Civil Beat has asked candidates for the primary election on Aug. 8 to answer a survey about where they stand on various issues and what their priorities will be if elected.

The following comes from Derek Turbin, Democratic candidate for State House District 21, which includes the communities of St. Luis Heights, Pālolo Valley, Maunalani Heights, Wilhelmina Rise and Kaimukī.

His opponents are Ranell Asuega-Fualaau, Angie Knight, Jake Takaya Morrow and Andrew Phomsouvanh.

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 committed to making life in Hawai’i more affordable and building a safer community. Our community deserves a proven leader who understands how to deliver results. I served as chair of the Democratic Party. I’m the founding partner for the law firm Gilson Daub Hawai’i, and I served on the Pālolo Neighborhood Board. Through my experience in law, politics and community service I understand what it takes to pass effective legislation that will lower costs and build a safer community.

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?

In Pālolo, invasive species are threatening residents’ quality of life. Moreover, monster homes are stressing our district’s infrastructure. I participated in community efforts to stop the spread of coqui frogs in Pālolo. I will ensure that these community efforts to address invasive species have sufficient support from the DLNR. To address monster homes, we need real penalties for the illegal construction projects, including potential criminal penalties for repeat offenders.

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

I support fair market competition to ensure that the cost of living in Hawai’i is manageable, and interisland shipping is completed timely and efficiently. Yet when bringing shipping services to Hawai’i’s market, we need to ensure that it utilizes local Hawai’i union labor and provides safe work conditions. I am in support of fair market competition, so long as it supports local union jobs.

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?

SB 3125, which preserved the tax cuts for working families was a crucial win for local families. I commend the legislature for finding a way to preserve these tax cuts, despite the budget cuts from the federal government. We need to continue to find ways to lower the cost of living for local families. HB 755 and HB 219 both provide Paid Family Leave. Unfortunately, neither bill passed last legislative session. If elected, I will strongly advocate for the passage of these bills.

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?

Rebuilding the public’s trust in government needs to be a top priority. While serving as chair of the Democratic Party, we passed platform resolutions to ensure transparency and rebuild public trust. Moreover, SB2471 targeting Citizens United and stripping corporate power in local elections was a step in the right direction. To continue to rebuild public trust we need to ensure that any committee campaigning for a candidate has strict contribution limits and clear disclosure requirements.

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?

During the Kona low, we dealt with significant floods in the back of Pālolo Valley and at the bottom of Wilhelmina Rise. In the future, we need to ensure that the watershed basins along Pālolo Valley are cleared of debris and oversized weeds. Moreover, to prevent the flooding that occurred in lower Wilhelmina, we need to bolster our watershed systems along Paula Drive to ensure that the water flows into the storm drains and does not cause flooding at the bottom of Wilhelmina.

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?

We need to take steps to curb the rising costs of homeowners’ and renters’ insurance caused by climate change. To combat the rising premiums of property insurance from the Kona low storms, I would advocate for legislation to expand the Hurricane Relief Fund to cover homeowners’ property damage resulting from tropical storms. I would also advocate to move power lines in vulnerable areas underground to avoid power outages caused by the recent storms.

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?

At this time, I am against limiting the number of bills that could be introduced. If we limited the number of bills, we run the risk of special interest groups dominating the introduction of bills and important voices being silenced. An alternative would be lengthening the duration of the legislative session. By extending our legislative session to the end of May, we would encourage meaningful discussion on important issues and a less frantic end of session.

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?

Yes. I am in support of HCR 61, which passed last legislative session and requests a study to examine how other jurisdictions put a realistic price on legislation. Therefore, for transparency purposes and to ensure we effectively balance our state budget, I am in support of conducting independent fiscal analysis of bills.

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?

As chair of the Democratic Party of Hawaiʻi, from 2024 to 2026, I saw a wave of young candidates step up to run. Moreover, some of the more senior elected officials retired. At the same time, experienced legislators tend to be most effective in passing legislation. While I am against firm term limits in the legislature, I fully support legislation that encourages young candidates to run for office, including expanding the publicly financed candidate programs in Hawai’i.

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

First and foremost, we need to increase salaries for public school teachers. Next, we need to ensure that teachers have adequate resources to effectively teach their courses, including sufficient supplies, and well-functioning classrooms. Lastly, we need to upgrade the aging infrastructure of our public schools, including the infrastructure of the schools in District 21 such as Kaimukī High School, Pālolo Elementary and Jarrett Middle School.

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

We need to invest in our agricultural industry. To expand our local agricultural industry, we must revitalize Hawai’i’s farmlands and provide grants to support local farmers. Next, we need to invest in Hawai’i’s Marine Biotechnology and Research Institutions. Lastly, we need to create incentives to bring back local film production. Through modernized film and tax credits, and by building infrastructure to support modern production, we can revitalize our local film industry.

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?

First, we need to lower insurance costs. To lower the cost of insurance, I would advocate for expanding access to affordable homeowners and renters insurance through the state insurance fund. Furthermore, growing our local agriculture industry would lower the costs of groceries. Lastly, we need to increase wages in Hawai’i. Increasing the minimum wage was a good starting point, but we need to invest high-paying union jobs and professional development.