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Government & Politics

Students from across the state were joined by Gov. Josh Green to urge lawmakers to pass bills outlawing disposable vapes in Hawai‘i.

At a rally at the State Capitol Wednesday, scores of keiki — members of the Coalition for a Tobacco-Free Hawai‘i Youth Council, a program of the Hawai‘i Public Health Institute — waved signs in support of several bills in the state Legislature that would mitigate an epidemic of young people becoming addicted to vapes and e-cigarettes.

, would outright prohibit the sale of disposable vapes in the state, while another, 

, would require vape manufacturers to certify every year that their products are in compliance with U.S. Food and Drug Administration regulations.

As written, HB2121 and SB2175 are functionally identical. Beginning in 2027, both measures would make the sale of “disposable electronic smoking devices” illegal within the state. Both bills specify that the ban only apply to devices that cannot be refilled or have a non-rechargeable battery.

Nate Hix, policy director at the Hawai‘i Public Health Institute, told Aloha State Daily that, if the bills were to pass, Hawai‘i would be the first state to implement a ban on disposable vapes. However, other nations have enacted similar bans, including the United Kingdom.

Meanwhile, HB1573 sets a series of requirements for vape manufacturers, which would have to prove every year that the FDA had issued their product a “marketing granted order,” without which it would be illegal to market their product in the U.S.

Furthermore, manufacturers would need to prove each year that each of their product lines sold in Hawai‘i are in compliance with state and federal laws, and pay $1,000 for each product line sold in Hawai‘i each year. The state Department of the Attorney General would then maintain a list of products approved to be sold in the state; any manufacturer who fails to prove a product complies with the state’s requirements would have that product de-listed.

Hawai‘i Attorney General Anne Lopez said the bill consequently allows the state to remove unlisted products from store shelves. Distributors selling unlisted products would be fined between $500 and $2,000 for each product in violation, while the manufacturer would be fined $10,000 per violation.

Students and politicians spoke Wednesday about the continued prevalence of vapes in schools, with Kohala Sen. Tim Richards — co-introducer of SB2175 — saying that more than one-third of Hawai‘i high schoolers have tried vapes, and that users are four times more likely to take up smoking.

Jeremiah Jacinto, senior at H.P. Baldwin High School, told ASD that vaping is out of control at schools, with school restrooms constantly crowded with illicit vapers.

“It’s gotten to the point where it’s a gamble whether the bathroom is closed because of all the kids vaping,” Jacinto said. “Sometimes the teachers don’t even bother trying to confiscate the vapes anymore.”

Jacinto said he could name “like 50 kids” addicted to vaping, adding that many keiki seem unable to function without a vape.

“It’s like a brain vacuum,” Jacinto said. “It’s like a phone, they can’t leave the house without one in their pocket. They’re always trying to sneak a hit in.”

Kea‘au Rep. Jeanne Kapela — co-introducer of HB2121 — called vape manufacturers “companies selling addiction disguised as candy,” adding that disposable vapes generate needless plastic waste that tends to litter Hawai‘i's beaches and shorelines.

While the lawmakers were optimistic about the bills passing — the House bills are scheduled for a Senate committee hearing on Friday, while the Senate bill passed its first of two committee hearings in the House on Tuesday — they haven’t been uniformly popular. HB2121 and SB2175 have received some opposition by a group called the Hawai‘i Smokers Alliance, which advocates against smoking bans in Hawai‘i.

Michael Zehner, co-chair of the Hawai‘i Smokers Alliance testified on HB2121, calling it a “mean spirited, anti-business mess of a bill” that will destroy local vape retailers.

Meanwhile, a handful of other vape-related bills are still alive in the Legislature, even though they were not discussed at Wednesday’s rally, including HB 1563 and SB 3076.

 would relinquish to the counties the authority to regulate the sale of tobacco products and vapes. This would allow the counties to enact local restrictions on the sale of flavored vape juice — which Jacinto said helps manufacturers target keiki — which the counties of Hawai‘i, Honolulu and Maui have already introduced but cannot actually implement.

 would allow the Attorney General and Department of Taxation to inspect and seize tobacco products including vapes, and that untaxed vapes can be seized as contraband in the same way as untaxed cigarettes.

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<title>Governor and attorney general endorse disposable vape ban</title>

Keiki and lawmakers rallied Wednesday in support of bills cracking down on vape sales.

Governor and attorney general endorse disposable vape ban

When a politician’s career ends in scandal, we focus on the scandal. But most political endings have a longer history. They result from a series of decisions, enemies made, and debts piled up. By the time things fall apart in public, a great deal has already happened in private.

