Honolulu City Council Committee on International Legal Affairs Meeting - August 26, 2026
Honolulu City Council Committee on International Legal Affairs Meeting - August 26, 2026
The Committee on International Legal Affairs convened remotely on August 26, 2026, with eight members present and one excused. The meeting addressed a range of items including gift acceptances, sister city renewals, surplus property sale, regulatory bills for dogs and illegal peddling, water quality testing at Red Hill, and executive session legal matters. All votes were conducted by roll call due to remote meeting requirements, though most items passed without objection. Councilmember Waters registered reservations on two bills.
Consent Calendar
- Resolution 26-10182: Accepting a gift. Andy Sug, Mayor's Chief of Staff, expressed the administration's acceptance. No public testimony or objections. Unanimous approval to report out for adoption.
- Resolution 26-191: Accepting a gift on behalf of Wei Chen for a conference. Andy Sug again spoke in support. No public testimony or objections. Unanimous approval.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Resolution 26-193 (Red Hill water testing): Dylan Armstrong testified remotely, stating he was happy to stand on his written testimony in support of increased PFOS testing. No other public testimony was offered on any agenda item.
Discussion Items
- Resolution 26-184 (Sister City Renewal with Cebu, Philippines): Jennifer Santos, Executive Director of the Mayor's Office of Culture and the Arts, expressed support with no objections. Councilmember (unidentified) noted a deep personal connection to Cebu and welcomed the renewal. Chair recommended an amendment to change "Managing Director Designee" to "Managing Director" (now that a Managing Director is confirmed). Passed.
- Resolution 26-185 (Sister City Guidelines): Jennifer Santos expressed support but requested that the annual reporting deadline be aligned to the fiscal calendar (June 30 rather than December 31). Chair took the request under advisement. Chair also recommended the same amendment as in Resolution 26-184 (changing "Managing Director Designee" to "Managing Director"). Passed.
- Resolution 26-71 (Sale of Surplus City Property): Andy Kawano, Director of Budget and Fiscal Services, supported the sale, noting the property is landlocked and no other department has a use. He explained the due diligence process, including review by DCS for homeless sheltering which was deemed unfeasible due to access and floodplain issues. Councilmember Kina thanked staff for thoroughness and expressed full support. Councilmember Waters asked about the last sale (a mini park on Pensacola). Passed. (Note: Chair later noted public testimony was initially missed but ruled no action needed as opportunity had been given.)
- Bill 48 (HART Semi-Autonomous Status Clarification): Lori Kahikina, Executive Director of HART, expressed full support, stating the bill clarifies that HART is not part of the executive organization. Chair recommended adopting the posted CD1. Passed.
- Bill 16 (Regulation of Dogs): Kimberly Hashiro, Director of Customer Services, supported the bill, noting it increases penalties for dangerous dog offenses. Councilmember Tupola asked about enforcement scope (Humane Society, HPD, DLNR) and requested that notice be sent to other agencies. Councilmember Waters asked for the definition of "stray." Councilmember Okimoto thanked staff and Rep. Corey Chun for collaboration, noting it modernizes ordinances after two years of work. Chair recommended adopting the posted CD2. Passed with a reservation from Councilmember Waters.
- Bill 52 (Streets, Sidewalks, Malls, and Other Public Places – Illegal Peddling Fines): Major Paul Okamoto of HPD District 6 (Waikiki) supported raising fines to discourage illegal peddlers. Councilmember Tupola questioned whether the law applies to highways (e.g., Farrington Highway) and to peddlers on Hawaiian home lands; she requested clarification of jurisdictional boundaries. Chair noted possible exemptions for certain items like fruit and laulau and agreed to research. Chair recommended reporting out for second reading and public hearing. Passed with a reservation from Councilmember Waters.
- Resolution 26-193 (Water Quality Testing at Red Hill): Ernest Lau, Manager and Chief Engineer of the Board of Water Supply, expressed support, stating Red Hill has not only petroleum contamination but also PFAS "forever chemicals." He described collaborative efforts with EPA and DOH requesting expanded testing from the Navy and noted the remedial investigation website (redhillern.com). Councilmember Cordero thanked BWS and urged regulators to require more Navy sampling. Passed without objection.
Key Outcomes
- Resolution 26-10182: Approved for adoption (unanimous).
- Resolution 26-191: Approved for adoption (unanimous).
- Resolution 26-184: Amended to change "Managing Director Designee" to "Managing Director" and approved for adoption (unanimous).
- Resolution 26-185: Amended similarly and approved for adoption; the request to align reporting to June 30 was taken under advisement (unanimous).
- Resolution 26-71: Approved for adoption (unanimous).
- Bill 48: Amended to posted CD1 and passed (unanimous).
- Bill 16: Amended to posted CD2 and passed; Councilmember Waters registered a reservation.
- Bill 52: Reported out for second reading and public hearing; Councilmember Waters registered a reservation.
- Resolution 26-193: Approved for adoption (unanimous).
- Executive Session (Items 10-13): The committee resolved into executive session to consult with attorneys on property foreclosure and two lawsuits (Tamashiro vs. City and Tawa vs. City). Following the closed session, the committee voted unanimously to pass the legal action to foreclose on real property.
Meeting Transcript
Calling to order the committee on international legal affairs. Um, noting that uh eight members are present, one is excused. Okay, members, the follow- oh wait, uh okay, pursuant to section 92-3.7 HRS, 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 or remotely when each agenda item is taken up. As both English and Hawaiian are official languages of the state of Hawaii, pursuant to Article 15, section four of the Hawaii State Constitution and section one-13 of the HRS. Members of the public may testify in either language. For oral testimonies offered in Olelo Hawaii, additional time as may be necessary will be allowed for the testifier to provide an English translation of 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. Once in-person testimony has concluded, I will proceed to those who have registered to testify remotely by video conference. When your name is called, please monitor your screen and activate your audio feed when prompted. I will then give persons who have not registered an opportunity to offer testimony. Please utilize the raised hand feature in Zoom to be called on. For those joining us by telephone only, please press star nine to indicate your desire to speak. Please press star six to unmute yourself when prompted. Some friendly reminders and tips. Video conference from a quiet location if possible. If you are also watching the proceedings on Olelo, please mute your television at the time of your call to testify. When the timer on screen reaches zero, please conclude your remarks promptly. HRS section 92-3.7 requires all votes at remote meetings to be conducted by a roll call unless you unanimous. Therefore, I will call for objections, and if there are any, I will call for a roll call vote. For those council members participating outside the council chamber, I don't see any. Okay. Written testimonies, including the testifiers address, email address, and phone number will be available to the public as described on the posted agenda. Cell phones as a courtesy, please turn off all cell phones. Okay. Members, we have an ambitious agenda today. If we can keep questions to a minimum and members of the public, um, I am not trying to stifle public debate, but if you can stand on your testimony, please do so. Okay. Agenda item number one, resolution 26-10182, accepting of a gift. For the record, it's Sug, but thank you. Uh Andy Sug, uh, Mayor's Chief Staff, thank you, Chair, Vice Chair. Uh, we are very happy to accept this gift on behalf of the mayor and the managing director. Okay, thank you. Anyone else wishing to testify in the chamber, please come forward. See none. Any remote? Sure, there are none. Okay, members, any questions. Thank you, Mr. Sug. Thank you, Chair. Okay. Members are in discussion. Uh, Chair recommends that resolution 26-182 be reported out for adoption. Any WRs or no's okay, thank you, members. Agenda item number two, resolution 26-191, accepting of a gift. Andy Sug. Chief of Staff. Aloha, Chair.
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