The general election race for Honolulu City Council District 4 is shaping up as a stark political contrast, pitting a former councilmember against a political newcomer whose mobilization stems directly from the 2023 Lahaina wildfires. Voters across the district, which spans from Waikīkī through East Honolulu including Kapahulu, Kaimukī, Kahala, Āina Haina, and Hawaiʻi Kai, head to the ballot following a primary election that left the field narrowed to Trevor Ozawa and Tara Malia Gregory, as Hawaii Public Radio reported.
A Familiar Contender Pursues a Second Term
Voters are likely familiar with Trevor Ozawa, who previously represented District 4 after winning election in 2014. His initial single-term tenure ended in 2018 when he lost to Tommy Waters, a political rival with whom Ozawa has contested the seat across multiple election cycles, culminating this year in a legal dispute over Waters’ eligibility to seek a third consecutive term.
During his time on the council, Ozawa chaired the Budget and Zoning and Planning committees. His legislative record included pushing measures to restrict the growth of “monster homes” by tightening permit approvals. He also scrutinized spending on the Honolulu rail project, delaying millions in funding allocations to demand detailed accounting.
On his campaign website, Ozawa framed his fiscal philosophy explicitly: “I treated every city dollar like it came out of your pocket. Because it did. I don’t just talk about watching your money. On the Council, I stood up against higher costs on working families, even when that meant taking on the special interests pushing them, because that’s what I was elected to do.”
Affordability anchors his current platform. Ozawa pledged to pursue property tax relief for local homeowners and kūpuna on fixed incomes, protect existing affordable rental stock, and streamline a municipal building permitting process widely criticized as slow and costly. He advocates for “smart building” initiatives oriented around the rail transit corridor to generate resident housing while shielding inventory from out-of-state investors.
Reflecting on his primary advancement, Ozawa told Hawaii Public Radio he is eager for a second term. “I thought that I would have a second term the last time I was at the City Council, and that went away quickly in April of 2019. I really wanted to get so much more done in a second term. So eight years later, if elected again, I would love the opportunity to serve.”
An Outsider Platform Forged After Crisis
Tara Malia Gregory enters the general election from a distinctly different vantage point. With roots in Hawaiʻi, she was living in the mainland United States in Texas until the August 2023 Lahaina wildfires spurred her to immerse herself in local governance. That disaster redirected her focus toward accountability, public safety, and infrastructure resilience.
Regarding the fires, Gregory told Hawaii Public Radio, “After Lahaina, I don’t know what’s entirely true. I know there’s a lot of evidence pointing to a lot of things that I think will continue to come out just regarding the major players that were involved in that fire or negligence or combination.” She linked those concerns to local conditions, arguing that areas like Lahaina and East Honolulu remain too dry and require immediate water infrastructure upgrades to mitigate major fire risks.
Reporting from Honolulu Civil Beat notes that Gregory has previously circulated or entertained various conspiracy theories, including unproven claims regarding the origins of the Maui wildfires, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the 2020 presidential election. Last year, the Hawaiʻi Republican Party nominated her to fill a legislative vacancy following the death of Rep. Gene Ward.
Gregory’s platform emphasizes government transparency, captured by her website’s call to “audit everything” across municipal operations. She has taken aim at the emergency proclamation powers wielded by the governor and county mayors. Gov. Josh Green has utilized such proclamations to bypass public participation rules, building regulations, and environmental protections in an effort to accelerate housing construction, drawing sharp criticism from skeptics who view the authority as an executive overreach.
With ballots out to District 4 voters, the choice turns on two competing visions for local leadership: a return to municipal experience and legislative oversight under Ozawa, or an outsider mandate focused strictly on executive accountability and institutional audits under Gregory.
