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

The following comes from Democrat Danielle Bass, incumbent candidate for state Senate District 18, covering Mililani Town, Waipio Gentry, Crestview, Waikele, a portion of Waipahu, Village Park and Royal Kunia.

She will face nonpartisan Max Hanna and Republican Kelly Kitashima in a special election to replace Sen. Michelle Kidani who retired. The election is to be held on Nov. 3 alongside the general election..

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

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

As your current state senator, I bring deep community roots, proven leadership, and decades of experience working for Central Oʻahu. Born and raised in Mililani, I served on our Mililani-Waipi’o Board for 19 years, including five years as chair; in many community organizations; alongside 21 years of public service in state government. I love our communities, I know our communities, I’m doing the work to ensure Central Oʻahu has a strong voice and the attention and resources our families deserve.

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, public safety, and infrastructure are the concerns I hear most across Central Oʻahu. As Neighborhood Board Chair, I worked with HPD to increase police presence and improve road, crosswalk, transportation safety, and workforce housing, and I’m continuing that work in the Senate. I’m bringing the same hands-on approach to lowering costs, supporting well-paying jobs, protecting SNAP and healthcare access, improving community safety, and securing resources for our communities.

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

We need to explore responsible competition and alternatives that improve reliability, affordability, and timely delivery while protecting service to every island. Neighbor island families already face higher costs, including gas prices, and shipping delays expose our vulnerabilities and economic insecurity. But, we must also strengthen local food production, supply chains, and island economies to build greater self-sufficiency and food, energy, and economic security across the pae ʻāina.

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 was one of the most important bills, delivering needed tax relief to working families. With nearly 1 in 3 Hawaiʻi households facing food insecurity, HB 2208 should have passed to support farmers supply local food to families in need. While I support SB 3125, I’m concerned about ending renewable energy tax credits. We should close loopholes and repetitive claims while preserving and expanding renewable energy and battery incentives for low and middle-income families to lower energy costs.

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?

Public service requires public trust. For 19 years on the Neighborhood Board, including five as chair, I worked openly under Hawaiʻi’s Sunshine Law and carried that commitment through 21 years in state government. The Legislature must strengthen transparency, ethics oversight, and enforcement. No one is above the law. Wrongdoing must be investigated, tried fairly, and met with real accountability. That is how we uphold justice, pono government, and earn public trust.

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?

Just six days into serving as your senator, Hurricane Lala impacted Central Oʻahu, and I was on the ground with utilities and first responders restoring power and helping our district recover. As an urban planner and emergency manager, I authored Hawaiʻi’s climate and sustainability plan and fought to create the State Climate Adaptation Plan. Now I’m working to strengthen energy resilience, hurricane shelters, and critical infrastructure to keep Central Oʻahu safe, strong, and prepared.

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?

As Hawaiʻi’s former State Sustainability Coordinator, an urban planner, and emergency manager, I’ve spent years preparing Hawaiʻi for climate impacts. We must strengthen our grid, water systems, schools, critical infrastructure, and disaster resilience now! Families and businesses cannot carry these costs alone. I’ll leverage green fee revenues, federal funds, tax incentives, CIP, and public-private investment to strengthen energy and food security, fund adaptation, and reduce costs for residents.

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?

Yes. I support reasonable limits that encourage quality over quantity. I’m grateful Hawaiʻi has a paperless Legislature, but introducing thousands of bills when only a few hundred ultimately become law consumes significant time and resources. A more focused process could allow legislators, advocates, and the public more time to understand proposals, provide meaningful input, and improve legislation before final decisions are made.

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. Legislation should include fiscal and economic impact analyses so we understand costs to government, taxpayers, families, and businesses before voting. Good policy must consider the full picture. Realistic fiscal, economic, and implementation analyses help anticipate impacts and plan responsibly.

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?

I’m open to reasonable term limits. Congress shows the risks of officials remaining in office for decades, while Hawaiʻi sees healthy turnover: 31% of the State House was new in 2022 and about 1 in 5 state senators will be new this year. Experience matters, but longevity should never replace results. Voters should ask: Has my district improved? What laws and funding have you delivered? I support exploring limits that prevent complacency while preserving effectiveness and voters’ voices.

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

Strong public schools start with supporting our teachers, students, and campuses. I support competitive teacher pay, workforce housing, smaller class sizes, and investments in career and technical education. I’ve worked directly with our schools on teacher housing, safer crosswalks, and infrastructure needs. After Hurricane Lala exposed vulnerabilities, I am prioritizing stronger infrastructure, energy security and storage, and stronger facilities to keep our students and communities safe.

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

We should diversify by investing in industries that make Hawaiʻi more self-sufficient: agriculture, renewable energy, technology, media and creative industries, construction, healthcare, and local manufacturing. As former State Sustainability Coordinator, I worked to strengthen our food, energy, and economic security. We must grow local businesses, workforce training, and well-paying careers, producing more of what we need here while creating opportunities for Hawaiʻi’s people.

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 know this struggle personally. My husband is an Iraq combat veteran who served in a war zone, and his military benefits helped our ʻohana finally buy a home. So many friends face the same struggle: high housing costs, lower wages, and opportunities pulling them away from Hawaiʻi. Local families shouldn’t have to fight this hard to stay home. We must lower costs, strengthen wages, create well-paying careers, and expand affordable housing and homeownership so Hawaiʻi families can thrive.