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  • Ala Moana-Kakaako Neighborhood Board Meeting JULY 2026 Minutes - STAY CONNECTED

With Permission / Courtesy of: City and County of Honolulu Neighborhood Commission Office

ALA MOANA - KAKA‘AKO NEIGHBORHOOD BOARD NO. 11

DRAFT REGULAR MEETING WRITTEN SUMMARY FOR VIDEO RECORD
TUESDAY, JULY 28, 2026 at 6:00 P.M.
MAKIKI CHRISTIAN CHURCH, 829 PENSACOLA STREET, HONOLULU, HI 96814
AND VIA WEBEX

Video Recording of Meeting: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t3hLGbmwl8k

Google Drive Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dm7PfnzM3Wc

1. CALL TO ORDER -- [0:00:48]: Chair Pro Tem Kathleen Lee called the Ala Moana-Kakaʻako Neighborhood Board No. 11 meeting to order at 6:03 p.m. Quorum was established with eight (8) members present. Note: This 11-member Board requires six (6) members to establish a quorum and to take official Board action.

Board Members Present: Rodney Chang, Dyson Chee, Chris Chung, Quinn Hashimoto, Kathleen Lee, Sheri Rand, Jeanne Rice, Dale Vanderbrink, Kaili Morala (arrived 6:02 p.m.), Lori Farinas (arrived 6:21 p.m.), and Richard Egged (appointed).

Board Member(s) Absent: None.

Guests: Firefighter Waters, Captain M. Hino (Honolulu Fire Department); Captain Scott Matsumura, Assistant Chief Brian Lynch, Major Henry Roberts, Sergeant K. Noda (Honolulu Police Department); Jared Kimura (Councilmember Nishimoto); Mark Yonamine (Mayor Blangiradi); Malcolm Iwami (Councilmember Tyler Dos Santos-Tam); Representative Adrian Tam (State House District 24); Representative Kim Coco Iwamoto, Kate Ozawa (State House District 25); Ashton Stallings (Governor Josh Green); Senator Sharon Moriwaki (Senate District 12); Todd Adams, Anna Armstrong, Laura Ruby, Janel Fujinaka, Michele Opitek, Ronald Higa (Residents); and Camilia Epa Gomes (Neighborhood Commission Office (NCO). Note: Name was not included if not legible. There were 30 total participants.

Roll Call Attendance -- [0:00:50]: Chair Pro Tem Lee called for a roll call of members present, which was conducted by Neighborhood Assistant (NA) Epa Gomes.

Candidate forum announcement -- [0:01:30]: Chair Pro Tem mentioned the board will be holding a candidate forum at the end of their regular board meeting.

2. PUBLIC SAFETY REPORTS -- [0:01:55]

Honolulu Fire Department (HFD) -- [0:01:55]: This item was skipped due to no representative present at this time.

Member Morala joined the meeting at 6:02 p.m.; 9 members present.

Honolulu Police Department (HPD)-- [0:02:14]: Sergeant K. Noda, along with District 1 command presented the following:
• Crime Statistics for June 2026: 12 motor vehicle thefts (16 prior month); 4 burglaries (3 prior month); 100 thefts (previous month 104); 7 unauthorized entries into motor vehicles (8 prior month); 24 assaults (23 prior month); 1 sexual assault (2 prior month); 0 graffiti cases (4 prior month); 4 drug cases (5 prior month); 96 motor vehicle collisions (123 prior month); and 3,202 total calls for service (3,308 prior month).
• Safety Tip -- Back-to-School: With public school resuming Monday, August 3, 2026, drivers were asked to be more vigilant around crosswalks and pedestrians.

