The Honolulu City Council held its regular meeting on September 9, 2026, beginning at approximately 10 a.m. The meeting included opening ceremonies (Pledge of Allegiance and a message by storyteller Lopaka Kapanui), followed by consideration of a lengthy agenda encompassing appointments, first-reading bills, second-reading bills, third-reading bills, and resolutions. A significant portion of the meeting was devoted to public testimony, with multiple community members speaking on land use, housing, parks, and animal control issues. The Council took action on over 20 agenda items, approving most with unanimous votes or recorded reservations.
Aloha and good morning. Councilmember Toba, can you please lead us in the Pledge of Allegiance? And they got everybody justice for all. Thank you so much. Councilmember Tobo, would you like to introduce your guests giving us the message of Allah? Thank you, Chair. Aloha, colleagues and guests. It is my honor today to welcome someone very special to our council chambers, Lopaka Kapanui has spent 30 years of sharing the stories, history, and cultural traditions of Hawaii. He is a master, Hawaiian traditional storyteller. Many of you may also know him as the ghost guy. Through his business mysteries of Hawaii, Lopaka brings to life some of our island's most fascinating legends, mysteries, and supernatural stories. He's recognized for his ability to weave together folklore, documented history, and firsthand accounts. That is what makes Lopaca's work so meaningful. A bridge between our past and our present. He ensures the stories of Hawaii are not only remembered but experienced. Lopaka is also an accomplished author, having written six books, including Hawaiian Night Marches. Through decades of dedication, Lopaka ensures our stories and traditions are passed on to future generations. This is why I asked Lopaka to share the message of Allah this morning. His words remind us of the values that we should all should guide us today. Kindness, humility, respect, unity, and kuliana. Lopaka, ma'al for being here and sharing your knowledge. And thank you. Please, ladies and gentlemen, put your hands together and welcome Lopaka Kaponui. And thank you for leaving out the part about professional wrestling. Appreciate that. Never by my name. And there's a father and son baseball game when I was seven. It was at the old uh turnway palace, the old stadium. And my adopted father went to his sons, Paul and Daniel and said, Look, look, uh, father and son, uh baseball game, we should go, we could win. And both of his sons says, nah, no, like. So I came up to him, I said, Dad, Dad, let's do it. We we can win. He said, Yeah, we we we can win. He said, but the thing says father and son baseball game, you're not my son. So, no can. And so I got older and I put all those issues behind me, and I got on with my life, and then fast forward. I'm on a healing journey for my longevity, my physical uh part of uh my longevity and my spirituality. And a large part of this healing journey is there's a list of 40 things in your life you have to let go of that are not serving you. And these are things you let go of that are now because you didn't let it go, affecting your mental health, your physical health, your spirituality, your personal relationships. So I'm working with that. And then last week's Saturday, I'm meeting a group at seven here at the uh Kamehameha statue, and I'm thinking to myself, okay, what are some other things I have to let go? And then I realized in the course of growing up, uh, my nephew, my adopted nephew, was you know how one kid you're growing up, they just like on your nerves all the time. Like even if they breathe, it's like, oh. And so that was this kid, and in 2016, as an adult, he came to one of my shows and took some of my merchandise and walked off because you know, a family. So I ignored him. I blocked his calls, and this went on like all the way up until now, just wouldn't have anything to do with him. So I'm standing at the statue Saturday thinking to myself, you know, what else do I have to let go so I can you know move on? And I turn and look this way, and there's my nephew, and he's coming toward me. And for some reason, there was no tension. Uh I just gave him this big hug, and we cried for a little while.