2024
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KEKUILANI NEIGHBORHOOD SECURITY WATCH
August 19, 2024, at 6:00 p.m
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WAGS & SPLASH
August 24, 2024 10 a.m. to 1 p.m
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PICKLEBALL CLINIC
Starts: August 26, 2024
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SAVE -THE-DATES!
September 6, 2024 6:00 p.m. online
- ʻIMI PONO CULTURAL & WELLNESS FAIR
September 14, 2024 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., Rec 1 parking lot
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GoFarm Hawaii Site Visit - December 2022 | |
ATTENTION
People who are looking to improve their farming production and agribusiness skills! Three new GoFarm Hawaiʻi cohorts are starting this summer. More details below and on www.gofarmhawaii.org.
AgXposure: August 13 - Sept 10
Learn from local farms and get exposure to farm work. Introduction to crop planning. (Tuesday evenings (online) and Saturdays).
AgXcel: September 24 - April 5
Learn farm production and business skills from our coaching team during Tuesday evening (online) and Saturday field classes. Plant, manage, and market your own 7-week CSA vegetable production at our farm site in Pūlehunui, and grow additional crops specifically for donation.
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North Shore O’ahu (Kamananui)
AgCurious Online Webinar: August 7 @ 5:30pm
The first step to learn more about our beginning farmer training program and how to apply. Register here.
AgXposure: August 21 - September 18
Learn from local farms and get exposure to farm work. Introduction to crop planning. (Wednesday evenings (online) and Saturdays).
AgXcel: October 23 - May 3
Learn farm production and business skills from our coaching team during Wednesday evening (online) and Saturday field classes. Plant, manage, and market your own 7-week CSA vegetable production at our farm site in Kamananui (Waialua).
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Windward O’ahu (Waimānalo)
AgCurious Online Webinar: August 14 @ 5:30pm
The first step to learn more about our beginning farmer training program and how to apply. Register here.
AgXposure: August 28 - September 25
Learn from local farms and get exposure to farm work. Introduction to crop planning. (Wednesday evenings (online) and Saturdays).
AgXcel: October 9 - April 27
Learn farm production and business skills from our coaching team during Wednesday evening (online) and Saturday field classes. Plant, manage, and market your own 7-week CSA vegetable production at our farm site in Waimānalo. .
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O'ahu Metropolitan Planning Organization (O’ahuMPO) | |
I recently received the following Press Release and I encourage you to participate:
The O'ahu Metropolitan Planning Organization (O’ahuMPO) is pleased to announce the launch of an online, interactive public survey to inform the update to the O’ahu Regional Transportation Plan. This 15-minute survey will help State and local transportation agencies understand how you would most prefer to get around in your neighborhood and around the island.
What is O’ahu Regional Transportation Plan?
The O'ahu Regional Transportation Plan (ORTP) outlines transportation goals, objectives, policies, and projects for O’ahu. The 25-year time horizon of the plan incorporates forecasted population housing, employment, environmental, land-use, and technology changes. The ORTP identifies strategies and actions to promote the development of an integrated, inter-modal, surface transportation system that facilitates the safe, efficient, and economical movement of people and goods. It also identifies specific highway, transit, freight, bicycle, and pedestrian projects that are designed to improve safety, mitigate congestion, and increase mobility for O’ahu’s residents and visitors.
What is the O’ahu MPO?
The O’ahu Metropolitan Planning Organization is the federally mandated and locally designated agency responsible for developing an overall transportation plan and allocating federal transportation funds on O’ahu. All urban areas in the U.S. are required by federal law to have an MPO in order to receive federal transportation funds. The O’ahuMPO is a forum for local officials to jointly select projects paid for with federal funds. Therefore, the MPO sets the policy and guides the transportation planning process for the region.
Please take a moment to submit your response to this public survey by AUGUST 31, 2024 online.
Community engagement is essential to ensuring that investments in future transportation projects reflect O’ahu residents’ and visitors’ needs as well as match with the unique character of our neighborhoods. To learn more, provide feedback, subscribe to our mailing list, and for project updates please visit the O’ahuMPO engagement website at: https://engage.O’ahumpo.org/.
