Keeping this special place our home
I feel really lucky to have been born and raised here and I know how special our community is — not just because of the place it is, but because of the people who call it home. It's our kuleana to work together to protect what makes this place special so our kids can grow up here too. That’s why I’ve been fighting to protect our community and working as hard as I can to deliver real results. And working together, we've accomplished a lot!
Standing Up For the People In Our Community
Chris was born and raised in our community and will always stand up for our neighbors. He has fought time and again to protect local families no matter how big the challenge.
Stopping A New Landfill Near Homes In Our Area
When a new landfill was proposed next to homes in Keolu Hills, Chris organized the community, fought to site the facility elsewhere, and successfully had the area removed from landfill consideration.
Preventing Dangerous Activity At Businesses
As outdoor fighting, excessive late-night noise, and questionable behavior spilled into a residential neighborhood next to The Shack, Chris took action on behalf of local families and helped the business change its practices to prevent problems, allowing the bar and its neighbors to peacefully coexist.
Protecting Our Community From The Negative Impacts Of Careless Projects
When a new Wendy’s was proposed with a drive-through and parking lot emptying directly in front of homes on a quiet residential street, creating traffic and safety issues, Chris stood up on the neighbors behalf and got funding to build a barrier preventing restaurant traffic from impacting the neighborhood.
Pushing The Military To Be Better Neighbors
For years the military conducted loud late night training that impacted windward neighborhoods. Chris stepped in and had base leaders keep training to reasonable hours. Later, when a fence was to be built right next to homes, Chris and Rep. Lisa Marten had the military change plans to accommodate residents.
Stopping Tour Buses In Our Neigborhoods
Chris intervened to prevent the state from allowing parking for commercial tour buses near Kailua neighborhoods. Later, he passed SB766 (2021) to raise fines for tour companies illegally dropping tourists off in residential areas, empowering anyone to report illegal activity, and allowing easier enforcement.
Keeping Homes From Flooding
After Waimanalo stream flooding threatened dozens of homes, Chris worked to secure $10 million to fix the bottleneck causing flooding during heavy rains. He intervened to stop the state from shutting down a project to house homeless families on flood lands, and instead got the state to fix the flooding issue.
Fixing Decaying Homestead Houses
Chris stepped in to help families in Waimanalo whose homestead houses were falling into disrepair and couldn't get landlord agencies to fix them. Chris passed SR71 (2023) directing agencies to take action, and worked with Rep. Lisa Marten to organize a community meeting bringing agencies out to help residents.
Keeping Neighborhood Streets Safe From Dangerous Speeders
When residents in Waimanalo complained that cars speeding down residential streets endangered area families, Chris stepped in, organized neighbors on the street around a solution, and provided funding to implement the fix that stopped speeders and kept the neighborhood safe.
Protecting Our Land And Environment
Chris will always fight to protect the critical habitat and open green spaces that make our side of the island so special. He has raised funds and passed laws that have acquired and protected over 1100 acres of critical habitat here in our community for future generations.
Saving Maunawili Valley
Ten years ago Maunawili resdient Oz Stender and a coalition of local residents approached Chris to help save Maunawili Valley from being sold off. The valley contains historic native Hawaiian terraces and heiau, Queen Liliuokalani's bath, and was where she composed Aloha Oe. Chris helped push the landowne to work with the community, and secured the final funding needed to acquire the valley to be preserved as part of the public trust in perpetuity.
Protecting The Kaiwi Coast In Perpetuity
Chris worked with our community to save the last unspoiled stretch of coast on the Eastside. He helped work with the community to raise funding to preserve the area, and passed SB1254 (2023) which legally protects the coastline in its wild and natural state in perpetuity, forever safeguarding 50 years of community-led work to save these lands.
Preserving And Restoring Kawainui Marsh
There is no other native habitat like Kawainui Marsh, and Chris fought back proposals to commercialize it, and has secured over $14 million to restore it as an active wetland habitat for future generations.
Stopping The Degredation of Our Offshore Islands
As unregulated commercial kayak rentals overwhelmed native bird habitats on Flat Island and the Mokuluas, Chris worked to help adopt rules changes that limited the number of tourist kayaks that could land on the islands each day, and establish tourist fees to fund habitat restoration and enforcement.
