Civil Beat Events
Conversation and Coffee: A Post-Primary Election Discussion
Join Civil Beat reporters and staff in our newsroom on Tuesday, August 11 from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. for a post-primary election discussion. We will share a behind-the-scenes look at our election coverage and what’s ahead for the newsroom. 
Chad Blair, Blaze Lovell, Megan Tagami, Jeremy Hay and Thomas Heaton will be among the reporters in attendance.
Complimentary coffee and light snacks will be provided.
This event will be held at Civil Beat headquarters in Kaimukī, on the second floor above Goodwill Hawaiʻi. Parking is located under the building at 3650 Waiʻalae Avenue, accessed through the entrance on Wilhelmina Rise. Parking validation for up to two hours will be provided for all attendees.
We are fully committed for this in-person event. Sign-up here to join the waitlist.
Beyond the Headline: Inside Hawaiʻi’s Biggest Corruption Case
Join us Wednesday, July 29, 2026 from 12:00 to 12:45 p.m. for a behind-the-reporting conversation on Civil Beat’s recent breaking news investigation into Hawaiʻi’s biggest corruption case. Hear directly from the Civil Beat investigative team about how this story unf
olded, what they uncovered and their reporting strategy behind one of the state’s biggest political scandals of the year.
Submit your questions here for our live Q&A and gain insight into Civil Beat’s investigative work that goes beyond the headlines.
This virtual event will feature Civil Beat’s Deputy Editor Christina Jedra, and reporters Blaze Lovell, and Madeleine Valera.
2026 Election Forum: Honolulu Council District IV
Join us online on Wednesday, July 22, from 12:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. for Honolulu Civil Beat’s 2026 Election Forum featuring Honolulu Council District IV candidates, Tara Malia Gregory, Jason Liang and Trevor Ozawa. 
*Candidate Tommy Waters has not responded to Civil Beat’s invitation to participate.
The forum will be live-streamed free to the public and will include a live audience Q&A moderated by Civil Beat Politics Editor Chad Blair.
2026 Election Forum: Lieutenant Governor
Join us in-person and online on Wednesday, July 22, from 5:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. for Honolulu Civil Beat’s 2026 Election Forum featuring Lieutenant Governor democratic candidates Rep. Della Au Belatti and John Choi. 
*Candidate Kauaʻi Mayor Derek Kawakami declined our invitation to attend.
The forum and live Q&A will be moderated by Civil Beat senior reporter Kevin Dayton.
Submit your questions for the candidates here.
This free event will also be available through a Crowdcast livestream. A free recording will be sent to everyone who registers. A Link to join the Crowdcast lviestream will be sent 24 hours prior to the event.
Complimentary snacks will be provided.
This event will be held at the Civil Beat headquarters in Kaimukī, located on the second floor above Goodwill Hawaiʻi. Parking is located within the building at 3650 Waiʻalae Avenue, entrance on Wilhelmina Rise. Parking validation for up to 2 hours will be provided for all attendees.
2026 Election Forum: House District 28 (D)
Join us online on Friday, July 17, from 12:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. for Honolulu Civil Beat’s 2026 Election Forum featuring House District 28 democratic candidates Reno Abihai, Nadia Alves, Ernest Caravalho, Tony Nagatani, and Rep. Cov Ratcliffe. 
The forum will be live-streamed free to the public and will include a live audience Q&A moderated by Civil Beat Politics Editor Chad Blair.
Submit your questions for the candidates here.
Register here to attend virtually or to receive the free recording.
2026 Election Forum: House District 26 (D)
Join us online on Wednesday, July 15, from 12:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. for Honolulu Civil Beat’s 2026 Election Forum featuring House District 26 democratic candidates Nathan Kenichi Char, Janel S. Fujinaka, Arjuna Heim, and Ian Ross. 
The forum will be live-streamed free to the public and will include a live audience Q&A moderated by Civil Beat Politics Editor Chad Blair.
Submit your questions for the candidates here.
Register here to attend virtually or to receive the free recording.
2026 Election Forum: House District 21 (D)
Join us online on Monday, July 13, from 12:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. for Honolulu Civil Beat’s 2026 Election Forum featuring House District 21 democratic candidates Andrew Phomsouvanh, Angie Knight, Jake Takaya Morrow, Derek Turbin and Ranell Asuega-Fualaau. 
The forum will be live-streamed free to the public and will include a live audience Q&A moderated by Civil Beat Politics Editor Chad Blair.
2026 Election Forum: Senate District 20 (R)
Join us online on Friday, July 10, from 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. for Honolulu Civil Beat’s 2026 Election Forum featuring Senate District 20 republican candidates Kurt Fevella and Bob McDermott. 
Candidate Rida Arakawa Cabanilla declined Civil Beat’s invitation to participate.
The forum will be live-streamed free to the public and will include a live audience Q&A moderated by Civil Beat Politics Editor Chad Blair.
Submit your questions for the candidates here.
A Talk Story with Sara Kehaulani Goo
Honolulu Civil Beat will host an intimate conversation with Native Hawaiian author and journalist Sara Kehaulani Goo on Friday, July 10, 2026, from 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. in the Civil Beat newsroom and online. 
The discussion will focus on Gooʻs acclaimed memoir, Kuleana: A Story of Family, Land, and Legacy in Old Hawaiʻi, which recounts her familyʻs fight to retain ancestral land on Maui.
Kuleana, published by Flatiron Books, blends investigative reporting and personal narrative to examine broader issues of land dispossession, cultural resilience, identity and the responsibilities passed down across generations.
The discussion will be moderated by Civil Beat reporter Blaze Lovell, and will be followed by an audience Q&A session.
This free event will also be available through a Crowdcast livestream. A free recording will be sent to everyone who registers.
Submit your questions to the author here.
Complimentary coffee and light snacks will be provided.
This event will be held at the Civil Beat headquarters in Kaimukī, located on the second floor above Goodwill Hawaiʻi. Parking is located within the building at 3650 Waiʻalae Avenue, entrance on Wilhelmina Rise. Parking validation for up to 2 hours will be provided for all attendees.
Watch the event recording here.
2026 Election Forum: Senate District 13 (D)
Join us online on Wednesday, July 8, from 12:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. for Honolulu Civil Beat’s 2026 Election Forum featuring Senate District 13 democratic candidates Jordan Nakamura, Lynn Vasquez, James Logue, and Tricia Nakamatsu. 
Candidate Lei Ahu Isa declined Civil Beat’s invitation to participate.
The forum will be live-streamed free to the public and will include a live audience Q&A moderated by Civil Beat Politics Editor Chad Blair.
Civil Beat hosts numerous public and member-exclusive events every year, including monthly member coffees and pau hanas, Civil Cafe panel discussions, and an intimate speaker series known as Hawaii Storytellers. Through our events, Civil Beat looks to foster community discussions by providing a place where citizens can share their thoughts and debate important issues in a civil manner.
