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From: Sabrina Winder
Sent: Wednesday, November 6, 2024 11:17 AM
To: Council Testimony
Subject: Bill 121 will hurt Hawaiians.
Aloha,
I am concerned about Bitt 121 and the unintended impact it will have on nearly everyone on the island
along with Hawaiians from other islands. I'm not sure who the bill is intended to help, but a bil.l that
undermines the tourism industry by taking away housing for travelers here is going to have lasting and
painful implications.
Hawaii is very dependent on the tourism industry, and a majority of those who live here would be
economically devastated from restrictions that would limit the housing available for travelers to stay
here and support the economy. Whether a business directly works with tourists doing tours, selling
bakery goods, or those who rely on their income from housekeeping & maintenance, those Living as a
host at a discounted rate—al.l of these people and more will be hurt by the proposed restrictions.
As an elected representative, you have a responsibility to your constituents to find out how people
will be affected, before passing something that will harm the people you represent. I urge you to
wait on making any decisions, until the economic impact study has been completed. It would be
reckless and irresponsible to pass a bill without knowing the full impact of how this bill will affect
everyone.
Roughly two thirds of the guests who stay at my house are Hawaiians from other islands. They come
for local events such as basebatl tournaments, college graduations, hula events, family reunions,
weddings, and many more community events. If the proposed restrictions are passed, the events that do
so much to build the community here won't be as accessible to those from other islands. They will have
no place to stay.
If the goat is in providing more housing for residents here, I urge you to took at what policies are
preventing more housing from being built. Rather than attacking the property rights of homeowners
and hurting the economy, you can make a meaningful difference by finding ways to make it easier for
people to get building permits and get more housing built.
There is just too much at stake with this proposed bill., that would not only hurt the tocal economy, but
the numerous Hawaiians who rely on vacation rentals to be able to attend important events.
1001211711
Sabrina Winder
Art
01 - 8 2024