Farm eco-tourism can grow. The pandemic has strengthened our farmers markets across the island and we must continue to enable our local people to afford local ingredients. Explore FeliciaCowden.com for more info! continue supporting bills that make all our buildings more efficient, and support all extensive waste diversion efforts to reduce our solid waste hauling. This is an opportunity to put somebody like Fern on the Council to show other people that representation matters and that they should be able to feel like they can put their name in the ring and be given fair consideration.. These problems are going to escalate with the unchecked growth of the vegetation and greater concentrations of rainfall. Waste diversion is also key in reducing the amount of waste going to the landfill. A social worker, a fire commissioner and a couple of current or former County Council members are in the running to fill two vacant seats in Hawaii's Legislature. I have been an advocate for social and environmental justice my entire life. Housing is easily the biggest issue that we face on Kauai, and I believe that the county has to pursue an all-of-the-above strategy to help solve the crisis. If elected, Ill work with community organizations and our county administration to get this process started. In the DMAP vision of tourism in 2040, Kauai is a global leader in the reinvention of the visitor industry. In addition to agriculture, I will investigate ways to support small businesses and work with local business associations to address their needs where able. A thriving agriculture sector includes small diversified farms, neighborhood food production, livestock, loi kalo, and export crops in which Kauai continues to be the Garden Island. A small Dairy to produce milk and cheese for our Hawaii population of people and local restaurants and Hotels would be another viable industry if position in the right geographical area, up Mauka. I am committed to doing everything I can to fight for local families. Leveling out the rates and getting more funding for our housing fund would ultimately mean we could provide more workforce housing for our hospitality workers, teachers, nurses and all our working families. 177 . Expanding our local products and supporting their local consumption, as well as export markets, is key to growth for the agricultural sector. work to move our Kaua`i Bus to fully electric and move the rest of the County fleet to electric as much as practicable. When asked why there were so many entering this class, the Finance Department said in a memo that we are seeing more Long-Term Rentals and Homeowners sell and or replace with Vacation Rental use. Similarly, in a report on the vacation rental industry in Hawaii, Hawaii Appleseed Foundation writes that Vacation rental units (VRUs) provide another significant pressure, leading to the reduction of available housing for Hawaii residents and driving up rents. This is because, Renting out a unit as a VRU is more profitable than renting it long-term, making VRUs particularly appealing for nonresident investors. As Appleseed writes, part of the attraction is that Hawaii has the lowest property tax rates in the nation. 4. For example, the State DOT received in the range of $16M for electric vehicle charging infrastructure statewide from the bipartisan infrastructure bill. He also served on the Kauai County Council for four years before becoming a Senator.. Covid policies interrupted the regular attendance from strategic members of these organizations. Lastly, we must increase local demand for local ingredients so local production can be scaled. Similar numbers transitioned into the vacation rental tax class in 2021 and 2020. Continue to work on our checks and balances system of government is working and not rubber stamping budget requests by the administration. The answer is diversion, diversion, diversion. I absolutely support what the people are calling for and that is a stop to unmanageable expansion that will likely only worsen the overtourism were already face. Our Kauai community has much to be proud of and continue to strive for. Kauai County Council. Cultivating oysters, clams, and other value add products for the community. The problems we face are graver than ever, but I am confident that we have the tools as a county to reduce the cost of housing while transitioning to a zero carbon economy and to do it all while improving our quality of life and strengthening our communities. In looking at other counties, Maui tax rate for TVRs is actually higher than that of hotels. The County Council could support this vision by being more involved with these groups that we work with and promote more volunteering in our community. I believe we must find ways to discourage off shore vacation rental home buying, which is playing a part in pushing local families out of the market. Photo Courtesy: Ross Kagawa. To start the county could start with preparing and feeding our soil to give agriculture ventures a boost when they are ready. We are clearly over capacity for tourism and our General Plan contains bold language on the need to keep visitor arrivals at reasonable levels. Housing development was booming (over 600 homes built per year on Kauai) and every new residential development landed a small windfall into government coffers which could fund increasing expansion. An over-arching action is greater collaboration between the State and County to offer a unified policy reshaping visitor activity to recognize they are visiting a unique culture rather arriving in a theme park to entertain themselves. We are currently doing some of this work through Tasting Kauai, a food tour company. Gary L. Hooser (born January 19, 1954) is an American politician who served as a member of the Hawaii State Senate representing Kauai and Niihau from 2002 to 2010. I currently serve as one of three (3) Councilmembers from the State of Hawai`i on the National Association of Counties (NACo) board. COUNTY OF KAUAI https://kauai.gov . Legislative authority is vested in the seven-member County Council. When the Council on Wednesday chose Kagawa to replace former member Luke Evslin who is now a member of the Hawaii