For questions and/or comments on the O’ahu Regional Transportation Plan project, or if special accommodations are needed to participate in this activity, please contact Samantha Lara at (808) 587-2015.
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SENATE CONFIRMS FOUR JUDICIAL APPOINTMENTS TO OʻAHU CIRCUIT COURT | |
On June 27, the Hawaiʻi State Senate voted to confirm the Governor’s Circuit Court appointments of Rebecca A. Copeland, Brian A. Costa, Dyan M. Medeiros, and Steven R. Nichols to the Circuit Court of the First Circuit (island of Oʻahu). Earlier in the week, the Senate Judiciary Committee held a public hearing on each appointment, and all testimony received for Copeland, Costa, Medeiros, and Nichols was in support of their appointments. Each of the new judges was deemed “Qualified” by the Hawaiʻi State Bar Association.
Rebecca A. Copeland has been confirmed to the Circuit Court of the First Circuit as a Circuit Court Judge. Copeland will succeed Judge Gary Chang, who is retiring at the end of June 2024. Copeland served as a District Family Court Judge for the Family Court of the First Circuit since 2020. Between 2016-2020, she served as a Per Diem District Court Judge. Copeland has experience in operating the Law Office of Rebecca A. Copeland, LLC, working for Damon Key Leong Kupchak Hastert, and as Adjunct Professor for the William S. Richardson School of Law at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, St. Mary’s University School of Law (in San Antonio), and Texas A&M University-San Antonio. Additionally, Copeland has served as Deputy Solicitor General, Appellate Division, for the State of Hawaiʻi Department of the Attorney General and was a law clerk for Hawaiʻi Intermediate Court of Appeals. Copeland received a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Southwest Texas State University and a Juris Doctorate from St. Mary’s University School of Law.
Brian A. Costa has been confirmed to the Circuit Court of the First Circuit as a Circuit Court Judge and will succeed Judge Jeffrey Crabtree, who retired in January 2024. Costa has served as a District Family Court Judge for the Family Court of the First Circuit since 2017 and most recently as the Lead Judge of the Juvenile Division and Presiding Judge of Juvenile Drug Court. Between 2015-2017, he served as a Per Diem District Court Judge. Costa’s professional experience includes being an attorney, member, and manager of the law firm Costa & DeLacy, LLLC, serving as a Honolulu Deputy Prosecuting Attorney, and working as an associate for Goodsill Anderson Quinn & Stifel. Costa additionally was a law clerk for Hawaiʻi Supreme Court Associate Justice Simeon R. Acoba, Jr. Costa received an Associate Degree in Applied Sciences in Business Administration from Erie Community College in Buffalo, NY, a Bachelor of Science in Management from Hawaiʻi Pacific University, and a Juris Doctorate from the William S. Richardson School of Law.
Dyan M. Medeiros has been confirmed to the Circuit Court of the First Circuit as a Circuit Court Judge. Medeiros will succeed Judge R. Mark Browning who retired in December 2023. Medeiros has served as a District Family Court Judge for the Family Court of the First Circuit since 2015 and most recently as the Lead Judge of the Domestic Division and Presiding Judge of Girls Court. Prior to serving as a Judge, Medeiros was a partner with Kleintop, Luria & Medeiros, an associate attorney with Stirling & Kleintop, and an associate attorney with Damon Key Leong Kupchak Hastert. Medeiros received a Bachelor of Arts in English from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa and received a Juris Doctorate from the William S. Richardson School of Law.
Steven R. Nichols has been confirmed to the Circuit Court of the First Circuit as a Circuit Court Judge. Nichols will succeed Judge Edward Kubo who retired in December 2019. Most recently, Nichols served as a Per Diem Judge for the Family Court of the First Circuit and operates the Law Office of Steven R. Nichols. Nichols previously served as Deputy Public Defender for twenty years and was a law clerk for First Circuit Judge Dexter Del Rosario. Nichols received a Bachelor of Arts in History from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa and a Juris Doctorate from the William S. Richardson School of Law.
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