Honolulu City Council

Honolulu Councilmember Tyler Dos Santos-Tam, who represents the area, stopped by The Conversation to discuss a proposal making its way through the City Council to create a downtown business improvement district, similar to the one in place in Waikīkī.

News outlets emphasized that it has been difficult to get real-time information from the department. Some incidents, like the recent Māʻili fire evacuation, were also not included in the released media log. HPR's Ashley Mizuo has more.

The Honolulu City Council is considering several measures that would decrease property taxes for seniors, landlords, and homeowners who live on their property. Budget and Fiscal Services Director Andy Kawano was concerned about the lost revenue.

The Honolulu City Council underwent significant changes in leadership last week, leading to some optimism and uncertainty about the direction the council will go. HPR's Mark Ladao reports.

The Honolulu City Council voted to shake up its leadership team in a tense meeting that some say is good for council operations, but others are convinced is “political retaliation.” The circumstances around the proposed reorganization did lead to concerns from the public, including several who said it was a response to the council's recent sewer fee vote.

The Honolulu City Council will vote this week on a measure that could change its leadership for vice chair and floor leader.

The council wrapped up its votes Wednesday night after a discussion that often centered around how it would fund billions of dollars of Oʻahu sewer infrastructure upgrades in the coming years.

Mayor Rick Blangiardi would support a charter amendment giving whoever is the Honolulu mayor the ability to hire and fire the city’s chief of police. He also appears open to changing how the chiefs of the city’s fire and ocean safety departments are picked.

In the bill, HPD would need to provide access to its dispatch radio communications to local media outlets. The department encrypted its scanners in 2022, denying access to the public and media.

The Honolulu City Council has been looking to reallocate money in the city’s budget to fund other projects, namely required sewer infrastructure upgrades on Oʻahu, and about $12.4 million could come from funds otherwise meant to hire for Honolulu Police Department jobs that are chronically vacant.