Former Member, Energy and Environmental Protection Committee, Hawaii State House of Representatives
Former Member, Lower and Higher Education Committee, Hawaii State House of Representatives
Former Member, Water, Land, and Hawaiian Affairs Committee, Hawaii State House of Representatives
Member, Consumer Protection and Commerce Committee
Member, Corrections, Military, and Veterans Committee
Chair, Water and Land Committee
Favorite Book:
Books about Hawaii's history, culture and politics, including Ancient History of the Hawaiians by Fornander; Native Planters in Old Hawaii by Handy, Handy and Pukui; Tales and Traditions of the People of Old by Kamakau; Fragments of Hawaiian History by I'i; Hawaiian Antiquities by Malo; Exalted Sits the Chief by Cordy; Kepelino's Traditions of Hawaii; Six Months in the Sandwich Islands by Bird; Hawaii Pono by Fuchs; Shoal of Time by Daws; Life and Times of John Young by Cahill; Kalakaua by Allen; Hawaii's Story by Queen Liliuokalani; Broken Trust by King and Roth; Who Owns the Crown Lands of Hawaii by Van Dyke; Land and Power in Hawaii by Cooper and Daws; Catch a Wave by Coffman; Parker Ranch by Brennan; Loyal to the Land by Bergin; Paniolo by Brennan; Paniolo House Stories by Friends of the Future, John A. Burns by Boylan and Holmes; Ben by Ben Cayetano; in addition, I also read lots of science fiction including Star Wars novels, the Dune series by Herbert, the I, Robot and Foundation series by Asimov, and the Mars series by Robinson.
Favorite Movie:
Paniolo O Hawaii (Edgy Lee); BBC Planet Earth Series; Star Wars films; Hiyao Miyazaki films; Jacques Cousteau films; 2001 A Space Odyssey (Kubrick)
Favorite Quote:
It's OK to disagree, just don't be disagreeable.
Favorite TV Shows:
Tour de France; Olympics; World Cup Soccer; Superbowl; Wimbledon.
Favorite Type of Music:
Koni au i ka wai (Kalakaua); Aloha 'Oe (Liliuokalani); Hawaii Pono'i (Kalakaua/Berger); Waimea Cowboy (Ernie Cruz); Hi'ilawe (Israel Kamakawiwo'ole); Maika'i Ka Makani O Kohala (Ozzie Kotani); Mauna Kea Morning (Sonny Lim); and Waiomina (Helen Kauinahea Lindsey Parker)
1. Abortions should always be legally available.
- X
2. Abortions should be legal only within the first trimester of pregnancy.
- No Answer
3. Abortions should be legal only when pregnancy resulted from incest, rape, or when the life of the woman is endangered.
- No Answer
4. Abortions should be legal only when the life of the woman is endangered.
- No Answer
5. Abortions should always be illegal.
- No Answer
6. Abortions should be limited by waiting periods and parental notification requirements.
- No Answer
7. Prohibit the late-term abortion procedure known as "partial-birth" abortion.
- No Answer
8. Support "buffer zones" by requiring demonstrators to stay at least 15 feet away from abortion clinic doorways and driveways.
