The Committee on Housing, Homelessness, and Parks, chaired by Councilmember Tupola, met on Tuesday, November 18, 2025, at 2:37 p.m. (the meeting date recorded as November 19, 2025, for official purposes). The meeting covered four agenda items: adding six trees to the Exceptional Trees inventory, two appointments to the Board of Parks and Recreation, and the confirmation of a new Director of Housing and Land Management. All items were approved.
All decisions were unanimous and without recorded opposition from committee members.
Hi, aloha, and good afternoon, everyone. It's Tuesday, November 18th, and the time is 237 p.m. I call the committee on housing homelessness and parks meeting to order. Welcome to our committee members, committee vice chair Tolba, Council members Cordero, Nishimoto, Wire, and Kiaina. Also joining us today. Oh, he's on his way out. Council Member Dosantos Tim. Pursuant to Hawaii Revised Statute Section 92-3.7. This meeting will be conducted as a remote meeting by interactive to 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 in the agenda in two ways. In person in the council chamber and remotely, remote and in-person oral testimony will be allowed when each agenda item is taken up and is limited to a one-minute presentation on each item. As both English and Hawaiian are official languages of the state of Hawaii pursuant to Article 15, section four of the Hawaii Review. State Constitution, Section 1-13 of Hawaii revised statutes, members of the public may testify in either language. For or testimonies offered in Ola Lohva'i, additional time as may be necessary will be allowed for the testifier to provide an English translation of their testimony. Persons who have not registered will be given an opportunity to testify following the registered testifiers. After in-person testimony has concluded, I will proceed to remote testimony via video conference or phone. Mahalo and Aloha Committee Chair Tupola and uh members, council members. So this is Bill 66. We are as chair has already explained, adding six new trees to our exceptional trees inventory. Um three of these trees are located in Manoa. We have one at Kayaka Beach Park, one in Kaleohhe, and first one ever in Eva. Um we support this and we hope to get your support on this bill today. Mahalo. Thank you, Deputy. Yes, the Eva Neighborhood Board is excited about it. They talked about it. Um, Council members, are there any questions for the deputy director? Nope. All right, seeing none, uh Clerk 6 taste take testimony. We'll now proceed in in-person oral testimony. Is there anyone wishing to testify on agenda item Bill 66 in person? Is anyone wishing to testify remotely, clerks? Chair, we have none. Okay. Uh seeing no testifiers, members, we are in discussion. Go ahead, council. Thank you, Chair. I just wanted to advocate on behalf of John Rogers on the neighborhood board on his work on bringing an exceptional tree to Eva Beach. So thank you, Mr. Rogers, if you're watching. Thank you so much. He'll appreciate that. The chair recommends that Bill 66 2025 be amended to the posted proposed CD1, identify it as OCS 2025-0849 backslash 10, backslash 29, backslash 2025, 131 p.m. Any objections, reservations, hearing none, bill is amended to a CD one. The chair then recommends that Bill 66 2025 CD1 be reported out for passage on second reading and scheduled of a public hearing. Any objections, reservations, hearing none, so ordered. Agenda item number two, resolution 25295 confirming the appointment of Catherine Chang to serve on the board of parks and recreation of the city and county of Honolulu for a term to expire on December 31st, 2030. I think she is here with us now. Welcome. Perfect.