Honolulu City Council Public Safety and Economic Committee Meeting - September 26, 2025
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Honolulu City Council Public Safety and Economic Committee Meeting - September 26, 2025
Note: The transcript indicates the meeting occurred on September 25, 2025, but the provided meeting date is September 26, 2025. This summary uses the given date.
The meeting addressed several items including resolutions on zoo funding, a police commission appointment, a bill to improve HPD information transparency, and an informational briefing on the July 29, 2025 tsunami advisory response. Members discussed and voted on the resolutions, debated the HPD bill, and received presentations from multiple city departments on lessons learned from the tsunami evacuation.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Angela Young testified in support of the zoo-related resolutions, expressing excitement about zebras and zoo shows, and stressed the importance of education programs.
- Tim Gary supported Christopher Magnus’s appointment to the Police Commission, citing his experience and honesty, and criticized the revolving-door justice system.
- Gregory Msakyan supported Bill 46 but accused media and HPD of misreporting on a fire incident, calling for better verification.
- Media representatives (Jason Hagiwara, Le Kuholokula, Brenda Salgado, Christina Lockwood, Lin Kawano) testified on Bill 46, advocating for real-time access to HPD information with minimal delays and full disclosure of incident details, including addresses and number of responders. They stressed that a well-informed public is a safer public.
- Neil Fly Tell testified on the tsunami briefing, arguing that emergency preparedness is separate from emergency management and that the public needs a clear, accessible plan with designated places of assembly. He called for tailored plans for Oahu.
- Gregory Msakyan also testified on the tsunami briefing, suggesting a website for personalized evacuation recommendations and better outreach to seniors.
- Angela Young also spoke about resilient neighborhood groups and disaster preparedness education.
Discussion Items
Resolution 25-256 (Zoo-related) – The chair recommended adoption. Councilmember Keina commented on the need for zoo evacuation plans. No objections were raised, and the resolution was reported out for adoption.
Resolution 25-267 (Accepting Monetary Gifts to Zoo) – The chair presented a hand-carried CD1 with technical amendments. Director Dita Holyfield thanked the Honolulu Zoological Society, noting they contribute between $200,000 and $300,000 annually. Public testimony supported the gifts. The resolution was amended to CD1 and adopted.
Resolution 25-200 (Appointment of Christopher Magnus to Police Commission) – A proposed CD1 was presented. Christopher Magnus, a former police chief with 40 years of experience, spoke about his commitment to public safety and community engagement. Councilmember Tupola expressed support after meeting with him, praising his crime analysis background. Councilmember Okimoto asked about attendance issues; Magnus stated he had never missed a meeting. Councilmember Keina supported the appointment but urged future nominees to have local law enforcement experience. The resolution was amended to CD1 and adopted unanimously.
Bill 46 (HPD Information Release) – Chair Waters presented a proposed CD1 with amendments to address privacy and safety concerns. Key amendments: defined real-time emergency alerts, a 5-minute deadline for text alerts, option for text alerts or radio access, exclusion of personal information, and eligibility requirement of 25 years in operation for media. HPD Major Paul Okimoto raised concerns about the short timelines, requesting 10 minutes for both text alerts and radio communications. Media representatives argued for shorter delays and more comprehensive information, including full addresses. After debate, the committee further amended the CD1: changed the text alert deadline from 5 to 10 minutes, struck “partial” to require full address, changed “other” to “number of first responders,” and changed the radio communication deadline from 60 seconds to 10 minutes. The bill was then postponed to a future date for further refinement.
Tsunami Advisory Review and Response (Informational Briefing) – Director Randall Collins (DEM) outlined challenges: short warning times, gridlock, and the need for public education. He noted that 911 calls spiked and then dropped after the mayor’s press conference. HPD Major Clifford Ramsey discussed internal communication gaps, including the delayed notification about the Kolekole Pass opening. HFD Assistant Chief Kevin Mukolehua emphasized the need for a clear lead agency, unified command structure, and joint training. DTS Deputy Director John Nowchi highlighted the role of Skyline and bus services, and suggested that people stay put if safe. EMS Deputy Director Ian Santee reported responding to 143 calls, with 66 patients transported before the event and 11 during. Ocean Safety Director Kurt Lager described beach clearings and equipment staging. Councilmembers raised concerns about inconsistent maps, lack of public preparedness, and the need for a comprehensive, public-facing plan. Public testimony reiterated these points.