Questions, comments, and concerns followed -- [0:03:34]
1. Kona Street Shootings -- Business Safety Measures: Member VanderBrink asked what businesses could do to help prevent recurring shootings on Kona St. Sergeant Noda recommended surveillance cameras, noting investigations are hampered without them and by uncooperative witnesses.
2. Additional Deterrent Technology: Member Chung asked about other technological measures beyond cameras and lighting. Sergeant Noda said he was not the technical resource for that question and deferred to HPD colleagues.
3. HPD/JL Capital Safety Presentation: Member Rice commended HPD's community safety presentation with JL Capital as it was well attended by community leaders (area general managers, businesses, religious leaders, and board members, etc.) and asked HPD to consider similar presentations in other parts of the district. District 1 Captain Matsumura welcomed further requests from community groups for similar sessions.
4. Follow-Ups for Sheridan St./Kapiolani Blvd. Stanchions & Dog Bite Cases: Captain Matsumura reported HPD continues to defer stanchion repair to DTS and encouraged residents to report via the HNL 311 app; he noted only three collisions were recorded at that intersection over the past year. Captain Matsumura noted that dog-attack cases are still not separately tracked in board statistics, and that the individual in the previously discussed high-profile case was arrested on the outstanding warrant and is proceeding through the legal process.
5. Recent Coffee with a Cop Turnout: Member Hashimoto thanked HPD for its strong turnout at the Tuesday, July 14, 2026 Coffee with a Cop at the Keʻeaumoku McDonald's.
6. Street Racing/Loud Mufflers Follow-Up: Member Rand thanked HPD for a fast, effective response after she reported a street-racing caravan near Ala Moana Beach Park, Ward, and Kapiʻolani.
7. Increased ATV Patrols at Ala Moana Regional Park: Member Rice asked whether increased ATV patrols at Ala Moana Regional Park were in response to specific complaints. Captain Matsumura said the park is a regular patrol focus and that day's presence was routine.
8. Appreciation for Increased HPD Presence: Member VanderBrink thanked HPD for increased in-person attendance, invited the new HPD chief to attend a future board meeting. Captain Matsumura noted increased HPD coordination with the Liquor Commission on weekend bar/nightclub inspections.

• Drones as First Responder (DFR) Program Presentation -- [0:15:25]: HPD Assistant Chief Brian Lynch briefly shared HPD's upcoming Drones as a First Responder pilot program launching in August 2026 in Districts 1 and 5. Drones respond only to arrive 911 calls to provide situational awareness ahead of ground officers, including for incidents such as fights, missing persons, and wandering kupuna. Assistant Chief Lynch shared further details on the flight parameters, recording, and transparency. Multiple board members asked questions regarding: drone altitude, FAA restrictions, on scene video recording, program follow-up, and public flight logs. More information on the program is to come and will be published on https://www.honolulupd.org/.

Member Farinas joined the meeting at 6:21 p.m.; 10 members present.

Hearing no objections, Chair Lee returned to item 2.1 Honolulu Fire Department.

Honolulu Fire Department (HFD) -- [0:23:10]: Firefighter M. Waters highlighted the following:
• June 2026 Statistics: 0 structure fires; 0 wildland/brush fires; 6 nuisance fires; 1 cooking fire; 32 activated alarms with no fire; 150 medical emergencies; 1 motor vehicle collision with a pedestrian; 3 additional motor vehicle collisions; 0 mountain rescues; 0 ocean rescues; and 1 hazardous materials incident.
• Fire Safety Tip -- Hiking Safety: Plan ahead and choose a trail matching your skill level, check the weather, stay on marked trails, hike with a buddy, and watch the time so you return before dark.
• Report: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1vWi-MsAMNio5GbQnqJVmtW-3v6ZMM3hX/view?usp=drive_link

Questions, comments, and concerns followed -- [0:25:40]
1. Frequent False Alarms: Member Chung asked why activated-alarm calls (32 in June) so rarely involve an actual fire and whether better private maintenance would reduce them. Firefighter Waters and Captain M. Hino explained most such calls originate from commercial building alarm systems malfunctioning (moisture, wiring, weather) rather than residential smoke detectors, and said improved upkeep would only marginally reduce the volume.

Hearing no objections, Chair Lee returned to the regular order of business at this time.

3. PRESENTATIONS -- [0:27:30]: In light of the candidate forum immediately following the meeting, no presentations were scheduled for this board meeting.

4. BOARD BUSINESS -- [0:27:34]

Election of Officers -- [0:27:35]: Chair Lee opened nominations for the board's officers to serve July 2026 through June 30, 2027.

[0:27:58] -- Chee nominated Kathleen Lee to serve as chair. Hearing no further nominations, a roll-call vote was conducted. The board elected Kathleen Lee as chair; 10-0-0 (Lee: Chang, Chee, Chung, Farinas, Hashimoto, Morala, Rand, Rice, Vanderbrink, Lee; Nay: None; Abstain: None) -- [0:28:50].

[0:28:58] -- Vanderbrink nominated Jeanne Rice to serve as first vice-chair. Hearing no further nominations, a roll-call vote was conducted. The board elected Jeanne Rice as first vice-chair; 10-0-0 (Rice: Chang, Chee, Chung, Farinas, Hashimoto, Morala, Rand, Rice, Vanderbrink, Lee; Nay: None; Abstain: None) -- [0:29:35].

