The Committee on International and Legal Affairs, chaired by Councilmember Nishimoto, convened on September 25, 2026. The agenda included appointments to city boards, a records retention update, a detailed discussion on restructuring the Mayor's Office of Culture and the Arts (MOCA), and legislation to increase penalties for illegal peddling in Waikiki. The committee also entered executive session to discuss a legal matter.
Two members of the public testified in strong support of raising fines for illegal peddling in Waikiki:
Resolution 26-201 (MOCA Reorganization): Executive Director Jennifer Santos presented a proposal to formally establish MOCA as a distinct office in the city charter, elevating it from its current status as a program. She emphasized this would not change its mission or scope, but provide organizational stability.
Bill 52 (Peddling - Waikiki): Major Paula Kamoda (HPD, Waikiki) presented the bill to increase fines for peddling violations. He stated that 46% of citations over the past three years were for repeat offenders, and one company was cited 13 times in 16 months.
The committee resolved into executive session to consult with attorneys on the matter of "Caliente vs. the City and County of Hawaii" (Agenda Item #6). No public testimony was offered. The committee reconvened without reporting any public action.
Okay, calling to order the Committee on International and Legal Affairs. Like to welcome members Toba, Waters, Cordero, Tupola, and Kiana. Other members are excused. Okay. Uh well, I'd like to welcome people on. Let me scan the room. Okay. I got it. All right. Pursuant to section ninety-two dash three point seven 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 and remotely when each agenda item is taken up as both English and Hawaiian are official language of the state of Hawaii pursuant to Article 15, section four of the Hawaii State Constitution and section one thirteen of the Hawaii revised statutes. 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. Persons who have not registered will be given an opportunity to testify following the registered testifiers. 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. Some friendly reminders and tips, video conference from a quiet location if possible. If you're also watching the proceedings on Olelo, please unmute your television when you're called 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 roll call unless unanimous. Therefore, I will call for objections. If there are any, I will call for a roll call vote. Written testimonies, including the testifiers' address, email address, and phone number will be available to the public as described on the posted agenda. As a courtesy, please turn off all cell phones for the duration of this meeting. Okay. Moving to agenda item number one, resolution 26-196. This is for the appointment of Carrie Ok Okimoto. Is the appointee here? Good afternoon, everyone. I'm Cario Kimoto. I'm retired HPD, and I um came here to answer any questions you you folks might have of my appointment. Thank you. If there are any questions, we'll oh okay. Uh no questions, but I just want to say thanks for your service. I don't know if everyone knows, but he used to be acting chief of police, and we just we really appreciate it. When I saw your name come up, I was like, no way. Thank you so much. Thank you for being here. Thank you for continuing to serve our communication. Uh when this opportunity came up, friend of mine uh asked me if I wanted to participate, and I I said okay. Yeah, well, you're like a legend to me, so thank you. Thank you for being here. Thank you, Chair. You're welcome. Anyone else? Okay, thank you. Oh, oh, really? Thank you, Chair. I just wanted to say thank you for meeting up with me. Uh bringing a wealth of knowledge, try to convince them to be on the police commission, but anyway.