Key Outcomes
- Resolution 25-256 adopted unanimously.
- Resolution 25-267 CD1 adopted unanimously.
- Resolution 25-200 CD1 (Magnus appointment) adopted unanimously.
- Bill 46 CD1 was further amended and then postponed to a future date for additional work.
- The informational briefing concluded with a commitment to incorporate lessons learned into emergency plans, improve public communication, and enhance community preparedness.
Meeting Transcript
Aloha, good afternoon, everyone. It is uh five minutes after one on the Thursday, September 25th, 2025, and I call it a meeting, a public safety and economic meeting to order. All right, I want to welcome council member. Oh, she's not here. Welcome, Councilmember Angela Topola, Councilmember Nishimoto, Councilmember Okimoto, and Councilmember Chair Waters. Okay, pursuing to uh section 92-3.7 Hawaii Vice Statues. This meeting will be conducted as a remote meeting by interactive conference technology with the following procedures in effect for the meeting. Members of the public will be allowed to provide oral testimony on all items on the agenda in person in the council chamber and remotely when the agenda is taken upon. Uh, as both English and Hawaiian are official languages of the state of Hawaii, pursuant to Article 19, section four of the Hawaii State Constitution and the section one-13 of the Hawaii revised statute. Members of the public may testify in either language. For our testimonies we've offered in Olela Hawaii, additional time may be necessary and will be allowed for the testifier to provide an English translation for their testimony. Before testifying, each person shall state their name. Each speaker may not have anyone else read their statement and is limited to a one-minute presentation on each item. All persons who are who have registered to testify in person will be called upon first. When the timer goes off, please conclude your remarks promptly. Persons who have not registered will be given an opportunity to testify following the registered testifiers. Once in-person testimony has concluded, I will proceed to remote testimony. All persons who have registered to testify remotely by video conference or telephone will then be called upon. When your name is called, please monitor your screen and activate your audio feed when prompt. For persons who are testified by telephone only, I will identify you by the last three digits of your phone number. When the number is called, please listen for your prompt to unmute and press star six. When I call anyone when I call for anyone else standing by remotely, please utilize the zoom raise hand button to indicate your desire to speak. For those joining us by telephone only, please press star nine to indicate your desire to speak. So fairly reminders and tips. Video conference from a quiet location if possible. If you are watching the proceedings on Olelo, please mute your television when you are called to testify. When the timer on the screen reaches zero, please conclude your remarks promptly. HRS section 92-3.7 requires that all votes at remote meetings be conducted by roll call unless unanimous. We will be introducing to our community over the next few months. I'll now proceed with uh in-person testimony in the council chamber. Is there anyone here to testify? Sure, there are none. Okay, I will move on to uh remote testimony. Is there anyone here to proceed uh to testify remotely? Chair, there's Angela Young. Okay. Uh go ahead, Angela. Hello, High Chair. Angela Melody Young testifying on behalf of Kerr. Oh my gosh. Uh I'm such a fan of Zebras. Uh I cannot wait uh to see the Zebras. Uh um and uh um the zoo. They've been doing uh um really fun shows, the wildest show that I got to go um witness that um Garza was playing on stage. Uh uh did um the jungle song in the jungle, the mind jungle, the line. It was such a fun song. So maybe you guys can put like the lion and the beaver on stage, and then that can help um build up uh good publicity for the zoo. Um that you guys are um animal friendly and supportive of uh um local musicians that also help to publicize um positive things about um the county office interpreting services. All right, mahalo Angela. Uh glad you're excited about the zebras.
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