Sylvia Luke has been Hawai‘i’s lieutenant governor since 2022. She’s up for reelection this year. But she has placed a large target on herself, and her enemies have been waiting.

To understand why, you need to know what she did for nearly a decade as chair of the House Finance Committee.

Rail construction is the lifeblood of the Carpenters Union. What it wanted from the Legislature was a permanent GET surcharge extension — a guaranteed revenue stream for rail with no end date. Luke denied them twice, in 2015 and again in 2017, and she didn’t confine her opposition to the back rooms. She said what she thought in public committee hearings and on the House floor.

The Carpenters’ super PAC (now known as Be Change Now) has a one-track mind. In 2012, it spent 

 trying to end Ben Cayetano’s anti-rail mayoral campaign. It stopped Cayetano — though the campaign ended in a public apology and a court settlement. In 2018, the Carpenters spent 

 helping Josh Green beat Jill Tokuda for lieutenant governor. Tokuda had also opposed rail funding. In 2022, when Luke left the Legislature to run for lieutenant governor, the PAC spent 

 Ikaika Anderson, plus $1.2 million opposing Luke. Their $4.1 million spending total set a state record for spending by a PAC in a single race.

) through a tax bill she had voted for. About seventy other lawmakers voted for the same bill, including Green himself. Four rival union leaders called it 

“an all-time low in Hawaii politics.”

 Luke won anyway — the primary with 36 percent, the general with 63.

The story the Carpenters were telling — that Sylvia Luke was corrupt — didn’t land.

What’s arrived since then has landed differently. Federal court documents made public in 2025 described 

 handed to an “influential” state legislator. Civil Beat eventually asked every active and former lawmaker: was it you? Then they started asking about Luke’s campaign finance records specifically. In February, her campaign 

. It added $10,000 in donations that had never been reported, received at a 2022 dinner that a federal informant also attended.

 the legislator in the filing, while denying she’d received $35,000. Governor Green canceled a Washington trip rather than leave Luke as acting governor. A follow-up audit of Luke’s campaign finances found 

Every disclosure came after someone started asking.

Luke says she is running for reelection. The 

Kaua‘i Mayor Derek Kawakami has not been shy about his aspirations for higher office. On Tuesday, 

 his candidacy for lieutenant governor. Others may follow.

The Carpenters have backed a candidate in every statewide cycle for more than a decade, though they have not yet endorsed a candidate.

Whoever steps into this race with the Carpenters behind them won’t be outspent. The union has never had trouble finding money when the target was right.

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<title>What the Carpenters couldn't buy</title>

ASD columnist Sterling Higa writes that the PAC of the Carpenters Union has spent millions opposing candidates who have opposed rail spending, including Sylvia Luke. Now that she's politically vulnerable and facing challengers, the union might be getting what it wants.

What the Carpenters couldn't buy

Maui Rep. Elle Cochran has left the Democratic Party and joined the Republicans, she announced Monday.

Cochran, who was elected in 2022 to represent West Maui, announced her “resignation” from the Democrats at a Monday press conference by the House Republican Caucus.

Cochran said that, during her term, she has concluded that her district requires stronger advocacy, particularly following the 2023 Lahaina wildfires.

“I know that Hawai‘i works best when there is balance in government,” Cochran said, adding that she believes the GOP caucus’ leadership has welcomed her with open arms because they value diversity in representatives’ viewpoints.

Addressing her voting constituents, Cochran said she is “still the same Elle Cochran you elected.”

“The only difference is that now I have more knowledge and experience,” Cochran said.

Cochran previously served as a Maui County Council member between 2011 and 2018 and unsuccessfully ran for Maui County Mayor in 2018.

Minority Floor Leader Diamond Garcia — who represents portions of ‘Ewa and Kapolei — said Monday is a historic day for the Legislature, as it marks the first time the state’s Republican contingent has reached double digits since Republican Linda Lingle was state governor more than two decades ago.

Furthermore, Garcia said, Cochran changing sides means the House GOP is now multi-county — all other Republican representatives are O‘ahu-based.

Garcia said Cochran’s move reflects a growing movement from people across the state calling for greater balance and transparency from the state government.

Cochran’s term ends this year, but she has not yet filed for reelection. However, one Democrat is running for her seat: Ashley Olson, president of the Hawai‘i State Teachers Association’s Maui chapter, who declared her candidacy in February. Cochran’s party swap ends the possibility of a primary challenge should she choose to run again.