House of Representatives Kagawas placement in the election was a major reason. The entire budget process needs to be as transparent as possible and communicated in a simple and up to date way to the public. I personally have lost faith in our recycling efforts. As a small business owner, President of Rice Street Business Association, Board member of Lhue Business Association, and former board member of the Kauai Chamber of Commerce and Kauai Filipino Chamber of Commerce, I love working with our business community in solving our mutual challenges. Instead of a white paper, Id hope that the objective would clearly be to decrease the number of vacation rentals that we have on island (1 in 8 homes) and to do it through any means possible, including both zoning and taxation policy. I will continue working closely with our Mayor and our Administrations budget team to address any challenges with our budgeting and operations always with our sites on both short-term and long-term sustainability. Tax rates for the Vacation Rental tax class is currently$9.85 per thousand in value as compared to the Hotel/Resort tax class at $10.85 per thousand in value. If elected, as the legislative body for our county, our impact on infrastructure projects is to make sure they are funded to be able to accomplish the job. I envision Kauai operating as a large-scale homestead. My preference is for our county to focus on the solid infrastructure grants rather than soft infrastructure such as pre-school funding. The need to be prepared for this stream of funding for our overall infrastructure needs is very important. Kauai's newest County Council member is Ross Kagawa, a former councilman who was the first runner-up for a seat on the seven-member legislative body in the November election. We are absolutely called to action because of the science and data that tells us that extreme weather events will only get stronger and more frequent. voting record of Arryl Kaneshiro. Its necessary for our quality of life and for getting us to a place of thriving and not just surviving. This ongoing trend means that when it comes to building more homes for Kauai residents and trying to meet the General Plan goal of 9,000 new homes by 2035 were going backwards. We cant rebuild a new facility in these same locations. If elected, I think education would help economic diversification. Regardless of short term or long term, as with any finances, I will not overspend. Recruiting and retaining qualified staffing is a continuous challenge. Please dont hesitate to reach out via email ([emailprotected]) or phone (635-6623) if you have any questions for me. We need to start the process to bring waste to energy technology to Kauai. I am a strong advocate of performance audits. Another example is the work Kauai Sea Farms is doing with Nomilo Fishpond in Kalaheo. My commitment is to passionately advocating for our people and for our islands; using my experience and dedication to work on protecting and improving the quality of life for all our residents. Students can become entrepreneurs and also work for somebody. I would support the addition of one gate, but not three. We need to cut out the vacation rental rate and just make it clear that your property is strictly residential or if any part of it is used as a vacation rental then you pay the hotel and resort tax rate. I also have a solution in mind to fix the problem at the 56 and 51 HWY interchange. Kauai doesnt even need the climate to change to benefit by the Kauai Climate Adaptation Plans the county currently has underway. I would investigate all options for funding under this measure for all the areas of the bill that funding is being provided for. The restorative agricultural practices, community engagement, and land preservation is vital for a thriving agricultural sector. State of Hawaii DLNR SHPD Kauai/Niihau Burial Council . I need more information about the Phase 2 and 3 land acquisitions and what the purpose and proposed use of that area is. I hear theres a big surplus. QUESTION #4How would you effectively manage the County Budget and operations for the short term and long-term sustainability? And then when theres areas that have incompetence, see how were going to fix the problem.. As we successfully provide this item locally we could move toward exporting it and accomplish two goals with one project which is moving toward food sustainability and create income via an export. I support the development of a dirty MRF that will help us divert waste from the landfill. One of my favorite quotes is, Life is in the follow-up. Ill work closely with our departments and do regular follow-ups to make sure things stay on a timeline. I am blessed with the ability to be your full-time council member without the competition of an outside job or a personal business to run. I support economic diversification and access to locally produced food by increasing the productivity and profitability of all forms of agriculture. But some do - like longtime Kaua'i politician Ross Kagawa, who has been chosen to fill a vacancy on the Kaua'i County Council. Kauai County Council Candidates Below are the candidates that responded to our survey. We need more charging stations. I need to be briefed on the current details and studies of the sites being considered now that Kalepa (the previous choice) has been denied. For many, the barrier to converting to an EV is access to charging stations. Advocating for watershed protection for continued flow of water in wet seasons and dry. Every time I go to these recycling locations I see trash bags and random items in the bins and my gut feeling is that no one is separating this at the main station so therefore it must be going to the landfill. In order to empower our community to practice waste diversion practices we must establish a recycling program and a Materials Recovery Facility. Establishing a carrying capacity and limiting arrivals for Kauai is critical to retaining our quality of life, environment and extending the operation of our infrastructure. In the tourism industry, we must continue to focus on regenerative and restorative visitor experiences that continue to empower our local businesses