O’ahu voters are considering twenty City Charter Amendments in the General Election. HPR’s Wayne Yoshioka spoke with the Charter Commission chair to explain the process behind the proposed changes.
Wayne Yoshioka is an award-winning journalist who has worked in television, print and radio in Hawaiʻi. He also has been on both sides of politics as a state departmental appointee and political/government reporter. He covered Hurricane Iwa (1982) as a TV reporter; was the State Department of Defense/Civil Defense spokesperson for Hurricane Iniki (1992); and, commanded a public affairs detachment in Afghanistan (2006). He has a master's degree in Communication from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa and is a decorated combat veteran (Legion of Merit, Bronze Star and 22 other commendation/service medals). He resides in Honolulu.
The city wants to build 18,000 affordable housing units by fiscal year 2029, according to its 2023 housing plan, but the availability of land and city funding continue to be two of some of the most expensive obstacles to doing that.
The Navy wants to reduce how much water is being discharged into Hālawa Stream, but the Hawaiʻi Department of Health is concerned about the lack of monitoring proposed in its plan.