[0:29:35] -- Hashimoto nominated Dale Vanderbrink to serve as second vice-chair. Hearing no further nominations, a roll-call vote was conducted. The board elected Dale Vanderbrink as second vice-chair; 10-0-0 (Vanderbrink: Chang, Chee, Chung, Farinas, Hashimoto, Morala, Rand, Rice, Vanderbrink, Lee; Nay: None; Abstain: None) -- [0:30:10].

[0:30:20] -- Vanderbrink nominated Kaili Morala to serve as secretary. Morala declined the nomination. [0:30:38] -- Rand nominated Lori Farinas to serve as secretary. Hearing no further nominations, a roll-call vote was conducted. The board elected Lori Farinas as secretary; 10-0-0 (Farinas: Chang, Chee, Chung, Farinas, Hashimoto, Morala, Rand, Rice, Vanderbrink, Lee; Nay: None; Abstain: None) -- [0:31:10].

[0:31:30] -- Rice nominated Dyson Chee to serve as treasurer. Hearing no further nominations, a roll-call vote was conducted. The board elected Dyson Chee as treasurer; 10-0-0 (Chee: Chang, Chee, Chung, Farinas, Hashimoto, Morala, Rand, Rice, Vanderbrink, Lee; Nay: None; Abstain: None) -- [0:32:03].

Determination of Recess Schedule -- [0:32:10]: Chair Lee opened up discussion on confirming the board's recess schedule.

[0:33:15] -- Hearing no objections, the board set December 2026 as its recess month for the year; 10-0-0 (Aye: Chang, Chee, Chung, Farinas, Hashimoto, Morala, Rand, Rice, Vanderbrink, Lee; Nay: None; Abstain: None) -- [0:33:20].

Approval of the June 23, 2026 Regular Meeting Minutes -- [0:33:22]: [0:33:38] -- Member Rice MOVED and Member Vanderbrink SECONDED to approve the June 2026 minutes as written. Hearing no objections, the motion was ADOPTED; 10-0-0 (Aye: Chang, Chee, Chung, Farinas, Hashimoto, Morala, Rand, Rice, Vanderbrink, Lee; Nay: None; Abstain: None) -- [0:33:50].

Board Vacancy for Subdistrict 3 -- [0:33:55]: Resident Rick Egged, a Subdistrict 3 resident, retired President of the Waikīkī Improvement Association (27 years), and former State Planning Director, volunteered to fill the vacant seat.

[0:35:25] -- Vanderbrink nominated Rick Egged to fill the vacant SD3 seat. Further discussion followed. A roll-call vote was conducted. Rick Egged filled the SD3 seat; 10-0-0 (Egged: Chang, Chee, Chung, Farinas, Hashimoto, Morala, Rand, Rice, Vanderbrink, Lee; Nay: None; Abstain: None) -- [0:39:00].

[0:39:05] -- Hearing no objections, Chair Lee called for a recess to allow, to allow Rick Egged to be sworn in by NA Epa Gomes.

Rick Egged joined the meeting at 6:41 p.m.; 11 members present.

[0:39:14] -- The board reconvened following the recess.

Action Committee Updates -- [0:39:30]: Committee Chair Rice highlighted the following:
• Legislator One-on-Ones: Reported on the Action Committee's Thursday, July 9, 2026 one-on-one meeting with Representative Ikaika Olds, describing it as informative and transparent, and announced the next Action Committee meeting for Thursday, August 13, 2026, with Senator Sharon Moriwaki and Councilmember Scott Nishimoto. Second Vice Chair VanderBrink encouraged community members to attend future one-on-ones for more in-depth discussion.

Voter Registration Drive -- [0:41:41]: Member Morala reported the drive will likely be held at the Kakaʻako Farmers Market, targeting younger residents, ahead of the August 2026 primary election.

Attendance/Presence at Other Meetings/Events -- [0:42:12]: No additional items were raised beyond First Vice Chair Rice's earlier comments on the Tuesday, July 14, 2026 HPD/JL Capital community safety presentation.

