HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0283.358 2024-2026Sent: Monday, July 21, 2025 3:46 PM
To: Lisa Lane
Cc: Council Testimony
Subject: RE: Bill 51 Testimony Request
From: Lisa Lane
Sent: Monday, July 21, 2025 3:27 PM
Subject: Bill 51 Testimony Request
1 would like to request the ability to testify against Bill 51 in the Wednesday council session.
Mahalo.
Testimony Opposing Bill 51 — Hawaii County Council
Submitted by Lisa Lane Cardin
Aloha Councilmembers,
I'm here to strongly oppose Bill 51—and to express my deep disappointment in the way this Council has
chosen to move it forward.
I speak not only as a concerned citizen, but as someone with over 20 years of experience in community
animal welfare —from working in local shelters, to consulting with municipalities on humane and
effective policy, to influencing national animal welfare funding and strategies at scale. I have spent my
career helping communities build real solutions to reduce suffering and improve public health. And
what you're proposing today?
This is not a solution. It's illogical political theater dressed up as public safetydmm
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Over the last two years, Aloha Animal Alliance --a diverse group of experts-- has worked with members of
the very council and brought along stakeholders, including DLNR, wildlife advocates,
veterinarians, animal control professionals, to work together in good faith to address the community cat
issue in a humane, evidence -based way. That work was collaborative, it was strategic, and it was starting
to make progress.
Then came this bill.
Instead of building on that foundation, Bill 51 was pushed forward behind closed doors, with no
meaningful stakeholder engagement, no transparency, and no regard for the overwhelming public
opposition expressed. And it is so ill conceived, it's completely unenforceable.
And most egregiously, Councilmember Rebecca Villegas has gone so far as to insult and villainize
kupuna caregivers —many of whom have quietly, compassionately cared for abandoned animals for
years in the absence of any meaningful County support. That kind of rhetoric is offensive, divisive, and
absolutely ludicrous for someone elected to represent this community.
Let's also set the record straight on toxoplasmosis, which has been used as the primary justification for
this bill.
Dr. Clayton Foster, an infectious disease physician here on Hawaii Island and many other medical
professionals, oppose this bill. In Dr. Foster's words, toxoplasmosis concerns have
been `overblown."His expertise is grounded in science, not fear:
• Cats shed the Toxoplasma parasite in their feces for just 1-3 weeks in their entire lives.
• Routine hygiene —soap, water, or alcohol hand rub —is more than enough to prevent
transmission.
• Even veterinarians who work with cats for decades have less than a 20% rate of prior exposure,
according to serologic testing (Brandon-Mong G1 et at., Frontiers in Immunology, 2015).
• Toxo is not even close to one the top threats to nene and other wildlife
Compare that to rodent -borne illnesses like leptospirosis, typhus, and rat lungworm—diseases that are
far more dangerous and far more prevalent. Removing cats, which help control rodent populations,
could actually increase these threats in our communities.
And let's not forget: feeding bans don't make cats disappear. They make them harder to trap, sterilize,
and relocate. They make them hungrier, sicker, more desperate. And then what do you think they will
eat?. And they push caregivers —the very people doing the County's job —into the shadows, forced to
choose between breaking the law or letting animals suffer.
This isn't policy. It's punishment.
Instead of criminalizing compassion, the County should be supporting the Aloha Animal Alliance
Master Plan, which outlines proven, scalable solutions:
*Affordable, accessible spay/neuter
• Targeted and well managed TNR and alongside improved animal control efforts
• Public education and pathways to prevent abandonment
• Enforcement focused on the source of the problem —not the people trying to clean it up
Bill 51 is not just ineffective —it's inhumane. And we see what's happening.
We see who you're choosing to silence. We see who you're scapegoating. And we will not forget.
Reject this bill. Reject cruelty masquerading as leadership. And return to the table —where real solutions
already exist.
Thankyou
Lisa Lane Cardin
Aloha Animal Alliance ffi
(805) 451-0154
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