Two other candidates from the Green Party — Jackie Keefe and Pa‘ele Kiakona — are also running for Cochran’s seat.

During Monday’s press conference, Cochran was questioned about missing 

 of all House floor sessions during the 2025 Legislative session. She said she was “advocating for the people,” during 2025 and that her presence on Maui during that time was needed. She added that she didn’t cash four per diem checks paid to her office to cover off-island living expenses during that time.

Aloha State Daily reached out to House Majority Caucus leadership for comment.

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<title>Switching sides: Maui Rep. Elle Cochran quits Dems, joins GOP</title>

Cochran says Republicans will help bring stronger leadership to West Maui.

Switching sides: Maui Rep. Elle Cochran quits Dems, joins GOP

, two of our state representatives gave the people of Hawai‘i a masterclass in how not to legislate.

 would expand legal protections for what the State of Hawai‘i defines as “gender-affirming health care.” Representative Elijah Pierick warned that the bill would let a 14-year-old get sex-change surgery without parental knowledge, then fly home to Tennessee. He described the procedures in language better suited to a middle school cafeteria than the House floor. House Majority Leader Sean Quinlan fired back. He called Pierick “the representative from Bethlehem” — a shot at his colleague’s Christian faith. He then offered a substantive rebuttal: the bill says nothing about minors.

Oscar Wilde once said a gentleman never insults anyone unintentionally. So take Quinlan at his word. He meant it. Now let’s talk about what it means.

Quinlan had the stronger hand and still chose to mock. His factual correction was legitimate. He could have stopped there and won the exchange cleanly. Instead he opened with a religious insult. When you’ve already won the point, the only reason to add the jab is to perform for your side.

And consider the hypocrisy. Would Quinlan refer to a Jewish colleague as “the representative from Jerusalem?” Would he call a Muslim lawmaker “the senator from Mecca?” He wouldn’t dare — and rightly so. It would be condemned as bigotry. So why does mocking Christianity get a free pass? Either religious mockery is acceptable in our legislature or it isn’t.

Quinlan might also consider who he represents. His District 47 covers Waialua, Hale‘iwa, Sunset Beach, Kahuku, Lā‘ie, Hau‘ula, and Punalu‘u. These are not progressive enclaves. These communities are deeply rooted in faith. When the House Majority Leader ridicules a colleague’s Christianity on the floor, he should think about how that lands back home. Representing a district doesn’t mean agreeing with every constituent. But it probably means not publicly mocking their deepest convictions.

But Quinlan wasn’t the only one who failed that day. Pierick’s description of surgery — crude, graphic, designed to shock — wasn’t an argument. It was a performance. Instead of engaging the actual text of the legislation, he handed his opponents a clip they can use to paint every critic of the bill as unserious. You don’t win policy debates by grossing people out.

And the bill deserved better discourse than either man gave it. HB 1875 expands protections originally created for reproductive health care (like birth control and abortion) to cover gender-affirming care. It shields providers and patients from out-of-state legal action, restricts disclosure of patient records, and prohibits insurers from penalizing providers. The definition of gender-affirming care covers everything from puberty blockers to surgery.

Quinlan said there’s nothing in this bill about minors. That’s technically true yet still misleading. Hawai‘i 

 permits gender-affirming care for minors — puberty blockers, hormones, and surgery with parental consent. The new bill shields all of it from out-of-state legal action, subpoenas, and records disclosure. A parent in a custody dispute could bring a child to Hawai‘i for surgery over the other parent’s objection, and this bill would block the objecting parent’s home state from doing much about it. Pierick saw that. His description of the procedures was crude and his specifics were wrong — no 14-year-old is getting surgery without a parent’s involvement. But the core concern about parental rights and interstate conflict was real, and Quinlan waved it away with a joke about Bethlehem.

We’ve watched national politics descend into a name-calling contest. Hawai‘i doesn’t have to follow that playbook. But we will if we shrug off exchanges like this one as just how politics works now. Every person in that chamber carries a dignity that wasn’t given by voters and can’t be taken by mockery. Every word spoken on that floor goes into the public record. Constituents read it. Someday a student doing a civics project will find it. Words spoken from positions of power reveal character. And character, once revealed, is hard to unsee.

There’s a word for someone who belittles people instead of debating them. The word is bully. We expect this from teenagers jockeying for status in a high school cafeteria, not from the House Majority Leader. At some point, Mr. Majority Leader, it’s time to grow up.

