Civil Beat has asked candidates for the Hawaiʻi General Election on Nov. 3 to answer a survey about where they stand on various issues and what their priorities will be if elected.

The following comes from Arjuna Heim, Democratic candidate for State House District 26 which includes portions of Downtown Honolulu and Kakaʻako as well as Makiki, Punchbowl and Kaheka.

Her opponents are Nathan Kenichi Char, Janel Fujinaka, Robyn McCreary, Ian Ross and Tony Silva.

Go to Civil Beat’s 2026 Elections Guide for general information, and check out the other candidates on Civil Beatʻs 2026 Hawaiʻi Primary Ballot.

Why are you best suited for the job? And why do you want the job?

I am a researcher and public policy professional, I understand the challenges and functions of the state and believe we should bring data backed, proven policies to address cost of living issues for our local families. I want this job because this is my home and I want to make sure our residents can stay here and thrive. I also believe we deserve representatives who aren’t entrenched in party politics or beholden to it. I’m running for a government that works for our people.

What is the biggest issue facing your district, and what is the first thing you would do to address it in the first six months after being elected?

Rising cost of living is the biggest issue facing our district. In the first six months I will work with my colleagues to introduce and champion a GET exemption on groceries and medical costs. Removing the GET on groceries and small local farms would lower prices at the register and make local food more accessible, and removing GET on small, independent medical clinics, including the tax baked into their rent and supplies.

Here’s one question from your constituents: Do you support maintaining a monopoly for interisland shipping?

No, monopoly power leads to higher prices, worse service, and a single company using our regulatory system to guarantee its profits while residents pay more. In the last six years, interisland shipping rates jumped 46% in an emergency increase, then another 25.75%, and this year the Legislature approved automatic annual increases with less oversight.

What do you think were the most important bills to come out of the 2026 Legislature? What failed that should have passed? What passed that you wish had failed?

Most important: medical debt forgiveness (SB3025), with just $500,000, the state can erase roughly $91M in medical debt for about 50,000 residents. Huge financial and emotional relief for working families. Should’ve passed: the GET exemption on groceries (HB1611). We’re one of only three states still taxing groceries at the full rate. Should’ve failed: cutting the rooftop solar tax credit. With energy costs rising, removing the incentive for families to go solar was a poor decision.

The 2026 session was also overshadowed by an issue of public trust: $35,000 in the brown paper bag given to an “influential” state lawmaker. What do you think the Legislature needs to do going forward to rebuild public confidence in state government?

Trust is broken, I hear it in everyday conversations: ‘the brown paper bag,” and the feeling that the Legislature isn’t looking out for people. It’s hard to argue with that. After decades of one-party control, families see rising costs and their kids leaving. The Legislature could start by honoring citizens’ calls for a real investigation. Accountability means you lose your job when people lose trust, and voters will decide that at the ballot box.

In recent years, Hawai’i has experienced a series of damaging and dangerous weather events that have exposed weaknesses in our planning, preparation and response. What could you as a lawmaker do to help your district be better prepared?

Our district’s mix of housing types and steep terrain means no two neighborhoods face the same risks so preparation starts with people knowing theirs. I’d keep residents regularly informed about the specific threats and resources in their neighborhood, bring HIEMA and emergency agencies into the community to talk story, and advocate for resilience hubs across our district. At the Capitol, I’d fight for investment to stormproof our grid and water systems. Preparation is cheaper than panic.

What would you do in office to address the here and now of climate change? And how would you address the costs to taxpayers, property owners and businesses to adapt?

Adaptation starts by cutting costs families already pay: energy independence and local food security, so we’re less exposed to imported fuel and food prices, and through land use changes that reduce existing risk and guide growth toward safe, resilient areas. On who pays, honesty matters: this is an emerging challenge of a new era. We should shift what we can to visitors and polluters, and invest in public research like UHERO for answers that are economically viable and actionable.

Over 3,000 bills are introduced every session and there is always frantic horsetrading in the final days of session. Do you think there should be a limit on the number of bills introduced to enable more meaningful debate?

No, I think a cap treats the symptom not the problem. Lawmakers acknowledge that 90% of introduced legislation dies, many without ever getting a hearing. We should require every bill to be heard in its first committee, with its introducer present to answer questions and no extending session to do it. If you introduce it, defend it, on the clock. We should push lawmakers toward actionable legislation, not filler, without limiting anyone’s right to bring ideas forward.

Hawaiʻi lawmakers are often in the dark about how much a piece of legislation will cost because the Aloha State is the only one in the nation that doesn’t require a fiscal analysis for bills. Should lawmakers be forced to put a realistic price tag on the legislation they introduce?

Absolutely. As a researcher making decisions without knowing the cost isn’t good practice. Fiscal notes should show what a bill costs and what it saves, and be realistic about implementation. Too often we pass well-intended legislation without considering the staff or financing to actually deliver the service. It’s common sense to know the price of something, ask if you can afford it, and adjust to fit the budget. Running blind leads to poor policy outcomes.

There are no term limits for state legislators in Hawaiʻi, so incumbents tend to win. Would you seek to change that? Why or why not?

The research on term limits is mixed, but in Hawaiʻi’s context it’s worth pursuing: incumbency and name recognition carry power at the ballot box and 1 in 8 legislators first got their seat by appointment, not election: incumbency power without the consent of voters. Vacancies should be filled by special election. If elected, I’ll serve four terms and step down. The future is here, and decisions should be made by people still living these costs, not incumbents 20 years removed from them.

What would you do to help improve the state’s public school system?

We lose good teachers because they can’t afford to live here, I’d support pay that keeps pace with our cost of living for educators. Strong leadership matters just as much: I’d reward and retain the principals who turn struggling schools around. Expand trades and career pathways so every graduate has a route to a good local job, not just a college track. And support phone-free schools and platform safety laws holding tech companies accountable for addictive design aimed at minors.

Hawaiʻi is heavily reliant on tourism. What would you propose to diversify Hawaiʻi’s economy?

Diversification doesn’t come from government picking winners and losers, it comes from creating conditions where new industries grow on their own. Decades of research show innovation happens where people live close together and ideas collide. Build abundant housing in our urban core and invest in the University of Hawaiʻi: our biggest pipeline of talent, research and new enterprise. Every industry we wish we had needs the same two inputs: talent, and a place that talent can afford to live.

An estimated 60% of Hawaii residents are struggling to get by. It’s a problem that reaches far beyond low-income folks and into the middle class, which is disappearing. What would you do to help?

I subscribe to the housing theory of everything: when rent or mortgage eats half a paycheck everything else follows–skipping medical care, delaying kids, leaving for Vegas. Attack the cost at the base: build abundant housing in our urban core, near transit. Stop taxing necessities like grocery and medical care. Implement a young homebuyer tax credit so the next generation can own and stay. The middle class isn’t disappearing because people aren’t working hard; we’ve made staying unaffordable.