Voting record and executive decisions
Campaign promises describe intentions. Recorded votes, introduced legislation and signed bills show how candidates used public authority when they had it.
Wailea 670 / Honuaʻula amendments
Reduced and revised development conditions
The amendments removed references to 450 affordable units within the project district and revised other conditions for the 1,150-home Honuaʻula project. Supporters argued the changes made the long-delayed project feasible and retained workforce housing and community benefits. Opponents argued the county was surrendering affordable-housing commitments made when the project was approved.
| Candidate | Official action | What it meant |
|---|---|---|
| Yuki Lei Sugimura | Voted yes | Joined the 5–4 Council majority advancing the amendments. The recorded majority was Sugimura, Alice Lee, Tasha Kama, Tom Cook and Nohelani Uʻu-Hodgins. |
| Richard Bissen | Signed the bills | Approved the Council-passed amendments on August 20, 2025, allowing the revised project framework to take effect. |
| P. Denise La Costa | No recorded vote | She did not hold a Council or mayoral office responsible for these 2025 actions. |
Proposed pesticide and fertilizer exemption
A proposal to exempt specified county properties from the organic-land-management rule
The Bissen administration’s Parks and Recreation Department sought an exemption allowing pesticide and fertilizer use at county parks with grass playing surfaces and at Waiehu Municipal Golf Course. Critics characterized this as reversing the county’s 2021 restrictions; parks officials said available organic methods had not adequately controlled weeds without damaging turf.
| Candidate | Documented action | Important limitation |
|---|---|---|
| Richard Bissen | Administration proposal | The proposal came through his administration, but a mayor does not cast a Council vote. |
| Yuki Lei Sugimura | No final passage vote found | The measure was referred to committee and deferred. The official file shows no recorded committee recommendation or final Council passage. |
| P. Denise La Costa | No recorded action | She did not hold the relevant county office. |
Official Bill 131 file • Independent report on the proposal and deferral
Bill 9 vacation-rental phase-out
| Candidate | Official action | Position shown by action |
|---|---|---|
| Richard Bissen | Introduced and signed | Made the apartment-district vacation-rental phase-out a central administration housing policy. |
| Yuki Lei Sugimura | Voted no | Opposed the final legislation and argued its economic and property impacts were insufficiently resolved. |
| P. Denise La Costa | No recorded vote | She was not serving on the Council. |
Full Bill 9 analysis • County record of final passage and signature
How to use this with campaign finance
A contribution and a vote occurring in the same policy area can justify closer scrutiny, but it does not prove a transaction or improper influence. A defensible connection requires verified donor identity, timing, economic interest, communications or lobbying records, and the official’s stated rationale. This guide therefore presents funding and governing actions side by side without asserting causation.