Since Quinlan brought up Bethlehem, maybe he should listen to its most famous resident. The man from Bethlehem once said that the mouth speaks what the heart is full of. A good man brings good things out of the good stored in his heart, and an evil man brings evil out of the evil stored in his.

The insult isn’t really the problem. It’s a symptom. Mockery, contempt, the instinct to belittle — these come from the heart. And the speech won’t change until the heart does.

The man from Bethlehem knew something about that kind of change too. And His door is still open — even for politicians.

Quinlan and Pierick

<title>"The Rep from Bethlehem"</title>

ASD columnist Sterling Higa explores how a recent exchange on the floor of the House of Representatives between House Majority Leader Sean Quinlan and Rep. Elijah Pierick went so wrong.

"The Rep from Bethlehem"

Katie Helland Headshot

Katie Helland

Arts & Entertainment

Tickets are now on sale for “The Paper Bag Plan,” an independent film from Executive Producer Keʻalohi Lee Lucero, who grew up in Kaʻaʻawa and graduated from Kamehameha Schools and the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa.

It was written and directed by her husband, Anthony Lucero. The movie shares the story of a father, Oscar, who is diagnosed with cancer and seeks independence for his wheelchair bound son, Billy.

“The Paper Bag Plan” debuts at Consolidated Theatres at Ward on Thursday, Sept. 18. Lucero will host a post-screening Q+A with the audience on Friday, Sept. 19, and Saturday, Sept. 20. 

Lucero now lives in California. Before that, she worked at Hawaiʻi’s public television affiliate for years and helped with Mainland productions, such as “Baywatch,” when they came to town, she said. After “Baywatch” was canceled, producers invited her to work on the Mainland. She worked her way up to becoming co-executive producer of “America’s Got Talent.”

[{"type":"text","text":"This year, she is focused on “The Paper Bag Plan.”"}]

[{"type":"text","text":"“And we have three other movies that we’re working on,” she said."}]

Her husband has worked on visual effects for films such as 

“Iron Man,” and “Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.”

 This is his second independent movie, following 

Lucero’s parents still live on Lānaʻi and made a cameo in the movie as shoppers in a convenience store that Oscar sets up for neighbors so his son can practice bagging groceries for friends before taking a higher-stakes, paying job at the store down the street.

“We had shot the movie and then while we were in post production, my parents were coming to visit me because we shot it in Burbank,” she said. “My parents live on 

. ... So, we just faked some of the mini mart again, and then we edited them in.”

The husband-and-wife team secured funding for the movie but didn’t see eye-to-eye with investors, so she suggested they do it themselves.

“We wanted to just tell the movie the way we wanted to tell it,” she said. “So we actually returned the money. ... I've done shorts and what not, but for my first movie, I wanted to create a space in a world where I didn't have to listen to anyone else, creatively.”

Among her many roles was location manager, Lucero said. She was able to get the locations for a nominal fee, she added.

“We did most of the jobs ourselves,” she said. “We took over all of the above-the-line jobs. He was the writer, director, producer. I was the producer, editor, line producer. We did all of those things. And we did it in between our day jobs.”

The movie is inspired by her husband’s mother and sister, who both raised disabled children.

“Anthony's eldest brother was disabled,” she said. “He was mentally and physically disabled, so she did all the things that Oscar does in the movie. She would pick him up out of bed, bathe and brush him. ... His brother, unfortunately, has passed away, but his mom is still alive. She's 93, and he always wanted to tell her story.”

His sister also had a disabled child. When she died 

of cancer, it inspired her brother to start writing.

“He wanted to tell the story of the caregiver — of the parent — who often times, they're in the background,” she said. “They're the unsung heroes of the world.”

"The Paper Bag Plan"

<title>Watch “The Paper Bag Plan” at Consolidated Theatres</title>

This independent film opens in Consolidated Theatres at Ward this week. The movie’s executive producer, Keʻalohi Lee Lucero, graduated from Kamehameha Schools and the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. Her parents make a cameo in the film and still live on Lānaʻi.

Watch “The Paper Bag Plan” at Consolidated Theatres

Stephanie Salmons Headshot

Stephanie Salmons

Real Estate

Once home to a number of walk-up apartment buildings, the site along Kapi‘olani Boulevard in Mō‘ili‘ili is now an empty lot. Here, developers plan to construct Kuilei Place, a new residential community that will include 1,005 one-, two- and three-bedroom homes on 3.15 acres.

The condominium development is a partnership between Kobayashi Group, a family-owned and managed real estate development and investment firm focused solely in Hawai‘i, and BlackSand Capital, a Hawai‘i-focused real estate private equity firm.

