The One Oʻahu Podcast with Mayor Rick Blangiardi

On this episode of the One O’ahu Podcast, Honolulu Emergency Services Department (HESD) Director Dr. Jim Ireland joins host Brandi Higa to discuss the potential reorganization of HESD, including an idea to spin off Ocean Safety into its own department (2:14). Later, Dr. Ireland talks about funding for the new ambulances and ambulance stations in the upcoming budget (9:03). And after watching it sit idle for years, Brandi and Dr. Ireland discuss the new plan for the Iwilei Resource Center (22:06).  
 

On this episode of the One O’ahu Podcast, Mayor Rick Blangiardi and host Brandi Higa discuss issues that have come up in his most recent Town Hall meetings at Ben Parker and Lā’ie Elementary Schools (1:14). Later, Mayor Blangiardi offers his thoughts after the latest Ala Wai Flood Risk Management General Reevaluation Study community forum (19:43). And we are quickly approaching the opening date for O’ahu’s rail transit system; Mayor Blangiardi explains why he’s confident we will meet that July interim opening deadline (30:44). 

Nicole Hedge, the deputy director of the City's Office of Climate Change, Sustainability and Resiliency, opens the episode alongside host Brandi Higa with a discussion on the 2023 Annual Sustainability Report (4:46). Later, with President Biden touting the White House's Inflation Reduction Act, Deputy Director Hedge explains exactly what's at stake for the country and what that measure means for residents in Hawai‘i (21:51). And later, a new art exhibit going up this week at Honolulu Hale. How you can celebrate Aloha `Āina beyond Earth Month in April (31:41).
 

Mayor Rick Blangiardi and host Brandi Higa begin the episode with a discussion on gun legislation, following the recent shooting in Mā`ili that left two people dead (00:44). Later, Mayor Blangiardi discusses how his administration is working to solve some longstanding problems in Chinatown — while at the same time, revitalizing the area and increasing the City’s affordable housing inventory (3:45). Last week also marked the 5th of 11 town hall meetings that Mayor Blangiardi is holding across the island with his entire cabinet, so this week, the mayor takes some time to recap his takeaways and some of the issues from the most recent town hall meeting at Kalani High School (13:42).
 

This week, Amy Asselbaye, the executive director of the City’s Office of Economic Revitalization, joins host Brandi Higa on the One Oʻahu Podcast to talk about a handful of programs that the City and County of Honolulu has to offer when it comes to rent and utility relief, grants programs, and other resources. Asselbaye provides an update on the Oahu Business Recovery Grant Program, which has already received 600 applications (1:51). Later, Dexter Kishida, the City’s Food Security and Sustainability Program Manager, joins the podcast to talk about the City's Agriculture Grant program and the Good Food Pledge (8:31). And finally, Amy Asselbaye explains what success would look like for our island when it comes to regenerative tourism (36:57). 

This week, Mayor Rick Blangiardi joins host Brandi Higa on the One Oʻahu Podcast to talk about what he has learned so far from the town hall meetings in ʻEwa Beach, Waiʻanae and Waipahū over the past three weeks (0:45). Later, Mayor Blangiardi provides an update on the search for a permanent administrator for the Honolulu Liquor Commission, which is already undergoing a series of reviews by the Managing Director's Office (12:18). And finally, Mayor Blangiardi reacts to the announcement that Walmart is closing its Downtown Honolulu store — and what future development could look like for that area (19:00). 

This week, the top leadership from the City and County of Honolulu's Department of Enterprise Services (DES) join host Brandi Higa on the One Oʻahu Podcast. Mary Lewis, the Events and Services Administrator for the Neal S. Blaisdell Center and Tom Moffatt Waikīkī Shell, begins the episode with a discussion on the $44 million renovation project happening across the Neal S. Blaisdell Center campus (00:38). Later, Lewis clears up some retirement rumors after dedicating 33 years to public service at the City (10:10). And DES Director Jerry Pupillo provides some updates on the Cityʻs municipal golf courses, the Honolulu Zoo, and the Waikīkī surf racks (22:10). Tracy Kubota, the departmentʻs Deputy Director, is also featured!

Mayor Rick Blangiardi, Managing Director Mike Formby and podcast host Brandi Higa begin the episode with a recap of the first of 11 town hall meetings — held on Tuesday, March 21, 2023 at ʻEwa Makai Middle School — and preview Thursday's town hall meeting at Waiʻanae District Park (2:07). Later, Mayor Blangiardi and Managing Director Formby set the record straight on the Honolulu Salary Commission’s recent approval of pay raises for some of the City’s top officials (10:22). To close out the episode, the mayor and Brandi look back at some of the major announcements from the State of the City address last week, including the potential reorganization of the Department of Planning and Permitting (30:28).

This week on the One Oʻahu Podcast, host Brandi Higa and Department of Planning and Permitting (DPP) Director Dawn Takeuchi Apuna open with a discussion on the task force groups announced by Mayor Rick Blangiardi in this year’s State of the City address to focus on three specific areas: permitting, affordable housing, and the solar industry (00:30). Then, Director Apuna explains how her department has begun using artificial intelligence to streamline permit review preprocessing (3:16). Finally, we discuss Bill 6, relating to professional self-certification, and what this bill would mean for DPP and industry professionals if passed by the Honolulu City Council (10:52).

On Tuesday, March 14, 2023, Mayor Rick Blangiardi delivered his third State of the City address, talking about 'Wicked Problems' like affordable housing, homelessness, the City's Department of Planning and Permitting and public safety. During his roughly 70-minute speech, Mayor Blangiardi also touched on topics like the start of interim operations for Honolulu's rail project, the creation of an Office of Early Childhood Development, and the City's progress with regard to hiring. The full text of the speech is available at www.honolulu.gov/mayor, and the video of the speech is available on Mayor Rick Blangiardi's YouTube page.