and organizations. Yes we need to improve on eliminating illegal transient vacation rentals from operating on Kauai. Our county has a affordable rental program that go we a property tax break for second home investors to rent to our local families under an affordable rental agreement. Council is currently contemplating taxation policies that are punitive in nature. However, due the close proximity to the airport and birds that could pose a hazard to the airport area, this location is no longer acceptable. Expanding & Maximizing Existing Infrastructure Besides additional funding, we must support expanding and maximizing our existing infrastructure. We have had four years of additional emergency funding for either our 2018 flood event or the COVID pandemic. My vision includes a mix of diversified agriculture along with indigenous foods and agriculture practices. We have major road works happening over the next few years. Mayor, County of Kauai 4444 Rice St., Suite 235 Lihue, HI 96766 FAX: 808-241-6877 Sent by Mail and Facsimile Dear Mayor Carvalho, Now that Bill 2491, as amended, has been passed by the Kaua'i County Council, Earthjustice and the Center for Food Safety would like to reiterate our commitment to The Kauai County Council is accepting applications from individuals to render services as County Auditor to conduct or cause to be conducted audits of all county funds, programs, and operations of any agency or operation of the county to include performance audits of funds and programs or operations as requested by Council by resolution, and to More County Housing Projects- We must push for more housing for local residents by supporting replicating successful projects like our 30-unit Kealaula transitional housing, our 53-unit Pua Loke affordable rentals and our multi-phase, multi-unit Lima Ola project in Ele`ele that includes senior, single family and affordable housing. Kagawa has spent the past two years as a COVID-19 specialist in the Kauai Emergency Management Agency. Unfortunately, the plan does not consider the unintended consequences of increasing flight capacity. Josh Green appointed former councilmember Luke Evslin to his direct staff. We established a monthly Downtown Lhue Night Market that brings local vendors and drives local buyers together. We need to do all we can to encourage housing development within our existing towns. Some owners may return to live in them full-time. The rising seas and flooding require us to look at limiting and even restricting any further structures being built along our shorelines and along our rivers. I would continue to work with the State and Federal representatives to support options that will mitigate the impacts of climate change on Kauai. Providing land and sharing the cost of infrastructure is one way to lower costs. My lifelong experiences as a community organizer for economic and social justice has taught me how to work effectively with many different organizations and people. As your Council member I have been fiscally responsible with ensuring that balancing the budget, keeping our county services operating and all of our employees working and thriving. The night market is unlike other Night Markets as attendance are majority local people. The 2016-2018 Kauai Tourism Strategic Plan (KTSP) was unique among government sponsored reports in its clear-headed recognition that we are over capacity for tourism, that we need bold change, and that we should strive to keep our visitor count within 23,000-25,000. I totally support the Kauai Destination Management Action Plan which is a well-developed plan that brings forth the need to better manage and balance our tourism industry with our local infrastructure, natural resources, and our residents. We absolutely need to do more to support agriculture not only for food and sustenance; for export of Kaua`i Grown products or Kaua`i made products with Kaua`i Grown ingredients; but, also to make use of, protect & preserve acres of idle lands that are becoming overgrown with invasive species and becoming more and more arid and depleted. Organizations such as KIUC, Surfriders Hawaii, Mlama Hulia, and other local agencies dedicated to mitigating the impacts of climate change. Solid waste is one of the largest issues we face right now. While I agree with the DMAP that the fee system should be universal and apply to both county and state parks in a simple to use smart phone app, for that to occur requires leadership from the State. In fact, Councilmember Cowden and I have been in the process of drafting a resolution in support of those very sentiments that we have been hearing from many of our constituents. I have worked on landfill monitoring projects before moving home and understand landfills and alternative waste treatment methods. Please feel welcome to call me if you need me. Most of our primary facilities were built in a different era, with different regulations with many too close to the shoreline. Last but not least, we must create equity within our property tax system that protects our local families. I went to KCC and the University of Hawaii to receive my Political Science Degree. I want to continue to serve and ask for your support. The absence of the general public and business adding dimension to policy considerations can easily result in reckless policy development. 1050. of Water Planners updating the County Water Plan to guide system expansion, improvement, rehabilitation, and rate structures that support growth consistent with housing development plans. What qualifies me most is the genuine concern I have for Kaua`i and Ni`ihau and my commitment to making a difference! We need to site a new landfill and move on it as soon as possible. LIHU'E With newly appointed state Rep. Luke Evslin heading to O'ahu, the remaining six members of the Kaua'i County Council now must select a replacement to fill his vacant seat. And, by pursuing these, we can also save taxpayers money and reduce our greenhouse gas emissions. Advising nonprofits, campaigns, and mission-driven businesses on strategic communications, digital advocacy, cause marketing, and partnership development.

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