AdvertiseGet Free Daily Edition
AdvertiseGet Free Daily Edition

Government & Politics

ASD’s eye on the people in state and local government making decisions that impact you where you live.

Some days, we report on the little things you see every day, such as road closures or park improvements. Other days, we look at the big plans from Hawai‘i's governor and its mayors. On the issues that matter to you — education, housing, health, homelessness, the cost of living in Hawai‘i, taxes and spending — we keep an eye on what the Hawai‘i state Legislature and county councilmembers are doing.

News

Hamada: Why I'm happily celebrating the Fourth of July

Hamada: Why I'm happily celebrating the Fourth of July

ASD opinion columnist Rick Hamada remembers firsthand the tumultuous year of 1968 — and how Americans nevertheless united to celebrate the Fourth of July. He's keeping that spirit alive this year, even if some people seem determined to sit the party out.

Rick HamadaJuly 01, 2026

Blangiardi warns of 'unprecedented' fireworks enforcement amid wildfire prevention campaign

Blangiardi warns of 'unprecedented' fireworks enforcement amid wildfire prevention campaign

City, state and federal agencies launched the 2026 Wildfire LOOKOUT! campaign Tuesday with advice and warnings about what to do and not do to avoid wildfires.

Michael BrestovanskyJuly 01, 2026

Community Voices: When licensing goes too far

Community Voices: When licensing goes too far

Highlights from Grassroot’s annual legislative wrap-up visits, including how a hair braider in Hawaiʻi got their license to open a small business.

Keliʻi AkinaJune 30, 2026

Green signs $20 billion budget bill, plans to veto 4 others

Green signs $20 billion budget bill, plans to veto 4 others

Gov. Josh Green signed a supplemental budget bill Friday and unveiled his list of four measures he intends to kill.

Michael BrestovanskyJune 27, 2026

U.S. Supreme Court stakes Hawai‘i's 'vampire' gun law

U.S. Supreme Court stakes Hawai‘i's 'vampire' gun law

A 2023 law prohibiting bringing concealed firearms onto private property without the owner's explicit consent has been deemed unconstitutional.

Michael BrestovanskyJune 26, 2026

GoFundMe warns new Hawaiʻi law will impact nonprofits

GoFundMe warns new Hawaiʻi law will impact nonprofits

Hawaiʻi's Act 205, which goes into effect July 1, requires written consent from nonprofits using GoFundMe, among other online charitable fundraising platforms, to keep its accounts active online and able to receive donations. GoFundMe VP Amanda Brown Lierman shares what local organizations need to know about the company’s process.

Kelsey Kukaua MedeirosJune 25, 2026

Pipikaula Corner: Hawai‘i’s crappy priorities

Pipikaula Corner: Hawai‘i’s crappy priorities

The state just announced a process for Hawai‘i’s businesses and nonprofits to apply for funding out of the new $120-million “green fee” fund. ASD editor in chief A. Kam Napier opines that we could be aiming all of that money at a single very significant environmental problem we made for ourselves right here in the Islands. Instead, it will get diluted.

A. Kam NapierJune 25, 2026

DOJ awards $17 million to over 600 Red Hill plaintiffs

DOJ awards $17 million to over 600 Red Hill plaintiffs

Military family members impacted by the Red Hill water contamination receive settlements, but the case continues as thousands more plaintiffs remain.

Michael BrestovanskyJune 25, 2026

Community Voices: The art of the tax deal

Community Voices: The art of the tax deal

We, the people, have an interest in the deals that our government is making. Especially if tax money, or government resources paid for by tax money, is part of the deal.

Tom YamachikaJune 24, 2026

City loan program for first-time homebuyers nears passage

City loan program for first-time homebuyers nears passage

A Honolulu City Council committee discussed a long-gestating program that would allow prospective homebuyers to apply for a loan from the city to help cover a down payment on a home.

Michael BrestovanskyJune 24, 2026

Lawsuit calls for preliminary suspension of Act 11

Lawsuit calls for preliminary suspension of Act 11

A follow-up to the Grassroot Institute of Hawai‘i's lawsuit against the state over the new anti-corporate-spending bill urges the courts to prevent the enforcement of the law as the suit progresses.

