He Hale No Ka ʻOhana | A Home for the Family
We are not facing a "shortage" of structures; we are facing a crisis of use.
Today, over 6,000 apartment units—built to house our working families—are operating as Minatoya List vacation rentals. While our people sleep in cars at Amala Place or leave for Las Vegas, our apartments are being used as hotels.
This ends now. We don't need another study. We need the courage to return our housing to our people.
The Defense of Bill 9: "Homes for Locals First"
The "Minatoya List" Loophole is Closed. We Will Keep It Closed.
In December 2025, we finally passed Bill 9, mandating the phase-out of vacation rentals in apartment-zoned districts. But passing the law is only step one. The "Moderate Majority" on the Council is already talking about delays, extensions, and watering it down.
My Commitment:
Deadlines Past Due: Loopholes allowed for a deadline to be pushed for decades. The time to act is now! I will steward a fast resolution and deliver back our neighborhoods to the community.
Enforcement Dashboards: I will demand a public, monthly dashboard showing exactly how many units have converted to long-term housing and how many are violating the law.
Tax Fairness: If a unit stays empty rather than renting to a local family, we will tax it at the highest "Non-Owner Occupied" rate to incentivize sale or rental. If a home does not provide a local family, it is not contributing to society, and must therefore pull its weight via taxation.
"We are not anti-visitor. We are pro-survival. When a teacher, a firefighter, or a hotel worker cannot afford to live in the town they serve, we don't have a community—we have a resort." — Aunty Carol
The "Renovation Stimulus": Jobs for Our Trades
A Deal for Labor: H-3 & H-4 Zoning
We hear the concerns of our brothers and sisters in the Carpenters and Operating Engineers unions. You worry that phasing out rentals means fewer jobs. I have a plan that brings housing back and creates a massive wave of work for our local trades.
We support the creation of H-3 and H-4 Hotel Districts, but with a strict condition:
The Upgrade Requirement: Any condo complex that wants to re-zone to H-3/H-4 to remain a hotel must fully upgrade to current hotel safety standards.
Fire Safety: Full sprinkler retrofits.
ADA Compliance: Modern elevators and accessibility ramps.
Infrastructure: Upgraded wastewater connections.
The Result: This triggers hundreds of millions of dollars in renovation contracts. It ensures that if a building acts like a hotel, it is safe like a hotel—and built by local union labor.
The Win-Win:
For Residents: We reclaim the units that don't upgrade.
For Workers: We create 5+ years of guaranteed construction work upgrading the ones that do.
The "Ohana Hui" Model: Democratizing Ownership
Don't Just Rent. Own.
For too long, the only people investing in Maui housing have been outside developers and banks. It’s time to unlock the power of our own community capital.
I will introduce legislation to adapt the state's "Solar Hui" (HRS § 196-112) framework to housing, creating "Ohana Housing Huis."
How It Works:
The Pool: Instead of one family trying to qualify for a $200,000 loan to build an Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) for Grandma, five families can form a Hui.
The Investment: Community members can buy small shares (micro-investments) in the Hui.
The Build: The Hui funds the construction of the ADU.
The Return: The Hui collects a portion of the rental income for a set period until the investors are paid back, after which the ADU belongs 100% to the homeowner.
The "Plug-and-Play" Library:
To make this faster, I will fund a County Library of Pre-Approved ADU Plans. If you use a pre-approved design, your building permit is expedited—weeks, not months. We save you $15,000 in architect fees and 6 months of waiting.
THE KULEANA PLEDGE
If elected, I promise to:
Protect Bill 9 and help it keep its teeth.
Fast-Track Permitting for any project that is 100% Affordable or 100% Union Labor.
Launch the "Ohana Hui" Pilot within my first 100 days to help local families build wealth, not debt.