Senior Reporter

Kevin Dayton

Kevin Dayton is the former Capitol Bureau chief for the Honolulu Star-Advertiser. He was formerly Capitol Bureau chief and Big Island Bureau chief for The Honolulu Advertiser, which was Hawaiʻi’s largest circulation daily newspaper until it closed.

He also reported for the Hawaii Tribune-Herald in Hilo, the Honolulu bureau of the Associated Press, Sun Press weekly newspapers in Kāneʻohe, and the Tucson Citizen.

He also worked as an executive assistant and executive director for Hawaiʻi County Mayor Billy Kenoi, and is a former U.S. Army infantry sergeant.

He holds a master’s degree in political science from the University of Hawaiʻi Mānoa, and a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Arizona.

He and his wife Mahealani have eight children, five of them grown. They have been state-licensed foster parents since 2009.

This Rich Hawaiʻi Super PAC Is Already Shaping A Key Statewide Election Kevin Fujii/Civil Beat/2025

This Rich Hawaiʻi Super PAC Is Already Shaping A Key Statewide Election

Pacific Resource Partnership has become a major player in the state’s most important political races.

Hawaiʻi Transportation Officials Want A New Military Partnership Cory Lum/Civil Beat/2021

Hawaiʻi Transportation Officials Want A New Military Partnership

A bill being considered by the Legislature would allow the state DOT to act as a military contractor to expedite federal projects for improvements to airports and roads.

Harassment At Center Of Lawsuit Against Top Hawaiʻi Land Official Cory Lum/Civil Beat/2019

Harassment At Center Of Lawsuit Against Top Hawaiʻi Land Official

Former state Land Administrator Russell Tsuji claims he was accused of being a political mole and was assigned an impossible task in an effort to get rid of him.

Hawaiʻi Legislature Moves To Guard Against Federal Immigration Enforcement Chad Blair/Civil Beat/2026

Hawaiʻi Legislature Moves To Guard Against Federal Immigration Enforcement

Bills are advancing to prohibit face coverings, protect the right to record police and limit state cooperation.

The Hawaiʻi State Senate Becomes A Tax Bill Graveyard Kevin Fujii/Civil Beat/2026

The Hawaiʻi State Senate Becomes A Tax Bill Graveyard

The state House proposed an assortment of potential tax increases for the Senate to consider, but senators buried almost all of them without a hearing.

Cut State Jobs, Keep Tax Cuts? Hawaiʻi Senate Makes Budget Pitch Kevin Fujii/Civil Beat/2026

Cut State Jobs, Keep Tax Cuts? Hawaiʻi Senate Makes Budget Pitch

Faced with federal budget cuts, lawmakers hope to balance the budget in part by wiping out positions that have been vacant for more than five years.

This May Be The Year For Reforming Hawaiʻi’s Child Welfare System David Croxford/Civil Beat/2024

This May Be The Year For Reforming Hawaiʻi’s Child Welfare System

Bills to support families at risk for intervention by Child Welfare Services and fund domestic violence training for caseworkers are still alive at the Legislature.

Airbnb As Tax Collector? It’s A Familiar Debate In The Legislature Cory Lum/Civil Beat

Airbnb As Tax Collector? It’s A Familiar Debate In The Legislature

Taxpayer information collected by booking companies would be used to collect taxes but not to allow counties to crack down on illegal vacation rentals.

E Hoʻopaneʻe Hou ʻIa Paha Ka Papahana Alakau O Honolulu I Nā Ālaina Hakulau Kevin Fujii/Civil Beat/2025

E Hoʻopaneʻe Hou ʻIa Paha Ka Papahana Alakau O Honolulu I Nā Ālaina Hakulau

ʻO ka pololei, hemo ka māhele kikowaena kūlanakauhale o ka papahana alakau he $10 biliona kālā kona nui ma Malaki 2031, aia nō naʻe kahi aʻoaʻo kūwaho ke kānalua nei i ka holo ʻoiaʻiʻo o ia hoʻolālā ʻana.