Michael BrestovanskyJune 23, 2026

Hawaiʻi showcased at Smithsonian exhibit

Hawaiʻi showcased at Smithsonian exhibit

In July, the U.S. will celebrate the 250th anniversary of its existence as a nation. In honor of the event, the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History has launched an exhibit that includes items from all 50 states, including its youngest one: Hawaiʻi.

Katie HellandJune 23, 2026

Community Voices: Legislative outcomes underscore the need for continued advocacy

Community Voices: Legislative outcomes underscore the need for continued advocacy

Only one of the six OHA package bills introduced to directly benefit the Native Hawaiian community was ultimately transmitted to the governor for signature. Here's a rundown of the victories and losses from the 2026 legislative session, per the organization that aims to protect Native Hawaiian rights.

Leināʻala LeyJune 22, 2026

Free meals fuel keiki for the summer

Free meals fuel keiki for the summer

Aloha State Daily visited Salt Lake Elementary School’s summer program during lunch time, where about 120 Kindergarten through 6th grade students enjoyed a ready-to-eat meal with milk, some even going back for seconds. The school serves as one of 20 meal sites across Oʻahu and Kauaʻi through the Hawaiʻi Foodbank’s SUN Meals program, which partners with the state DOE’s Hawaiʻi Child Nutrition Programs, Hawaiʻi Children’s Action Network, and more.

Kelsey Kukaua MedeirosJune 20, 2026

Pipikaula Corner: Hawai‘i dodged a library bullet

Pipikaula Corner: Hawai‘i dodged a library bullet

Hawai‘i tried very hard to be the home of Barack Obama's presidential library. Now the thing exists in Chicago, open to the public, over budget and overwrought. ASD Editor in Chief A. Kam Napier recaps Hawai‘i's doomed quest to secure this building and gets into what the architecture of the finished project tells us.

A. Kam NapierJune 19, 2026

Community Voices: Defending the First Amendment

Community Voices: Defending the First Amendment

New law, known as Act 11, will prohibit groups you might normally think of as representing you from saying anything about candidates for public office, ballot measures or political parties. Learn more about the lawsuit filed by Grassroot Institute of Hawaiʻi.

Keliʻi AkinaJune 16, 2026

Community Voices: Medicaid Fraud Control

Community Voices: Medicaid Fraud Control

Hawaiʻi's Medicaid Fraud Control Unit was recently called a “complete disgrace" by Vice President J.D. Vance and was decertified. In response, Gov. Josh Green announced that he would create an “independent Medicaid Fraud Strike Force” whose mission is "to help identify waste, fraud and abuse, recommend corrective actions, assist in the recovery of taxpayer dollars where appropriate and strengthen systems designed to protect Medicaid recipients and public funds.” Let's hope this action catches the bad actors.

Tom YamachikaJune 16, 2026

Pipikaula Corner: State blowing it on convention center

Pipikaula Corner: State blowing it on convention center

Hawai‘i lawmakers seem to think they own the only convention center on Earth, because their approach to investing in the Hawai‘i Convention Center ignores any sense of the marketplace. Towns the size of Hawaii‘i, in terms of population and visitor counts, are investing hundreds of millions in their facilities just to keep up with what the convention market wants, while we cheap out on the cost of fixing leaks.

A. Kam NapierJune 16, 2026

Maui County review recommends total 'reform' of volunteer boards

Maui County review recommends total 'reform' of volunteer boards

The Maui County Cost of Government Commission found systemic dysfunction throughout 15 of the county's volunteer boards and commissions.

Michael BrestovanskyJune 13, 2026

Nonprofit aims to scale programs to serve more ʻohana

Nonprofit aims to scale programs to serve more ʻohana

Family Promise of Hawaiʻi Executive Director Ryan Catalani discusses findings from the most recent Point in Time Count and how the organization serving families on Oʻahu and Maui plans to be part of the solution to end homelessness.

Kelsey Kukaua MedeirosJune 12, 2026

Coming soon, for six years

Coming soon, for six years

Maui County promised a new zoning code on a six-year timeline, notes ASD opinion columnist Sterling Higa. The six years are up, the website says “coming soon,” and the County is calling for a fresh start.

Sterling HigaJune 12, 2026

Load more