Senator Mike Gabbard

August Newsletter

Vol. 19 Issue 8

Agriculture and Environment Committee, Chair

Judiciary Committee, Vice Chair

Government Operations Committee, Vice Chair

Aloha e friends,

I hope you and your ‘ohana are well and enjoying the waning days of summer, a.k.a. “interim” here at the Hawai‘i State Capitol. (Our 2026 session reconvenes on January 21.) I’m busy working with staff, constituents, and stakeholders looking at possible bills to introduce next session.

As always, please contact me at (808) 586-6830 or sengabbard@capitol.hawaii.gov if I can help you or your family in any way. I invite you to follow me on social media: Instagram @SenatorMikeGabbard, Facebook, YouTube, and X @SENMIKEGABBARD. Also, if you’d like to be added to my mailing list, please send me an email with “mailing list” in the subject line. 

Sen. Gabbard addresses attendees in the Governor’s Ceremonial Room at the Hawai‘i State Capitol, delivering remarks during the formal proclamation recognizing Hawai‘i as a Purple Heart State on August 7, 2025.

COMMUNITY UPDATES

August Listen Story Meeting

Please join me for my next Listen Story Community Meeting on Saturday, August 23, from 9–10 AM at the Kapolei High School Teachers’ Lounge.

This month, we’ll be joined by Dr. Keith Weiser, Program Manager with the Coconut Rhinoceros Beetle (CRB) Response Team, who will talk story about the Coconut Rhinoceros Beetle (CRB) and other invasive pests impacting our ʻāina.



With increased interest from West Side neighborhood boards in CRB education, this is a great chance to learn how we can protect our environment and agriculture through community action.

As always, we’ll also stream the meeting via Zoom for those who can’t join in person — hope to see you there!

A full house at Senator Gabbard’s July Listen Story meeting, where residents gathered to discuss local issues, ask questions, and hear the latest on state and district priorities

We had a great crowd at our July Listen Story meeting — nearly every seat was filled! Mahalo to everyone who joined us both in person and online. It’s always heartening to see our West Oʻahu community show up, stay engaged, and ask thoughtful questions about what’s happening in our neighborhoods.

For those who are new: I’ve been hosting these monthly meetings since I was first elected in 2006 to represent District 21, which includes Kapolei, Makakilo, Kalaeloa, and parts of ʻEwa and Fernandez Village. It’s one of my favorite parts of the job — getting to talk story with all of you directly.

This month’s hot topic was the proposed Kalaeloa Motorsports Park, a long-discussed and highly anticipated project that’s finally moving forward after years of planning.



So, what’s happening?

O’ahu Motorsports Association President, Li Cobian and Sen. Gabbard at Kapolei Highschool on July 26, 2025.

You may have seen the recent headlines — the City plans to build an interim dirt racetrack on a 23-acre parcel in Kalaeloa, located near the corner of Coral Sea Road and Independence Avenue, on the road to White Plains Beach. This site is part of a larger 400-acre area that was officially transferred from the U.S. Navy to the City in June 2024.

To help answer questions and provide a full update, I invited two guest speakers:

• Nate Serota, spokesperson for the Honolulu County Department of Parks & Recreation (DPR)
• Li Cobian, President of the Oʻahu Motorsports Association and longtime advocate for the project

What we learned:

This interim track is being allowed while the city develops a long-term master plan for the full 400 acres. In June 2025, the National Park Service gave the city the green light to move forward with motorsports activities on the smaller parcel, and the State Historic Preservation Division (SHPD) has approved clearing the site.

The plan is for a simple, local-style dirt track — no frills, no stadium — just a safe space for go-karts, dune buggies, BMX riders, and maybe even electric vehicles. Think porta potties, bleachers, and open space. Down the line, a larger paved facility might be considered, but that would only happen after full community input and a finalized master plan.



Nate also shared that the city has allocated $1.8 million to kickstart the master planning process, which includes not just the racetrack, but potential upgrades to the Kalaeloa Campgrounds too. A dedicated website is in the works to keep the public informed, share design concepts, and gather feedback.

Sen. Gabbard, joined by guest speakers Li Cobian, President of the O‘ahu Motorsports Association, and Nate Serota, Public Information & Education Officer for the Honolulu Department of Parks & Recreation, addressed attendees in person and via Zoom.

My Take

Some community members, including newer neighborhood board members, raised concerns about the lack of recent outreach — and I hear them. That’s why I invited Nate and Li to present directly, so everyone had the chance to ask questions and hear the facts firsthand.

