May 13, 2026, 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 36 (2026) — RELATING TO ORDINANCE REVISION
Aloha Chair Waters, Vice Chair Tupola and other Council Members,
The Grassroot Institute of Hawaii supports Bill 36 (2026), which would repeal certain ordinances relating to shooting galleries, skating rinks, public shows and vehicular advertising.
As the bill notes, these ordinances have either never been enforced, are unenforceable due to changes in state law or have been ruled unconstitutional by courts. However, because they are still on the books, they might cause confusion among residents who read the code and still believe these rules are in effect.
The 2025 National Community Survey of Honolulu residents found that just 28% believe the city is “being open and transparent to the public.”[1] This is a 10 percentage point increase from 2024, but it indicates that the city still has a long way to go. Repealing these outdated laws could help increase confidence that what is written in the code is actually applicable to city operations.
Grassroot appreciates the intent of this measure and would welcome further Council actions to repeal outdated and redundant portions of the city code.
Thank you for the opportunity to testify.
Ted Kefalas
Director of Strategic Campaigns
Grassroot Institute of Hawaii
1050 Bishop St. #508 | Honolulu, HI 96813 | 808-864-1776 | info@grassrootinstitute.org
[1] “Honolulu, HI: The National Community Survey,” National Research Center, 2025, p. 10.
