HomeMy WebLinkAboutFukamizu, Alan
Tsuneda, Kaci
From:Alan Fukamizu <fukamizu.alan@gmail.com>
Sent:Monday, July 20, 2026 10:34 AM
To:Council Testimony
Subject:Written Testimony Regarding Communication 957
Attachments:Written.Testimony.pdf; EXECUTIVE SUMMARY.pdf
Aloha Chair, Vice Chair, and Honorable Members of the Hawaiʻi County Council:
Attached for inclusion in the public record are my written testimony regarding Communication 957,
“Legal Proceedings Concerning Alan Fukamizu,” and an accompanying Executive Summary
highlighting the principal legal, administrative, evidentiary, financial, and operational considerations
supporting meaningful settlement authority for the July 31, 2026 Federal OSHA Alternative Dispute
Resolution mediation.
The testimony respectfully asks the Council to convene the anticipated executive session, consider
the complete factual, legal, evidentiary, administrative, financial, and operational circumstances
surrounding the pending proceedings, and provide Corporation Counsel with meaningful and realistic
authority to negotiate a fair and comprehensive resolution during the July 31 mediation.
The testimony addresses, among other matters:
• the prior HIOSH determination concerning discrimination and pretext;
• my February 3, 2026 written and oral testimony concerning wastewater safety, environmental
compliance, and operational-readiness issues;
• my March 31, 2026 termination while the signed Federal OSHA ADR process remained pending
and HIOSH Case No. 26-005 remained open and under active investigation;
• the disputed scope and application of the alleged confined-space work restrictions and the prior
removal or restriction of my permit-required confined-space training;
• the County’s investigation, pre-determination process, shifting explanations, and my clean
disciplinary record;
• unresolved evidentiary and public-records issues affecting the completeness of the factual record;
• the continued nonpayment of accumulated vacation, compensatory time, and related payroll
adjustments; and
• the value of a coordinated resolution of Federal OSHA Complaint No. 301068292, HIOSH Case No.
26-005, and UPW Individual Termination Grievance No. 6046-0000-2026.0037.
I respectfully request that the attached testimony and Executive Summary be distributed to the
Council members before their consideration of Communication 957 and included in the official record
for the Council's July 23, 2026 meeting.
1
Mahalo for your assistance and for the opportunity to submit written testimony.
Respectfully submitted,
Alan Fukamizu
UPW Unit 168 Chief Steward
Former Wastewater Treatment Plant Operator II
2
Tsuneda, Kaci
From:Alan Fukamizu <fukamizu.alan@gmail.com>
Sent:Monday, July 20, 2026 8:02 PM
To:Council Testimony
Cc:Alan Fukamizu
Subject:Supplemental Exhibits to Testimony, Communication 957, Federal OSHA ADR and
Contemporaneous HR Notice
Attachments:Supplemental Exhibit_2.pdf; Supplemental_
3.1Response_to_Notice_of_Investigation_.pdf; SUPPLEMENTAL_3.2Notice of Leave
Without Pay Pending Investigation.pdf; Supplemental Exhibit_1.pdf
Aloha Chair, Vice Chair, and Honorable Members of the Hawai ʻ i County Council:
Earlier today, I submitted written testimony and an Executive Summary regarding Communication 957,
“Legal Proceedings Concerning Alan Fukamizu.”
Attached as four supplemental exhibits for inclusion with that submission are documents providing
direct, contemporaneous evidence concerning the County’s knowledge of my protected activity, the
initiation of the Federal OSHA ADR process, and the chronology preceding my March 31, 2026
termination. Limited redactions have been made to two exhibits to remove personal contact information
and other identifying information unnecessary to the Council’s consideration of Communication 957.
Supplemental Exhibit 1: March 2, 2026 OSHA Request for ADR Form signed by Department of
Environmental Management Director Daniel Girvan in Federal OSHA Complaint No. 301068292.
Supplemental Exhibit 2: March 5, 2026 U.S. Department of Labor letter acknowledging the parties’
mutual request for Alternative Dispute Resolution and confirming that the complaint had been formally
entered into the Federal OSHA ADR process.