To be clear, I haven’t taken a position yet on the racetrack. I’m still listening to all sides and doing my due diligence before weighing in. My goal is to help ensure that this process stays transparent and community driven.

What’s Next?

The City will present an official update to the Honolulu City Council’s Parks Committee on Tuesday, August 19, at 2:30 p.m. in the Council Chamber at Honolulu Hale (530 S. King Street, Room 100, Honolulu, HI 96813). Additional public information sessions are expected in the coming months, so stay tuned for more opportunities to share your thoughts.

Ultimately, this is about finding the right balance — providing West Oʻahu with recreational opportunities while being thoughtful about noise, traffic, infrastructure, and how we grow as a community.



Whether you’re for the track, against it, or still figuring it out — your voice matters, and I’ll continue keeping you in the loop.

More HPD Officers for West Oʻahu

A file photo of a Honolulu Police Department vehicle.

I wanted to share an important public safety update that many of you may have already seen on the news — more police officers are coming to serve our communities in West Oʻahu.

As many of you know, District 8, which covers from ʻEwa Beach to Mākaha, consistently has some of the highest 911 call volumes on the island. Between January and May of this year alone, calls for service went up by 24% compared to last year.

To get the facts, I reached out to Interim Police Chief Rade Vanic, who officially took on the role of Chief of Police on August 1st. He confirmed that 12 new HPD officers from the department’s latest academy class will be permanently assigned to District 8, starting mid-November 2025. This will increase the number of patrol officers from 160 to 172 and allow the creation of two new beats to better cover our growing communities and reduce response times.

District 8 is a large area that spans from the Wai‘anae Coast to Honokai Hale, Makakilo, Kapolei, and ʻEwa. It’s divided into 3 sectors and 20 motor beats — and these new officers will be assigned to help fill coverage gaps across that whole stretch. The additional beats will be staffed based on the needs identified by District Commander Major Gail Beckley, who will be overseeing the new assignments.

Chief Vanic shared that the goal is not just quicker response times, but also to support more proactive patrolling and community engagement. He encouraged anyone with ideas or questions to reach out directly to Major Beckley (gbeckley@honolulu.gov) or Assistant Chief Brian Lynch (blynch@honolulu.gov), both of whom are open to conversations with the community.

While this is great news, there’s still more work to do. HPD currently has 465 officer vacancies, with only 1,712 of the department’s 2,177 positions filled. Over the last five years, the department has returned more than $110 million to the City and County — funds that could have helped recruit or retain officers.

That’s why I’m especially encouraged that 36 new recruits just started their training recently — the largest academy class since 2021. We need long-term, sustained investments in public safety, and these new officer assignments are a good step forward for our side of the island.

LEGISLATIVE UPDATES

PBS Insights Recap: Supporting Local Farms & Feeding Our Keiki

Sen. Gabbard with panelists Keith Hayashi, Superintendent, Hawaiʻi Department of Education; Natalie McKinney, Chief Program Officer, Kōkua Hawaiʻi Foundation; and Kawika Kahiapo, Farm to School Initiative Program Coordinator, Hawaiʻi Public Health Institute. Moderated by Daryl Huff, from the PBS Hawaiʻi studio in Honolulu on July 31, 2025.

I was invited to join PBS Hawai‘i’s Insights program on July 31st to talk story about one of my top priorities: getting more local food into our school meals.

We were talking about a state law that requires 30% of the food served in public schools to be locally grown by 2030. This is a big step forward for food security in Hawai‘i and for our local farmers.

I was joined by DOE Superintendent Keith Hayashi, Kōkua Hawai‘i Foundation’s Natalie McKinney, and Hawai‘i Public Health Institute’s Kawika Kahiapo. These folks are doing incredible work to make "Farm to School" a reality — and it’s happening in schools across our islands.

Here are a few key points we discussed:

• Farm to School isn’t new. Hawai‘i’s been a leader in this space — 99% of our public schools already participate in some kind of local food effort.
• It’s good for our keiki. Studies show students eat more fruits and veggies when they come from local farms. And the food just tastes better!
• It’s good for our farmers. This law creates real market demand for local agriculture — helping our small farms thrive and encouraging the next generation of farmers.
• DOE is taking this seriously. They’re working on pilot programs, changing procurement rules, and building stronger relationships with Hawai‘i farmers and ranchers.
• Laulima (many hands). It’s going to take all of us. This is a team effort — schools, families, policymakers, and farmers all have a role to play.

