The following testimony was submitted by the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii for consideration by the Honolulu City Council on Dec. 3, 2025.
_____________
Dec. 3, 2025, 10 a.m.
Honolulu Hale
To: Honolulu City Council
Tommy Waters, Chair
Andria Tupola, Vice Chair
From: Grassroot Institute of Hawaii
Ted Kefalas, Director of Strategic Campaigns
RE: Bill 74 (2025) — RELATING TO ORDINANCE REVISION
Aloha Chair Waters, Vice Chair Tupola and other members of the Council,
The Grassroot Institute of Hawaii supports Bill 74 (2025), which would repeal various city ordinances that have been determined by courts to violate the Hawaii Constitution or the federal Constitution.
These include ordinances relating to lobbyist donations to political candidates after receiving discretionary land use approvals; relating to rent controls on the land under condominium units; and relating to advertisements on vehicles.
All of these ordinances have been found unconstitutional by state or federal courts, but for some reason they are still on the books.
Grassroot supports this and other efforts to repeal outdated ordinances. State and city laws are already daunting for the ordinary citizen to understand, and keeping unenforceable rules in place only furthers confusion and discourages civic involvement.
Thank you for the opportunity to testify.
Ted Kefalas
Director of Strategic Campaigns
Grassroot Institute of Hawaii
