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

The following comes from Anthony Makana Paris, a Democratic candidate for state House District 42, covering parts of Varona Village, ʻEwa and Kapolei and Fernandez Village.

He is running against Republican incumbent candidate Diamond Garcia.

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?

Aloha: raised fishing and farming in West Oʻahu and schooled in Nānākuli, shaped by St. Rita’s, and once houseless, I know hardship firsthand. My parents worked with their hands; community lifted me to MIT, theology studies and a UH law degree. I’ll fight for affordable housing, good jobs, food security, safer streets and resilient infrastructure. I want government to work for ʻEwa, Kapolei and all of Hawaiʻi so families can stay, keiki thrive and kūpuna age with dignity.

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?

Affordability is the crisis: housing is central, and failing infrastructure erodes our quality of life. In my first six months, I’ll rally community partners to secure targeted district funding, push for full DHHL support, fast‑track permitting with pre‑approved affordable designs, and prioritize road, water, school and park projects that lower costs and improve living standards. West Oʻahu developments must benefit our community first, not leave us with the impacts while others profit.

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

Interisland shipping mainly affects Neighbor Islands—their costs, access and livelihoods—not Oʻahu. I defer to Neighbor Island leaders and communities on whether to retain a “monopoly.” I’m open to exploring increased competition or making shipping a government service, but will respect their decision. Any change should avoid undue disruption to Oʻahu workers and include plans to help them find new employment. I support PUC regulation and will back their role in protecting the public interest.

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?

SB2471 curbs corporate unlimited, opaque campaign spending, limits Citizens United–style dark money, and restores Hawai‘i voters’ voice. SB3028 would have restructured conveyance taxes to lower costs for most buyers, raise rates on luxury sales, and fund Hawaiian Home Lands and affordable housing. I support tax reform: lower effective rates for working families; higher rates for the wealthy and corporations; visitor fees; empty‑homes and marijuana tax; and a tax reform task force.

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?

Hold everyone accountable: ban secret cash, impose mandatory jail for bribery, and create an independent Public Integrity Unit with subpoena power. Suspend officials under major investigation, require regular ethics training, protect and reward anonymous whistleblowers, and publish a public dashboard of complaints, investigations, and outcomes so the public can track accountability.

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?

I’d protect West Oʻahu by creating Community Resilience Hubs at schools, nonprofits and UH West Oʻahu; requiring new developments to have some resilient infrastructure like rain capture, off‑grid power, food‑producing landscapes; expanding community gardens and front‑yard growing; retrofitting schools as Cat‑5 hurricane shelters; making resilience grants easier for HOAs and homeowners to access; and investing in flood defenses, local response plans, supply coordination and community training.

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?

I support a mauka retreat strategy funding coastal and inland defenses, accelerating green and resilient infrastructure, and beginning in hardest‑hit communities. Create a State Resilience Bank seeded with green fees, oil‑settlement funds and unused taxpayer dollars to stretch each dollar. Low‑income homeowners get grants; middle‑income families receive tax credits and low‑cost loans; businesses access affordable loans and matched funds. Start where it hurts, prove success, then scale.

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?

I support exploring all avenues to help the Legislature focus on priority issues and reduce last‑minute, low‑value legislation. Reserve repeal slots, enforce earlier filing deadlines with transparent exceptions and strengthen nonpartisan staff. Consider longer or year‑round sessions and expand public participation via petition‑triggered hearings and a public repeal portal. These reforms would encourage collaboration, cut chaos and produce clearer, higher‑quality legislation.

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. Lawmakers should be required to include realistic fiscal analyses so Hawai‘i families and legislators know a bill’s estimated cost before votes. Require a Chief Savings Officer in every state department to identify efficiencies, certify projected savings and track projected vs. actual costs. The higher the bill’s impact, the better the data needed to make wise, long-term decisions. I support dedicating funding and staff to produce fiscal notes based on best practices from other states.

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?

An informed and engaged public is democracy’s best defense. Term limits strip institutional knowledge, shifting power to unelected staff, lobbyists and short‑term interests. I’ll fight for full public funding of elections, strict caps on private donations, stronger ethics and transparency, and policies to build civic knowledge—civics classes, service‑learning and K–12 voter education—so voters can hold officials accountable in regular, competitive elections while preserving experience.

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

I will put students first by building schools where they learn best—starting with unfunded projects like East Kapolei High to relieve overcrowding. Provide teachers competitive salaries, bonuses for hard-to-staff roles and nearby housing. Replace portables, accelerate repairs, and make campuses climate- and disaster-resilient community hubs. Protect collective bargaining, expand local teacher pipelines, oppose vouchers and fund it through progressive tax reform.

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

Invest in ʻāina and people—everything follows. Speed renewables and local food production so oil and grocery dollars stay in‑island. Expand vocational training to meet industry needs. Make tourism sustainable—protect culture and environment and keep more visitor revenue local. Position Hawaiʻi as the Pacific’s data hub with responsibly sited, well‑operated data centers and fiber optic cables to Asia, Americas and Oceania. Create a State Development Bank to fund and scale these priorities.

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?

Hawaiʻi must put people first: raise wages; expand paid family and sick leave; provide universal healthcare and pre‑K childcare; free meals for keiki; and expand Food as Medicine for kūpuna and the ill. Build affordable housing and fully fund DHHL. Cut taxes for working families; ensure the wealthy and visitors pay fairer shares. Modernize procurement and explore a sovereign wealth fund from public lands to boost funds to Native Hawaiians via OHA, infrastructure, and education. Mahalo.