5. SUBDISTRICT REPORTS -- [0:42:30]: No reports at this time.
6. RESIDENTS' AND COMMUNITY CONCERNS -- [0:42:35]

Vibration/Low Frequency Noise at Ulana at Ward Village (Resident Anna Armstrong) -- [0:42:42]: Ms. Armstrong provided a video of the noise from inside her apartment. Ms. Armstrong described ongoing low-frequency noise and vibration in her family's reserved-housing unit since move-in, said developer Howard Hughes has not conducted a meaningful in-unit investigation despite repeated requests, and asked Hawaiʻi Community Development Authority (HCDA) to ensure an independent investigation occurs before the unit could be resold to another family.
• Video: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1_tvTD0NfN4IML3VnzhapGSFgeAQ-GgGb/view?usp=drive_link

Vibration/Low Frequency Noise at Ulana at Ward Village (Resident Todd Adams) -- [0:46:23]: Mr. Adams, a first-time reserved-housing homeowner at Ulana, said Howard Hughes responded to his complaints through legal counsel rather than an in-unit investigation, disputed the adequacy of acoustical testing presented to HCDA (limited to two measurement points in a stairwell), and asked HCDA to clarify the scope of a proposed five-person, 30-minute unit visit before agreeing to it.
• Testimony: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1K-nW-RnzAffyT2lr7_Vc6kr2jhF6CbPa/view?usp=drive_link

Proposed Ala Wai Canal Ferry Service -- [0:50:05]: Community member Laura Ruby asked the board to place a resolution supporting low-cost pedestrian/bicycle ferry service across the Ala Wai Canal on next month's agenda and requested time for a fuller presentation with visuals.

Makaloa St./Sheridan St. Four-Way Stop -- [0:52:40]: Member Chang noted DTS converted the Makaloa St./Sheridan St. intersection to a four-way stop more quickly than the Board's long-pending request for delineator posts at Kapiʻolani Blvd./Sheridan St. has been addressed, and asked the board to note the discrepancy.

Possible Kapiʻolani Blvd./Keʻeaumoku St. Four-Way Conversion -- [0:53:50]: Member VanderBrink said he had heard DTS may also convert the Kapiʻolani Blvd./Keʻeaumoku St. intersection to a four-way crossing but did not know how far those discussions had progressed.

Waikīkī All-Walk Crosswalk Experience -- [0:54:18]: Member Rice asked new Subdistrict 3 Member Egged, drawing on his Waikīkī Improvement Association experience, whether all-walk ("Barnes dance") crosswalk conversions have been well received there. Mr. Egged said his personal observation was positive but that he had no quantitative data.

7. ELECTED OFFICIAL REPORTS -- [0:55:19]: In the interest of time, Chair Lee requested that elected officials submit reports in writing rather than presenting orally; no elected official raised a specific issue requiring board discussion.

8. AGENCY REPORTS -- [0:55:19]: As above, written reports were requested in lieu of oral presentations from the HCDA and the Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation (HART); no agency representative raised a specific issue requiring board discussion.

9. ANNOUNCEMENTS -- [0:55:48]

Voter Registration -- [0:55:50]: Registered members should have received notice by mail; status can be checked at https://olvr.hawaii.gov.

Social Media -- [0:56:00]: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AlaMoanaKakaʻakoNB11; Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alamoanaKakaʻakonb11/

Next Meetings -- [0:56:02]:
• Action Committe Meeting: Thursday, August 13, 2026.
• Regular Board Meeting: Tuesday, August 25, 2026.

The ʻŌlelo Broadcasts -- [0:56:11]: Recordings of the meetings are broadcasted on ʻŌlelo 49 on the first and third Thursdays at 8:00 a.m. or 2:00 p.m., and every second Sunday at 6:00 p.m. The full schedule is at https://olelo.org/tv-schedule/ Recordings may also be viewed at https://www.honolulu.gov/cms-nco-menu/site-nco-sitearticles/1657-board-meeting-video-archive.html

9. ADJOURNMENT -- [0:56:20]: Chair Lee adjourned the meeting at 6:57 p.m. Following adjournment of the regular meeting, the board hosted a nonpartisan candidate forum for the 2026 election. Tyler Dos Santos-Tam (City Council District 6), Ikaika Olds and Victo Muh (State House District 23), Adrian Tam (State House District 24 ) and Kim Coco Iwamoto (State House District 25) gave one-minute introductions, responded to community questions on topics including housing, homelessness, campaign financing, government integrity, HCDA housing unit, development, cos of living, government reform, Lt. Governor resignation, and delivered closing statements. The forum concluded at approximately 8:18 p.m. -- [2:17:13]. A full video record of the forum is available on the NCO YouTube channel.

Submitted by: Camilia Epa Gomes, Neighborhood Assistant, NCO
Reviewed by: Zhoydell Magaoay, Neighborhood Assistant, NCO
Finalized by: Lori Farinas, Secretary, Neighborhood Board No. 11

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