Preventing Illegal Development On Our Preservation Lands
When new landowners began illegally clearing and grading steep hillside preservation areas without permits, Chris helped organize local residents to stop the work before it destabilized the terrain and caused rockfalls into the homes below.
Protecting Conservation Lands (HPU)
When the former 140 acre HPU campus at the base of the Pali was put up for sale, Chris acted quickly to secure $21 million to acquire it for the public trust, to preserve the conservation lands in perpetuity, and provide a windward home for conservation enforcement, invasive species, and other efforts.
Restoring Kailua's Hamakua Wetlands And Answering Public Requests For A Dog Park
Chris spearheaded an effort that secured $1.5 million for efforts to restore and improve the Hamakua Marsh area, provide safer pedestrian connections between the Kawainui Marsh dike path and Kailua town, and got another $4.8 million to restore Hamakua wetlands and construct a nearby community dog park. The projects are currently being designed and implemented.
Waimanalo Trails Restoration
When members of New Town And Country Stables in Waimanalo asked for help restoring trails used for equestrian, hiking, and biking that had been degraded by landslides, erosion, and overuse, Chris secured funding and worked with state agencies to restore the trails in the area and help prevent future erosion.
Establishing New Conservation Sanctuaries
Chris passed SB3253 (2026) to establish a network of new conservation sanctuaries to ensure the protection and survival of native habitat, birds, and other species. The model has been proven in numerous other island communities, and will be critical to stopping the extinction of Hawaii's native birds.
Making Our Community A Better Place To Live / Culture and Arts
Chris has made it a priority to empower and enrich our local communities. Many people in our community want to do more to build real community, and other places have done much more than we have in Hawaii showing its possible. Chris has been working hard to fill those gaps and make our communities better places to live.
Cleaning Up Streets and Expanding Culture and Arts in our Community
Working with folks in our community, Chris passed SB3007 (2026) to help communities start programs to hire and deploy local residents to clean streets, make improvements to dilapidated properties, develop and install wayfinding and history narrative signage and public art installations that reflect the heritage and history of the area.
Supporting More Community Events
Chris passed SB3029 (2026) to provide funding and support for more community events like farmers markets, street fairs, and others that enrich our neighborhoods. The bill sets up a program providing funding to the counties and community organizations for events, and empowers counties to provide public space or street closures where and when appropriate.
Honoring Community Heroes
Hawaii has not had a way to recognize community heroes, so Chris passed SB 3022 (2026) which establishes an annual award for community leaders in each of 12 categories: Arts, Business and Labor, Entertainment, Food and Drink, Literature, Music, Sports, Science, Community Engagement, Public Service, Friend of Hawaii, and Profile in Courage. Honorees must have made a considerable and outstanding contribution to our community and serve as an inspiration to others.
Keeping Tourists Aligned With Hawaii Values
In 2021 Chris collaborated with community organizations and passed SR218 (2021) which establishes a visitor pledge of aloha. The measure is aimed at transitioning the state toward more responsible, regenerative tourism which minimizes impact on communities and the environment. It helped lead to the adoption of educational visitor pledges—such as the Island of Hawai'i's Pono Pledge and the statewide Pledge to Our Keiki—which ask tourists to respect local culture, wildlife, and natural resources.
Recognizing Our Veterans
After hearing from veterans in our area, Chris passed SB2731 (2024) to officially recognize their contribution and sacrifice. The measure allows veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan to receive official veteran license plates in recognition of their service in those conflicts.
Expanding Access to Community Gardening and WiFi in Parks
Following requests from our community, in 2023 Chris passed SCR 74 (2023) which directed the Hawaii Broadband and Digital Equity Office to work with stakeholders to expand wifi access in public parks. The next year when community groups asked for better access to public gardens, Chris passed SCR 252 (2024) directing stakeholders to expand public investment and access to public gardens so more people can grow their own food.
Community organization license plate decals
Chris passed SB3029 (2026) to provide funding and support for more community events like farmers markets, street fairs, and others that enrich our neighborhoods. The bill sets up a program providing funding to the counties and community organizations for events, and empowers counties to provide public space or street closures where and when appropriate.