[{"text":"A blessing and ground breaking ceremony was held Wednesday.","type":"text"}]

When it's complete, Kuilei Place will have a 43-story tower on the Diamond Head side of the property and a 12-story mid-rise building facing Kapi‘olani Boulevard that will be connected by a 13-story parking structure.

The development will offer a mix of market-rate and workforce residences aimed at those who make between 80% and 140% of the area median income.

According to representatives of the developer, 603 of the 1,005 residences are "affordable," including 148 one-bedroom units, 382 two-bedroom units and 73 three-bedroom units.

The remaining 402 market rate units include nine live-work lofts, 96 one-bedroom units, 169 two-bedroom units and 128 three-bedroom units.

Kuilei Place was the first project approved to participate in the 

Hawaii Housing Finance & Development Corp.'s Dwelling Unit Revolving Fund Equity Pilot Program

. This program aims to help individuals working in some professions facing critical labor shortages — such as health care workers, educators and first responders — achieve homeownership.

There also will be 7,211 square feet of commercial and retail space, 50,643 square feet of open space, 1,670 parking stalls and storage for approximately 600 bicycles, the representative noted. Other amenities will include a swimming pool, lounge areas, barbecue cabanas, play spaces for keiki, wellness spaces, a walking path with fitness stations, and private dining and club rooms, and more.

An announcement from the developers noted, too, that the Kuilei Place will feature dining concepts from Aoki Group.

According to the developers, Kuilei Place also will have the first residential on-site greywater reuse system in Hawai‘i, which will recycle water from sinks, showers and laundry machines, saving approximately 11 million gallons of water each year.

More than 85% of the residences have already been sold, the developers said.

Five years ago, Kuilei Place was just an idea from a colleague at BlackSand Capital, Kobayashi Group CEO Alana Kobayashi Pakkala told the crowd gathered Wednesday.

"Can we make make this work? Can we do a 201H permit, get 60% of the homes sold under the state affordable housing program and make it pencil?" she said. "Can we change the way people look at kama‘āina-focused or affordable housing?

"From the beginning, we knew it was ambitious," Pakkala continued. "This project faced many challenges ... but we were determined to reimagine what kama‘āina housing could be in Honolulu. Our vision was clear — to create not just homes, but a community where local families could thrive and build their future through homeownership. Despite the initial resistance, we did have many supporters who believed in the project's potential and the idea that we could make a meaningful, positive impact to change our city."

"Honestly, I'm just so grateful," Pakkala told Aloha State Daily following the ceremony, when asked how it felt to reach this point in the project. "I'm humbled and grateful thinking about all the people that are here today that we wouldn't be here without." 

Pakkala says there are many challenges to bring forth any development, but this has been "the most challenging I've encountered in my almost 25-year career. But yet, like with most things, it's the most gratifying because I know that it makes a huge impact.

"I know that we are going to change the lives of these 1,000 households, families, fundamentally, and that this will be a kama‘āina-focused home and community — really a vertical neighborhood. And to blend seamlessly and together our 80% to 140% AMI households with our market households, and deliver a community that meets everyone's needs, both financially, but also from a heart and mind perspective ... I think that's the most gratifying element."

Pakkala says there were a total of 141 apartments in the mid-century walkups that were once on the property. The developers assisted those tenants with transitioning to new housing in late 2023, she said.

According to Pakkala, it's taken almost five years for the developers to get to this point. And as for the Kuilei Place development, she says the goal is to move homeowners in toward the end of 2027. 

A number of state and city leaders spoke during the event, including Gov. Josh Green and Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi.

"A project like this, when I'm standing on the ground, I can envision the nurses that are going to be living here, the teachers, and it's very easy for me to visualize that," Green told ASD following the ceremony. "That is one of the core demographics that will be here, and that helps solve our health care crisis, that helps eliminate the shortage of teachers every year. This is a real excellent solution for many of our challenges."

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<title>Developers break ground on Mō‘ili‘ili project</title>

Kuilei Place will offer 1,005 residences on 3.15 acres. More than 85% of the units are already spoken for.

Developers break ground on Mō‘ili‘ili project

Maxx Ramos

Maxx Ramos grew up on Oʻahu and currently works in tech. She is a lifelong learner who is passionate about social justice, storytelling and art.

<title>Maxx Ramos</title>

Hawaii History

A personal essay discovering how parts of Hawaiʻi’s past — houses and the land they sit on — are preserved, and a recommendation to the state for its future.

Maxx Ramos

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