Supplemental Exhibit 3: December 15, 2025 Defense and Preservation letter documenting my
contemporaneous written notice to Department of Environmental Management Human Resources
concerning my protected safety, environmental, whistleblower, and union activity, my retaliation
concerns, and my request for preservation of relevant evidence.
Supplemental Exhibit 4: December 15, 2025 email chain documenting my transmission of the Defense
and Preservation letter to Department of Environmental Management Human Resources and Human
Resources’ express confirmation of receipt.
Supplemental Exhibits 3 and 4 establish that DEM Human Resources had actual written notice of my
protected activity and retaliation concerns at the outset of the investigative and disciplinary process. On
December 15, 2025, Human Resources served me by email with a Notice of Leave Without Pay Pending
Investigation at 11:36 a.m. At 1:14 p.m. that same day, I transmitted my formal Defense and Preservation
letter directly to Human Resources, copied my union representative, requested confirmation of receipt,
and requested that the letter be placed in my official personnel file. At 1:25 p.m., DEM Human Resources
expressly confirmed receipt.
1
The Defense and Preservation letter identified my protected safety, environmental, whistleblower, and
union activity; expressly raised retaliation concerns; requested preservation of relevant documents,
communications, training records, inspection records, photographs, electronic data, and investigatory
materials; and reserved my rights and defenses. DEM Human Resources therefore had direct and
contemporaneous written notice of these matters before the County completed its investigation,
conducted the pre-determination process, or terminated my employment.
Supplemental Exhibits 1 and 2 establish the next critical part of the chronology. On March 2, 2026, the
DEM Director personally signed the County’s request to enter Federal OSHA ADR. On March 5, 2026, the
U.S. Department of Labor confirmed that the parties had mutually requested ADR and that Federal OSHA
Complaint No. 301068292 had been formally entered into the ADR process.
The March 5 letter further confirms that OSHA’s investigation was stayed pending mediation, not
dismissed or closed, and that the complaint would be returned for fact-finding investigation if settlement
was not achieved. Nevertheless, the County terminated my employment on March 31, 2026, while the
Federal OSHA ADR process remained pending.
Taken together, these exhibits establish a clear and documented sequence:
1. DEM Human Resources received and expressly acknowledged written notice of my protected
activity and retaliation concerns at the outset of the disciplinary process;
2. the DEM Director later signed the County’s request to pursue Federal OSHA ADR;
3. OSHA formally entered the whistleblower complaint into ADR and stayed its investigation pending
mediation; and
4. The County terminated my employment while that federal process remained pending.
These documents are directly relevant to the County’s knowledge, the chronology and integrity of the
investigative and disciplinary process, the legal and evidentiary risks presented by the pending
proceedings, and the need for meaningful and realistic settlement authority at the July 31, 2026
mediation.
I respectfully request that these supplemental exhibits be:
1. included with my previously submitted written testimony and Executive Summary;
2. distributed to the Council members before their consideration of Communication 957; and
3. included in the official record for the Council’s July 23, 2026 meeting.
Mahalo for your assistance.
Respectfully submitted,
Alan Fukamizu
UPW Unit 168 Chief Steward
Former Wastewater Treatment Plant Operator II
2
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Tsuneda, Kaci
From:Alan Fukamizu <fukamizu.alan@gmail.com>
Sent:Monday, July 20, 2026 9:04 PM
To:Council Testimony
Subject:Additional Supplemental Exhibits to Testimony, Communication 957, March 25, 2026
Pre-Determination Record
Attachments:Supplemental Exhibit 5.pdf; Supplemental Exhibit 6.pdf
Aloha Chair, Vice Chair, and Honorable Members of the Hawai ʻ i County Council:
Earlier today, I submitted written testimony, an Executive Summary, and supplemental exhibits regarding
Communication 957, “Legal Proceedings Concerning Alan Fukamizu.”
Attached for inclusion with those materials are two additional supplemental exhibits concerning the
March 25, 2026 pre-determination hearing, my written response to the proposed disciplinary action, and
the County’s receipt and consideration of that response before my March 31, 2026 termination.
Supplemental Exhibit 5: March 25, 2026 Written Response submitted for the record at the pre-
determination hearing.
