2026-06-30 Noella Callejo Opposition Testimony

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Rc d att tg by 20 Dist'd Read�. _. FILE COPY Subject:Written Testimony in Opposition to Bill 147 Aloha Members of the Hawaii County Council and members of the County Planning Department, My name is Noella Callejo and I respectfully submit this written testimony in opposition to Bill 147. I was born and raised in Kona, am a third-generation resident of Hawaii, and I am a homeowner,working professional, business owner, lifetime student of hula, and mother of three children ages 21, 16, and 8. I returned to this island 12 years ago for a career opportunity in the healthcare sector. Before imposing broad restrictions,the County should clearly identify the problem it is trying to solve and tailor the solution accordingly. I support efforts to address absentee ownership, unhosted rentals,tax noncompliance, and irresponsible operators. However, I respectfully ask that the County not treat tax-paying local families who actually live on their properties, host responsibly, and contribute to this community as though we are the problem. As reported by Civil Beat, Councilmember Holeka Inaba previously questioned the purpose of requiring hosted rental operators to register, asking: "Why are we asking people to register for something and it isn't really clear what the purpose is?"That question remains central to my concern. Restrictions should not be applied so broadly that it creates confusion and removes an important supplemental income source for working families who are simply using existing space in homes they own during an already difficult economic time. My concern is that Bill 147, as proposed,takes a broad-brush approach to a problem that appears to be driven largely by absentee or part-time ownership,while restricting local resident homeowners who actually live here and rely on hosted accommodations to help meet the cost of living in Hawaii. Civil Beat reported that 54%of owners rely on rental income to cover housing costs.That data matters. It means this bill is not only affecting outside investors; it is also affecting working local families using existing space in homes they already own.The Council should be very careful that Bill 147 does not become a policy that claims to protect local communities while, in practice, pushing visitor dollars away from local home owners and back toward large resort and hotel interests. If a local homeowner responsibly welcomes guests into existing space on the property where they live, pays taxes, and has no neighbor complaints,why should that opportunity be restricted while billionaire conglomerates continue to profit from Hawaii at scale? I respectfully ask the Council to consider the following concerns: