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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2021-10-21 Redistricting Commission Public Hearing minutes (District 4) 2021 HAWAII COUNTY REDISTRICTING COMMISSION COUNCIL DISTRICT 4 PUBLIC HEARING Portion of Puna(Eastern) Thursday, October 21, 2021, 6:00 p.m. Pahoa District Park Community Center 15-3022 Kauhale Street Pahoa, Hawaii 96778 CALL TO ORDER: HUSTACE: Aloha! Welcome, everyone! Good evening! to our fourth session, our fourth public hearing for the Hawaii County Redistricting Commission. Today is October 21" Thursday, October 21". My name is James Hustace and I am the Vice Chair of the Hawaii County Redistricting Commission. I'll just read a brief announcement here. Because of the Coronavirus COVID-19 Emergency and State and Federal guidance on large meetings or gatherings, and pursuant to the Mayor's Proclamations regarding COVID-19, the Redistricting Commission meetings are limited to smaller gatherings for our in-person site this evening. Members of the public may view or provide oral testimony either at this remote site or via the Zoom platform. You can request this information, to join our meetings and provide testimony, by emailing Hawaii Redistricting CommissionI will give you the right email in a second. But thank you for joining us and thank you understanding. It is 6:02 in the evening. I will call this public hearing to order. STATEMENTS FROM THE PUBLIC HUSTACE: I welcome our guests that are joining us this evening. This evening is, once again, our fourth session. We have a remote site set up at Pahoa District Park Community Center this evening. We look forward to testimony from the public. Relley, do we have any guests this evening joining us? ARACELEY: Thank you, Vice Chair. We have a few folks. We have someone in the Zoom with us, but I believe they are just viewing the meeting. HUSTACE: Okay. Thank you, Relley. So, once again if you'd like to provide testimony and participate in this process, you can email the Commission at redistrictingcommission@hawaiicounty.gov or there are phone numbers I can provide too, but that's probably the best way to do, to reach out to the Commission and communicate with the Commission. We also have a couple of Commissioners on the call this evening, listening in. And we hope to have testimony from the public. So, we will give it about half an hour, like we've done with our previous public hearings, to see if we have guests from the public join us and provide testimony to the Commissioners. So, thank you for joining us and we will wait patiently until we have someone join us here, either at the public site or online. Mahalo. Please note that during this time, Commissioners and support staff were on stand-by. ARACELEY: Hi, Vice Chair. Just informing you that we have a testifier here. HUSTACE: Thank you, Relley. Ma'am, if you could introduce yourself and your location of residence. I believe we'll allow you three minutes to provide testimony to the Commissioners. Is that correct, Relley? (No response.) O'HARA: Hi! My name is Eileen O'Hara. Thank you. I live in Hawaiian Shores, [redacted personal information]. That's District 4, Council District 4, and it's Senate District 2 and House District 4, at this time. My suggestion, since there has to be some changes to Districts 4 and 5 to meet with the required amounts is, if possible, don't split Pahoa town proper between two districts. Right now, the line runs down the main street of Pahoa. And could we find another designation to include all of Pahoa town in either 4 or 5. That's what I'm asking, if we could figure out a designation that would allow the town of Pahoa to be represented by a single councilperson. It's represented by a single House member and a single Senator, but it's represented by two council members. And that has been a little problematic in getting things done. So, that's my testimony, is to consider that when you're divvying up the districts. It looks like District 5 has to be shaved down a bit. And District 4 can't take too much addition of population and still meet the variation that you allow. So, I realize these are challenging things to do, but please find a way to keep the town whole. That would be something that the constituents around here have been asking for for a while. Thank you. HUSTACE: Thank you, Ms. O'Hara. Appreciate your testimony. Please note that during this time, Commissioners and support staff were on stand-by. HUSTACE: Aloha, Relley. Just checking in with you. ARACELEY: Hi, Chair. It doesn't seem like we have any more testifiers for tonight. HUSTACE: All right. Well, thank you for your patience. I just want to thank the County staff that joined us to support this effort and setting up the satellite site in Pahoa this evening. I'd like to thank the Commissioners for joining us. Do we have a testifier wishing to speak, Relley? ARACELEY: Yes. Yes, Chair. We have one more testifier. 2 HUSTACE: Wonderful! Thank you. Welcome, ma'am. If you could state your name and where you live and reside, and we'll give you three minutes to testify to the Commission. Thank you for your time and thank you for joining us. SAN BUENAVENTURA: Thank you. Hi! I'm Senator Joy San Buenaventura. I reside in Hawaiian Paradise Park. And just similar to the prior testimony, when you are looking at the lines, my request is that you try to keep subdivisions together instead of dividing them in any portion. And the reasons for that is, whenever there is like community association meetings, it's difficult to have two competing county council people addressing the needs of one subdivision, especially if they do not agree. It works really well if they agree, but sometimes as shown here in Puna, sometimes they don't agree. So, that's basically my request, is when you folks do the lines,to try to keep subdivisions in one district, one county council district. Thank you. HUSTACE: Thank you, Senator. Good to see you. Thank you for joining us. Aloha. Relley, it looks like we had a couple other people coming through the door. Are they willing to testify or join us? ARACELEY: No, those are the same folks, Chair. Those are all the testifiers that it seems that you have for tonight. ANNOUNCEMENTS/ CLOSING REMARKS HUSTACE: Okay. Just wanted to check there. Okay well, I just wanted to thank you, Relley, and the staff there for setting up the satellite site this evening. We will start to close here this evening. Our next scheduled public hearing,to represent Council District 5, will be held at the Kea'au Community Center on Monday, October 25th. If you would like to provide testimony to the Commission, once again,please email us at redistrictingcommission@hawaiicounty.gov and we appreicate your patience and joining us this evening. Thank you, Commissioners, for being on the call. Have a great evening. Aloha. Respectfully Submitted, Qlk,j Uw- Nicole Bello, support staff to the Commission 3