Corruption: Green’s SD18 Appointee Worked Under Both Yamane and Asuncion
CB Aug 8, 2026: … Gov. Josh Green is expected to announce as early as Sunday his pick to fill the Senate District 18 seat that has been vacant since Michelle Kidani retired suddenly June 30.
Several people who have been involved in the selection process say the new senator is likely to be Danielle Bass, the sustainability coordinator for the state Office of Planning and Sustainable Development.
(UPDATE: Bass has been appointed by Green, see news release below.)
But the appointment has some Democrats grumbling about a confusing appointment process, a lack of public involvement in electing a public official and the fact that Bass was a legislative manager for former Rep. Ryan Yamane before becoming sustainability coordinator in 2017, when the position was created.
Leo Asuncion Jr. was director of the planning office when Bass was hired and welcomed her to the position, saying, “Danielle’s experience in public policy and advocacy, legislative management, grants and project management, and community involvement will certainly contribute towards the state’s progress in meeting and achieving our sustainability goals.”
Yamane and Asuncion, you no doubt heard, were indicted July 24 along with Lt. Gov. Sylvia Luke and two others in a state public corruption investigation….
Voters in District 18 (Mililani Town, Waipio Gentry, Crestview, Waikele, a portion of Waipahu, Village Park and Royal Kunia) were already shut out of having an open primary for Kidani’s replacement because the senator, who was having health problems, did not announce her retirement until it was too late for candidates to file to run for the seat....
Meanwhile, the political parties — not the district’s voters — will each pick a candidate to run in the general election. The ballot is expected to include a Democrat, a Republican, a Libertarian and a Green. The state elections office also will come up with a nonpartisan candidate.
But Bass is considered the Democratic frontrunner to be on that ballot in November, too.
Oʻahu Democrats are expected to meet Aug. 22 to select their candidate via Zoom, and the 23-member area district council that will make that decision includes Bass and several family members….
Read … Is This Any Way To Choose A State Senator? - Honolulu Civil Beat
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GOVERNOR GREEN APPOINTS DANIELLE BASS TO REPRESENT SENATE DISTRICT 18
News Release from Office of the Governor, August 9, 2026
HONOLULU – Governor Josh Green today announced the appointment of Danielle Bass to represent Senate District 18, filling the vacancy created by the retirement of State Senator Michelle Kidani.
Bass will represent the communities of Mililani Town, Waipi‘o Gentry, Crestview, Waikele, a portion of Waipahu, Village Park and Royal Kunia. The appointment is effective until a successor elected in the November 3 general election takes office.
“Danielle brings deep roots in Central Oʻahu, more than two decades of public service and a proven ability to bring people together to address complex challenges,” said Governor Green. “Her experience in the Capitol, statewide planning and community leadership, has prepared her to serve from day one. I am confident she will build on Senator Kidani’s many years of dedicated service and represent Senate District 18 with integrity, compassion and aloha.”
Danielle Bass is a fourth-generation Mililani resident and an award-winning urban planner with more than 21 years of public service. Since 2017, she has served as Hawaiʻi’s State Sustainability Coordinator, leading statewide sustainability and climate resilience efforts and authoring the award-winning Hawaiʻi 2050 Sustainability Plan. Bass previously spent 13 years with the Hawaiʻi State House of Representatives, managing legislative operations and advancing investments in Central Oʻahu schools, infrastructure, public safety and community facilities. She has also served on the Mililani Neighborhood Board for 19 years, including five years as chair, and supported state emergency response and recovery efforts. A graduate of Mililani High School, Bass earned a bachelor’s degree in political science, a master’s degree in urban and regional planning and a graduate certificate in disaster management and humanitarian assistance from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa.
“I am deeply honored and humbled to serve the people of Central Oʻahu and grateful to Governor Green for placing his trust in me,” Bass said. “Central Oʻahu has always been my home and I have dedicated my career to serving the communities that raised me. I also extend my deepest gratitude to Senator Kidani for her decades of leadership and dedicated service. I accept this responsibility with great respect and am committed to building on her legacy by listening to residents, working hard and delivering meaningful results for our families and neighborhoods. It is the honor of a lifetime to represent my hometown in the Hawaiʻi State Senate.”
A headshot of Danielle Bass, courtesy Office of the Governor, can be found here.