NAME: Tasha Kama

AGE: 72

RESIDENCE: Kahului

OCCUPATION: Maui County Council Member, 2019-present

1. What were the biggest vulnerabilities that the Kula and Lahaina fires exposed, and how would you as a council member work to address those issues? 

The Kula and Lahaina wildfires showed us how truly vulnerable all of Maui County is – vacant lands, our lack of water, individual property owners not properly maintaining their lands, and the absence of evacuation plans and routes.  Since the fires many communities have started looking into their communities and workspaces to assess potential hazards and calling, talking, and meeting with leaders and elected officials to assist in creating plans to address potential disasters.  Oftentimes it will mean fining property owners for not maintaining their lands or investing to get recycled water to the most vulnerable lands.  I am supportive of a cooperative approach as opposed to a punitive approach to our existing vulnerabilities.

2. With so many people in temporary housing situations after the fires, how should we as a county pivot to address the need for affordable housing going forward?

Going forward we need to approve housing, “permanitize” temporary housing units  when the Emergency Proclamation ends, where it makes sense to do so; remove  regulatory barriers, (ie, water fixture count, building permitting process, building permit fees) increase  density by increasing the permitted number of floors or stories in apartment buildings and be committed to the policy of “Yes In My Back Yard” (YIMBY).  We need to reduce the time and make it easier for the private sector to deliver housing – housing that our local residents desperately need.

3. What is your stance on Mayor Richard Bissen’s proposal to phase out short-term rentals in Maui County? If it passes, where could we find the funds to replace vacation rental tax revenues?

The Mayor’s proposal was premature.  The expected revenue from STR    according to the Finance Director is at least 2.2 billion. Under the Mayor’s proposal, the county would lose 91 million in tax revenue – real property taxes, transient accommodation taxes and the general excise tax surcharge. Beyond the direct impact on the county, our community would lose 1 million in economic output; an additional 7,800 jobs resulting in more local people leaving. The study I proposed would identify units suitable for family habitation and those that should stay short-term rentals to continue our revenue stream. Without that vital information, I do not have a firm stance on the Mayor’s proposed legislation. Since the Mayor did not have that information, he was premature to propose it.

My role as a Councilmember is to:

1. provide for the health and safety of Maui County residents. 
2. balance the budget.
3. create or promote legislation that supports our residents.

Since we are required as a County to balance our budget, we will need to replace the loss of STR-generated revenue or cut back services to our residents. It is hard to know where to adjust the budget without knowing the magnitude of the adjustment. The larger the revenue loss, the more likely that taxes will need to be increased. I am always keeping in mind the 164,000 residents in our county who depend on me to be wise with their hard-earned tax dollars, and to create good legislation to continue to make Maui “no ka oi”.

4. Many local businesses couldn’t survive the decline in tourism during the pandemic and after the fires. What can the county do to make our economy more resilient and foster the growth of other industries in addition to tourism?

As a community we have discussed the diversification of our local economy to make it more resilient for many years. The volume of that discussion increased with the ending of large-scale agriculture in 2016 with the closure of HC&S and its Puunene mill. There appear to be as many opinions about how to diversify the economy as there are residents of our county.

I believe that tourism will remain a key part of our economy and will provide the necessary economic activity as we add other segments to our economy. I am sure that our economic future does not include a return to large-scale agriculture – the cost structure that shut down sugar production remains. Large-scale manufacturing also faces insurmountable costs as both inputs and outputs require transportation. I believe that part of a diverse, vibrant economic future lies in the production of “intellectual property” such as movies, videos, music and other intangible products. Only Maui can produce Maui – the scenery, the feel and culture of this place is unique. We need to support the intellectual property activities and grow the employment opportunities needed to support them – instead of importing those specialists from elsewhere.

We also need to remove regulatory barriers so those in our community who want to be entrepreneurs can start their businesses and thrive. I have been a strong supporter of MEO’s Core4 business education program. I believe that we will improve our economic diversity by supporting our local people who want to be in business for themselves.

5. Drought, fires, housing projects and large-scale agriculture remind us that water is in short supply and high demand. How can we make sure the county has enough water resources to go around?

Water is a public trust resource, and we need to be mindful to personally conserve water usage in washing our rice, showering, washing our dishes and laundry, washing our cars, watering our lawns, and other domestic uses.  Our drain or “gray” water can be used to water our yards or reclaimed to R-1 standards to be used on vacant lands or converted to drinking standards through techniques like reverse osmosis.  Desalination is another process to create potable water from briny water. Regardless of the approach, reserve osmosis, desalination or developing new ground water sources like drilling wells are expensive alternatives – each with their own challenges. The Department of Water Supply is reaching out to communities to discuss the water needs and supply in each area of the county. I welcome that public discussion.

There are some in our community who believe that public agency control of the water source and delivery systems is a “magic bullet” to our water supply issues. I believe that before we seek to acquire privately-owned water distribution systems, we must carefully have detailed engineering studies done to determine what we are purchasing. Buying a distribution system for a high cost at the end of its engineering life would be a poor decision for our county.

Regardless of the solutions selected, I hope we consider every ounce of water as a resource and that we consider before we let that tap run. The water we save today may be the water we desperately need tomorrow.

6. The council recently passed a bill that paused the Managed Retreat Fund. However, sea level rise and erosion are still a problem, including at Baldwin Beach Park where the pavilion was removed last month. How can we address eroding shorelines while still making sure housing and other fire-related issues are funded?

Priority – Council is required to balance our annual budget. It is very similar to how each of us considers our household budgets. In our household budgets there are items that we absolutely must provide for – our mortgage or rent, utilities, food and clothing. There are some things for which we have some flexibility; we can buy a new car, a used car or decide to rely on the Maui Bus. There are also things that we hope to save for like our child’s higher education.

The Managed Retreat fund is like putting money away for our child’s higher education. We know that we are likely going to need those funds but the need for our young child is not immediate. We also know that if we don’t save, we will need to borrow that money so our child can go to college. When we are challenged to meet the rent, utilities, food and clothing, it is not always reasonable to put money aside for a future purchase or take a vacation.

We will address the issue of shoreline erosion and sea level rise. The pavilion at Baldwin Beach had been closed for many years prior to its removal. While a visible reminder of the issue, we have several years before we will need to address private shoreline lands and structures. We need the policy framework in the County code to facilitate managed retreat – without that policy framework it is difficult to set appropriate priorities for that retreat.

7. What is your stance on the Maui County charter amendments that will appear on the ballot?

I support all 3 Charter Amendments.

1. I support the Salary Commission setting salaries for elected officials, appointed directors and deputy directors exclusive of other forms of compensation, given that they reside in the county of Maui. With our housing crisis it is difficult for people to move here to work. Excluding other forms of compensation would potentially expand the pool of people the County has to choose from. Further, remote work can be beneficial for addressing climate change by reducing the environmental impacts associated with commuting.

2. The recommendation for expanding the staffing and role of the County Board of Ethics was recommended by that board. In their current form, as a volunteer board, the amount of time needed to fulfill their duties to properly investigate and prosecute ethics violations is substantial. It is clear to me that this requires a full-time staff to effectively consider the issues that come before them. For that reason, I support this charter amendment.

3. It has become difficult to recruit and maintain volunteers to serve on boards and commissions.  This amendment would allow members who have served a 5-year term the opportunity to continue for another 5-year term without having to resign, wait 2 years and reapply.  It is a smooth transition moving forward. Given the challenges of filling these volunteer positions, I support this charter amendment.