Supplemental Exhibit 6: March 25, 2026 email chain documenting my transmission of the Written
Response to Department of Environmental Management Human Resources, DEM Director Daniel Girvan,
and my union representative, together with Human Resources’ express confirmation of receipt.
Supplemental Exhibit 5 sets forth my contemporaneous written defense to the proposed disciplinary
action. I submitted that response for the record at the March 25, 2026 pre-determination hearing. During
the approximately eight-minute meeting, DEM Director Daniel Girvan and Human Resources received
and examined the written submission, and Director Girvan expressly referred to its contents. An audio
recording of the meeting has been preserved and documents the proceedings.
In my written response, I denied refusing any lawful directive or engaging in insubordination; explained
that I had sought clarification concerning unclear and operationally conflicting safety restrictions;
identified my protected safety and environmental reporting, including my communication with EPA;
referenced the prior HIOSH determination concerning discrimination for protected activity; addressed
the timing of the proposed termination; and noted my clean disciplinary record and the absence of prior
corrective or progressive discipline.
During the meeting, Director Girvan acknowledged that my written submission discussed other actions
and events occurring in December 2025 and afterward. He then stated that the action the Department
intended to take was focused specifically on my alleged conduct of December 12, 2025, and that the
County’s position relied in part on information provided by unidentified “other people on the site” and on
my written communication.
Director Girvan further stated that “our decision” did not refer to the other dates or events identified in
my response and characterized the proposed action as being based solely on the alleged conduct of
1
December 12, 2025. The recording documents these statements and preserves the limited discussion
that occurred during the approximately eight-minute proceeding.
The recording also reflects that the broader matters addressed in my written response, including my
protected safety and environmental activity, my EPA communication, the prior HIOSH discrimination
determination, the disputed operational application of the alleged restrictions, my retaliation concerns,
and the absence of prior discipline, were not substantively discussed during the meeting. After
explaining the Department’s stated position concerning December 12, Director Girvan asked whether I
had anything further to present. I responded that my written statement reflected my position and that I
relied upon it for the record.
Supplemental Exhibit 6 further establishes that, at 2:08 p.m. on March 25, 2026, I transmitted the same
written response directly to DEM Human Resources, DEM Director Daniel Girvan, and my union
representative. I expressly requested confirmation of receipt and inclusion of the response in the
administrative record. At 2:13 p.m., DEM Human Resources confirmed receipt, with Director Girvan and
my union representative included in the correspondence.
These exhibits establish that DEM Human Resources and the DEM Director received and examined my
written response during the March 25 pre-determination hearing, expressly referred to its contents, and
received the same submission electronically immediately following the meeting. They therefore had
direct notice of my defenses, my protected safety and environmental activity, my retaliation concerns,
the disputed scope and application of the alleged work restrictions, and my clean disciplinary record
before the County terminated my employment six days later, on March 31, 2026.
They also complete an important portion of the chronology already documented in my earlier
supplemental exhibits:
1. On March 2, 2026, the DEM Director signed the County’s request to pursue Federal OSHA ADR.
2. On March 5, 2026, OSHA formally entered the whistleblower complaint into ADR.
3. On March 25, 2026, I submitted my detailed written response for the record at the pre-
determination hearing.
4. During the approximately eight-minute meeting, the DEM Director and Human Resources
received and examined the response, and the Director expressly referred to its contents.
5. During that meeting, the Director stated that the Department’s intended action was focused
specifically on the alleged conduct of December 12, 2025, referred to information from
unidentified “other people on the site,” and used the phrase “our decision” when describing the
Department’s position.
6. An audio recording of the pre-determination meeting has been preserved and documents the
proceeding.
7. At 2:08 p.m. that same day, I transmitted the written response directly to Human Resources, the
DEM Director, and my union representative and requested its inclusion in the administrative
record.
8. At 2:13 p.m., Human Resources expressly confirmed receipt.
9. On March 31, 2026, the County terminated my employment while the Federal OSHA ADR process
remained pending.
Taken together, these exhibits and the preserved audio record show that the County’s final decision was
made after DEM Human Resources and the DEM Director had received and examined my detailed
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written defense, after the Director had expressly referred to its contents during the pre-determination
hearing, and after the County had entered the federal whistleblower matter into ADR.
