Hawaii
Proposed pay hikes for state leaders spark outrage
HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – The state Commission on Salaries is recommending big pay hikes for hundreds of positions, from the governor down to state senators and representatives.
State legislators meet once a year for 60 business days from mid-January to late April or early May. Right now, each lawmaker makes $74,160 a year. The commission is proposing a 40% raise in 2027, the first year they are allowed an increase, to $103,824.
“It is because we really do want to recruit people, and we really do want to have people who want to serve, and we want them to have a living wage,” said commission chair Colleen Hanabusa.
“That’s recognizing that it’s essentially full-time,” said commission member Susan Arnett, during Thursday’s hearing. “It doesn’t mean that they have to meet 12 months a year and the expense that would all have.”
But some constituents, and even some lawmakers, say that’s too much.
“The fact that you even need to keep increasing, increasing to keep up with the cost of living. What about the people for whom you work?” asked Tara Rojas, who testified remotely.
“In most private sector jobs, you’ll see a 3% increase, a 5% increase, maybe a 10% increase. But a 40% increase is something that’s just not sitting well with my community,” said state Rep. Diamond Garcia, R-Varona Village, Ewa, Kapolei.
“Families are struggling right now, and I don’t believe now is the time for increase state officials’ salaries,” said state Sen. Samantha DeCorte, R-Nanakuli, Maili, Waiane, Makaha.
“Are we getting candidates now for the money, or are we getting candidates who truly want to do the job?” asked state Senate Minority Leader Brenton Awa.
The proposed raises for state leaders comes two years after city leaders got a controversial 64% increase.
“Voters are still furious about this raise for members of the city council,” said HNN political analyst Colin Moore. “It’s one of the few areas where people will get visibly angry about what they feel was a real injustice here.”
The commission is also proposing large increases for the governor and lieutenant governor, along with the chief justice, other judges, and state department heads.
“We’re setting salaries for about 218 people, really less than 1% of the total budget of the state of Hawaii. That’s what we’re doing. But they happen to be all the leaders,” said Hanabusa.
Under the state constitution, the salary commission convenes once every six years. And if the legislature doesn’t approve its recommendations, none of the 218 positions will get a raise until at least 2031.
The commission is set to meet again on March 4.
Copyright 2025 Hawaii News Now. All rights reserved.
The Sony Open in Hawaii has the honors of being the kickoff event to the 2026 PGA Tour season after the cancellation of The Sentry at Kapalua this season.
Instead of Maui, the Tour debuts in Honolulu on the island of Oahu, Jan. 15-18, at the Seth Raynor-designed Waialae Country Club, where Nick Taylor prevailed in a playoff over Nico Echavarria last year.
Among the changes this season is the field size, which was reduced from 144 to 120, and, there is no longer is a Monday qualifier offering four spots. Will that help with pace of play? Stay tuned.
The field includes the following notables in addition to Taylor and Echavarria: Daniel Berger, Keegan Bradley, Michael Brennan, Corey Conners, Tony Finau, Chris Gotterup, Brian Harman, Russell Henley, Billy Horschel, Robert MacIntyre, Collin Morikawa, Adam Scott, Jordan Spieth, Sahith Theegala, Gary Woodland and 62-year-old Vijay Singh.
Here’s the full field for the Sony Open, which will be live on Golf Channel all four days as well as NBC with early-round coverage on Saturday and Sunday.
This year’s Sony purse is $9.1 million and the winner also will receive 500 FedEx Cup points.
HAWAII ISLAND (HawaiiNewsNow) – The County of Hawaii Department of Parks and Recreation is now accepting applications for temporary positions in its 2026 Summer Fun program.
The two positions available are Activity Aide I ($17.50 per hour) and Activity Aide II ($19 per hour).
To be considered for employment, applicants must possess a valid first-aid certification, attend mandatory training June 2–5, and be available to work June 8–July 17.
Applications are available online on the Parks and Recreation website, and must be submitted to the Recreation Division Office at 799 Pi‘ilani St., Hilo, HI 96720, postmarked by Saturday, Feb. 28.
For more information, call the Recreation Division Office at (808) 961-8740.
Copyright 2026 Hawaii News Now. All rights reserved.
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