- X
9. Other
- No Answer
10. Should Hawaii government funding be provided to clinics and medical facilities that provide abortion services?
- Yes
1. College and university admissions
- Yes
2. Public employment
- Yes
3. State contracting
- Yes
4. Other
- No Answer
1. Increase state funds for construction of state prisons and for hiring of additional prison staff.
- X
2. Support contracting with private sector firms to build and/or manage state prisons.
- X
3. End parole for repeat violent felons.
- No Answer
4. Support the use of the death penalty.
- No Answer
5. Oppose the death penalty.
- X
6. Implement penalties other than incarceration for certain non-violent offenders.
- X
7. Inform communities when a convicted sex offender moves into the community.
- X
8. Increase state funds for programs which rehabilitate and educate inmates during and after their prison sentences.
- X
9. Decriminalize the use of marijuana for medicinal purposes.
- X
10. Strengthen penalties and sentences for drug-related crimes.
- No Answer
11. Strengthen penalties and sentences for sex offenders.
- No Answer
12. Support the blood-alcohol-content limit defining drunk driving.
- X
13. Prosecute juveniles who commit murder or other serious violent crimes as adults.
- No Answer
14. Support the transfer of Hawaii inmates to out-of-state prisons.
- No Answer
15. Support building a state prison in Kau on the Big Island.
- No Answer
16. Support labeling Rohypnol the, "date-rape drug", as a controlled substance, which would make possession a felony.
- No Answer
17. Other
- X
18. Should suspects accused of sexual assault be tested for HIV?
- Undecided
1. Provide low interest loans and tax credits for starting, expanding, or relocating businesses.
- X
2. Reduce state government regulations on the private sector in order to encourage investment and economic expansion.
- X
3. Support limits on cash damages in lawsuits against businesses and professionals for product liability or malpractice.
- X
4. Increase funding for state job-training programs that retrain displaced workers or teach skills needed in today's job market.
- X
5. Ban workers' compensation claims for stress attributed to disciplinary actions on the job.
- X
6. Legalize casino gambling in Hawaii.
- No Answer
7. Support a state lottery.
- No Answer
8. Support a state lottery if all the funds were used to fund education.
- No Answer
9. Oppose a state lottery.
- X
10. Other
- X
1. Increase state funds for professional development of public school teachers and administrators.
- X
2. Encourage private or corporate investment in public school programs.
- X
3. Provide parents with state-funded vouchers to send their children to any participating school (public, private, religious).
- No Answer
4. Favor charter schools where independent groups receive state authorization and funding to establish new schools.
- No Answer
5. Support sex education programs which stress abstinence.
- X
6. Support sex education programs which stress safe sexual practices.
- X
7. Increase state funds for school construction and facility maintenance.
- X
8. Increase state funds for hiring of additional teachers.
- X
9. Endorse teacher-led voluntary prayer in public schools.
- No Answer
10. Grant the University of Hawaii more autonomy in running the university system.
- X
11. Other
- X
12. Should the state Board of Education be appointed by the Governor instead of elected?
- No
13. Do you support establishing elected county school boards in place of the state Board of Education?
- Yes
1. Require the use of cleaner burning fuels in order to prevent pollution.
- X
2. Support "self-audit" legislation which creates incentives for industries to audit themselves and clean up pollution.
- X
3. Require a cost/benefit analysis to determine the economic impact of proposed environmental regulations before they are implemented.
- X
4. Require the state to fully compensate citizens when environmental regulations limit uses on privately owned land.
- No Answer
5. Provide funding for recycling programs in Hawaii.
- X
6. Request added flexibility from the federal government in enforcing and funding federal environmental regulations.
- X
7. Suspend participation in unfunded, federally mandated environmental protection legislation.
- No Answer
8. Restructure the electric utility industry to allow consumers to choose their power company.
- X
9. Limit public access and research projects on the Mauna Kea mountaintop.
- No Answer
10. Support the state proposal to buy the Queen's Beach area in Hawaii Kai for $11 million to use as a state park.
- X
11. Other
- X
12. State environmental regulations should not be stricter than federal law.
- No
13. Do you support the proposal to buy the Waiahole ditch system?
- Yes
1. State Senators and Representatives
- No
2. Governor
- No
1. Individual
- Yes
2. PAC
- Yes
3. Corporate
- Yes
4. Do you support requiring full and timely disclosure of campaign finance information?
- Yes
5. Do you support imposing spending limits on state level political campaigns?
- No
6. Do you support partial funding from state taxes for state level political campaigns?
- Yes
7. Would you vote to ratify an amendment to the U.S. Constitution requiring an annual balanced federal budget?
- Undecided
1. Other
- reorganize state agencies to increase efficiency
2. Do you support Hawaii holding a constitutional convention to evaluate the state constitution?
- No
1. Ban the sale or transfer of all forms of semi-automatic weapons.
- No Answer
2. Increase state restrictions on the purchase and possession of firearms.
- No Answer
3. Maintain state restrictions on the purchase and possession of firearms.
- X
4. Ease state restrictions on the purchase and possession of firearms.
- No Answer
5. Repeal state restrictions on the purchase and possession of firearms by law-abiding citizens.
- No Answer
6. Favor allowing citizens to carry concealed firearms.
- No Answer
7. Require manufacturers to provide child-safety locks with firearms.
- No Answer
8. Other
- No Answer
1. Support recognizing the laws of the Kingdom of Hawaii.
- No Answer
2. Support creating a council of Native Hawaiians who would be consulted before the approval of land transactions in the Hawaiian Islands.