They are directly relevant to the County’s knowledge, the adequacy and integrity of the pre-determination
process, the extent to which my written defenses were meaningfully considered, the County’s reliance
on information attributed to unidentified individuals, the legal and evidentiary risks presented by the
pending proceedings, and the need for meaningful and realistic settlement authority at the July 31, 2026
mediation.
I respectfully request that Supplemental Exhibits 5 and 6 be:
1. included with my previously submitted written testimony, Executive Summary, and supplemental
exhibits;
2. distributed to the Council members before their consideration of Communication 957; and
3. included in the official record for the Council’s July 23, 2026 meeting.
Mahalo for your assistance.
Respectfully submitted,
Alan Fukamizu
UPW Unit 168 Chief Steward
Former Wastewater Treatment Plant Operator II
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Tsuneda, Kaci
From:Alan Fukamizu <fukamizu.alan@gmail.com>
Sent:Wednesday, July 22, 2026 11:30 AM
To:Council Testimony
Subject:Supplemental Testimony Submission Regarding Communication 957
Attachments:SUPPLEMENTAL QUESTIONS FOR COUNCIL.CONSIDERATION REGARDING
COMMUNICATION 957.pdf
Aloha Chair, Vice Chair, and Honorable Members of the Hawai ʻ i County Council:
Yesterday, I submitted written testimony, an Executive Summary, and supporting exhibits regarding
Communication 957, “Legal Proceedings Concerning Alan Fukamizu.”
Attached for inclusion with those materials is my supplemental testimony document
titled “Supplemental Questions for Council Consideration Regarding Communication 957.”
The attached questions are respectfully submitted to assist the Council in evaluating the factual, legal,
evidentiary, administrative, constitutional, financial, and settlement issues presented by the pending
proceedings. They identify matters that may warrant careful consideration during the anticipated
executive session and in determining appropriate settlement authority for the July 31, 2026 Federal
OSHA Alternative Dispute Resolution mediation.
For the Council’s awareness, the underlying supplementals, evidence, exhibits, and records supporting
these questions comprising more than 200 pages of documentation have already been transmitted
directly to Corporation Counsel. County legal counsel therefore has had direct access to the supporting
record before its confidential consultation with the Council.
The supplemental questions address, among other matters:
the County’s changing descriptions of the conduct underlying the investigation and discharge;
the clarity, scope, and operational enforceability of the alleged work restrictions;
the County’s SSP-2 confined-space classifications and procedures;
the November 9, 2025 supervisory discussion and the continuing need for clarification;
the November 26, 2025 safety disclosure and the County’s contemporaneous response;
the County’s prior written notice of protected safety, environmental, regulatory, and union
activity;
the limited scope of the March 10, 2026 investigative report;
evidence not disclosed before the March 25, 2026 pre-determination meeting;
constitutional due process and potential federal civil-rights exposure;
progressive discipline and potentially comparable DEM disciplinary outcomes;
the prior contested HIOSH determination that found discrimination and pretext;
the recurring involvement of the same direct supervisor in the prior and current matters;
the March 31, 2026 termination while Federal OSHA ADR and HIOSH proceedings remained
pending; and
the scope of meaningful monetary and nonmonetary settlement authority.
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The questions are not intended to direct or prejudge the Council’s deliberations, request public
disclosure of attorney client privileged advice, or ask the Council to make a public determination of
disputed facts or liability. I am not requesting written or public answers from individual Council
members.
They are respectfully submitted to identify issues that may assist the Council in its confidential
consultation with Corporation Counsel and in evaluating whether the County’s settlement position fully
accounts for the complete record, potential exposure, available remedies, and the value of achieving a
fair and comprehensive resolution.
I respectfully request that the attached supplemental testimony be:
included with my previously submitted written testimony, Executive Summary, and supporting
exhibits;
distributed to the Council members before consideration of Communication 957; and
included in the official record for the Council’s July 23, 2026 meeting.
Mahalo for your time and assistance.
Respectfully submitted,
Alan Fukamizu
UPW Unit 168 Chief Steward
Former Wastewater Treatment Plant Operator II
2