As Chair of the Senate Agriculture & Environment Committee, I’m going to keep doing everything I can to support local food production, improve nutrition for our students, and make Hawai‘i more self-sufficient.

Big mahalo to the Insights team and everyone who tuned in!

You can watch the full episode here:

Sen. Gabbard discusses how to get more locally grown food into school meals, live on Insights from the PBS Hawaiʻi studio in Honolulu on July 31, 2025.

Pitching In at Food Drive Day

Senator Mike Gabbard with the Hawai‘i Foodbank crew — Jerry Campbell, Chanin Kahale, Tricia Coloma, Naomi Save, Aaron Vera Cruz, and Adam Ramos — during the July 26, 2025 Ka Makana Ali‘i food drive in Kapolei, where hundreds of households received nutritious food and community support.

On August 2, I had a blast joining Hawai‘i Foodbank for their annual Food Drive Day at Ka Makana Ali‘i Shopping Center. It was a beautiful West Side morning filled with community spirit, generosity, and plenty of aloha.

I got to lend a hand holding signs on Kapolei Parkway and connecting with folks who are doing the real heavy lifting when it comes to fighting hunger in our islands. Big mahalo to the incredible Foodbank crew: Jerry Campbell, Chanin Kahale, Tricia Coloma, Naomi Save, Aaron Vera Cruz, and Lytone Perry — yours and the other volunteers dedication and energy are what make this event such a success.

We know that ending hunger in Hawai‘i takes all of us — and it was amazing to see so many volunteers, families, and donors show up to support the cause. These kinds of grassroots efforts are what keep our communities strong and connected.



Let’s keep working together to nourish our ‘ohana and build a healthier future for everyone.

Honoring Hawai‘i’s Purple Heart Heroes

From left to right: Rep. Kong, Councilmember Tulba, Sen. Gabbard, Sergeant First Class (Ret.) Takumi Abe, Governor Josh Green, Chapter Commander of Oʻahu’s Military Order of the Purple Heart (Chapter 43) Ed Cruickshank, and U.S. Marine Corps Sergeant Major and a Medal of Honor recipient Allan J. Kellogg Jr.

Rep. Sam Kong and Sen. Gabbard stand at the podium in the Governor’s ceremonial room, as Senator delivers remarks during the formal proclamation ceremony recognizing Hawai‘i as a Purple Heart State on August 7, 2025.

Sen. Gabbard shares a handshake and conversation with Gov. Green—prior to the proclamation ceremony on August 7, 2025.

On August 7, I had the privilege of joining Governor Josh Green, Representative Sam Kong, and members of the Military Order of the Purple Heart Rainbow Chapter #483 for a historic ceremony proclaiming Hawai‘i a Purple Heart State.

Held in the Governor’s Ceremonial Room at the State Capitol, the event honored the bravery and sacrifice of service members who have been wounded or killed in action, as well as their families. I was especially honored to present a Senate Honorary Certificate to Sergeant First Class (Ret.) Takumi Abe, whose leadership was instrumental in bringing this recognition to fruition. This moment carried personal meaning, as my daughter, Tulsi, currently a Lt. Colonel in the Army Reserves, was the officer who originally awarded him his Purple Heart.

The Purple Heart is the oldest active military decoration in the United States. First created in 1782 by General George Washington as the Badge of Military Merit, it was revived and renamed the Purple Heart in 1932. It is uniquely awarded to members of the U.S. Armed Forces who have been wounded or killed in action against an enemy of the United States, symbolizing extraordinary sacrifice, courage, and devotion to duty.

This proclamation was made possible by two measures passed earlier this year: House Concurrent Resolution (HCR94), which I requested and Rep. Kong introduced, formally asking the Governor to designate Hawai‘i as a Purple Heart State; and Senate Resolution (SR93), which I introduced, calling for Honolulu Hale to be lit in purple every August 7 in honor of National Purple Heart Day.

That lighting tradition began this year—Honolulu Hale was glowing purple from sunset on August 7 until sunrise on August 9—serving as a visible reminder of our state’s deep respect and gratitude for our wounded and deceased warriors.

To all of Hawai‘i’s Purple Heart recipients and their ‘ohana: mahalo for your service, sacrifice, and courage. WE WILL NEVER FORGET!

From left: Rep. Sam Kong, Sergeant First Class (Ret.) Takumi Abe, and Sen. Gabbard stand at the podium in the Governor’s ceremonial room as the Honorary Senate Certificate is presented to Sergeant Abe—whose leadership significantly advanced the recognition of Hawai‘i as a Purple Heart State.