- No Answer
3. Support nation-within-a-nation sovereignty similar to Tribal Nations.
- No Answer
4. Support secession from the United States and establishing Hawaii as an independent sovereign nation.
- No Answer
5. Oppose Hawaiian independence from the U.S.
- No Answer
6. Other
- X
1. Provide tax incentives to small businesses that provide health care to their employees.
- No Answer
2. Ensure that citizens have access to basic health care, through managed care, insurance reforms, or state funded care when necessary.
- X
3. Provide health care to uninsured children and low-income families through Hawaii's QUEST health insurance program.
- X
4. Transfer more existing Medicaid recipients into managed care programs.
- No Answer
5. Use state funds to continue some Medicaid coverage for legal immigrants.
- No Answer
6. Limit the amount of damages that can be awarded in medical malpractice lawsuits.
- X
7. Guaranteeing medical care to all citizens is not a responsibility of state government.
- No Answer
8. Other
- X
1. Increase state funding for programs to prevent teen pregnancy.
- X
2. Provide tax credits for businesses that provide child care for their employees.
- X
3. Increase state funds to provide child care to children in low-income working families.
- X
4. Deny or suspend state-issued permits and licenses to parents who are delinquent in paying court-ordered child support.
- No Answer
5. Favor banning smoking in public places.
- No Answer
6. Increase state funding for Head Start in order to serve additional children and/or increase services from a half to a full day.
- X
7. Increase state funding for community centers and other social agencies in areas with at-risk youth.
- X
8. Support state funding of programs for at-risk youth such as guaranteed college loans and job training and placement.
- X
9. Other
- No Answer
10. Do you believe that the Hawaii government should include sexual orientation in Hawaii's anti-discrimination laws?
- Yes
11. Do you believe that the Hawaii government should recognize same-sex marriages?
- No
12. Do you support a constitutional amendment granting the Hawaii Legislature the power to limit marriage to opposite-sex couples?
- No
1. Agriculture
- Maintain Status
2. Education (K-12)
- Slightly Increase
3. Education (Higher)
- Slightly Increase
4. Environment
- Slightly Increase
5. Health care
- Slightly Increase
6. Law enforcement
- Slightly Decrease
7. Transportation infrastructure (highways, roads, bridges)
- Maintain Status
8. Welfare
- Maintain Status
9. Other
- No Answer
1. Alcohol Taxes
- Maintain Status
2. Capital gains taxes
- Slightly Decrease
3. Cigarette taxes
- Maintain Status
4. Corporate taxes
- Slightly Decrease
5. Gas taxes
- Maintain Status
6. Income taxes (incomes below $75,000)
- Greatly Decrease
7. Income taxes (incomes above $75,000)
- Greatly Decrease
8. Sales taxes
- Greatly Decrease
9. Excise taxes
- Greatly Decrease
10. Other
- No Answer
11. Do you support a flat tax structure for state income taxes?
- Undecided
12. Do you support implementing state property taxes?
- No
1. Maintain the five-year limit on welfare benefits.
- No Answer
2. Require that able-bodied recipients participate in work-related programs in order to receive benefits.
- X
3. Increase employment and job training programs for welfare recipients.
- X
4. Provide tax incentives to businesses that hire welfare recipients.
- X
5. Provide child care for welfare recipients who work.
- X
6. Increase access to public transportation for welfare recipients who work.
- X
7. Allow welfare recipients to remain eligible for benefits while saving money for education, starting a business, or buying a home.
- No Answer
8. Limit benefits given to recipients if they have additional children while on welfare.
- No Answer
9. Eliminate government-funded welfare programs.
- No Answer
10. Other
- No Answer
Please explain what your two main legislative priorities will be if elected. Please explain how you would obtain any additional government funding needed to implement these priorities.
- I seek to improve community well-being with a sustainable economy supported by efficient government, lower taxes, and regulatory reform for industries inluding open-ocean aquaculture, marine and agricultural biotechnology, and the health and wellness industries. Increased government efficiency should save money, while lower taxes and regulatory reform would stimulate the economy.