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Maui County Council Vice Chair Sugimura to challenge incumbent Bissen in 2026 election for mayor

MN: … Maui County Council Vice Chairperson Yuki Lei Sugimura said she will announce Friday morning that she is launching a bid for mayor against incumbent Richard Bissen. 

Sugimura, who described a run for mayor as part of her “life dream,” said her decision was spurred by years of working in government, including five terms on the County Council, and the recent passage of a bill proposed by Bissen to phase out thousands of vacation rentals in apartment districts. Sugimura holds the council’s Upcountry seat and was one of three dissenting members in the 5-3 vote in December. 

Bissen and Sugimura are two of the earliest candidates to throw their hat in the ring for the Maui County mayoral race. Feb. 2 will be the first day for candidates to pick up nomination papers, with June 2 the deadline to file, according to the County Clerk’s Office. The primarily election is set for Aug. 8 and the general election for Nov. 3 .…

read … Maui County Council Vice Chair Sugimura to challenge incumbent Bissen in 2026 election for mayor : Maui Now

Maui Council advances interim ban on new private pools in West Maui

MN: … West Maui Council Member Tamara Paltin, chair of the Disaster Recovery, International Affairs and Planning Committee, introduced Bill 161 and submitted Committee Report 26-3. The Council adopted the committee report and passed the bill on first reading on Wednesday.

The measure aims to prioritize limited water resources for resident housing and wildfire recovery efforts following the Aug. 8, 2023, disaster. Legislative findings within the bill say that supplying water for stable housing is an “urgent priority” and that private pools are an amenity requiring large quantities of potable water that do not serve essential housing needs.

The interim ban is proposed to remain in effect until Dec. 31, 2030, or until specific regional water conditions are met. These conditions include the completion of a three-phase groundwater availability study and a determination by the State Commission on Water Resource Management that the system’s reliable capacity exceeds demand, including pre-fire requirements….

read … Maui Council advances interim ban on new private pools in West Maui : Maui Now

Hawaiʻi County bill allowing housing in industrial-commercial zones repeatedly postponed

ASD: … A Hawaiʻi County Council proposal that would allow residential housing in industrial-commercial mixed-use zones has been postponed multiple times, leaving its sponsor uncertain why the measure has yet to advance despite what he described as early council support.

Bill 63, Draft 2, introduced by Councilman Dennis Onishi in fall 2025, would allow single-family homes, duplexes and multi-family dwellings in areas zoned Industrial-Commercial Mixed Use, known as MCX. The bill is intended to expand housing opportunities by allowing people to live closer to where they work, a change supporters say could also reduce traffic congestion.

“I’m proposing Bill 63 to help increase housing for our workers who can walk to work and help reduce traffic on our roadways,” Onishi told Aloha State Daily.

Onishi said the proposal is aimed at properties that already have an established commercial or industrial use, allowing a dwelling for an owner or employee rather than opening the door to large-scale residential development. He said the concept reflects older land-use patterns in Hawaiʻi.

“If you look back in the days, Downtown Hilo had family shops on the bottom of their building, and their housing was above their shops,” he told ASD….

read … Hawaiʻi County bill allowing housing in industrial-commercial zones repeatedly postponed

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