Janel Fujinaka

Office: House District 26

Party: Democrat

www.fujinakafor26.com

Hawaiʻi’s affordability challenges affect nearly every aspect of daily life, from housing and education to healthcare, transportation, and childcare.
What are your personal experiences with the high cost of living in Hawaiʻi?

Like many local families, I have felt the weight of Hawaiʻi's high cost of living. Despite working hard throughout my career, I have had to budget carefully as housing, groceries, healthcare, and other essentials continue to rise. These experiences are why I am running. Every family deserves the opportunity to live, work, and build a future here. I will fight for affordable housing, lower everyday costs, good local jobs, and an economy that works for working families.

Many local residents leave or are considering leaving Hawaiʻi because they can no longer afford to stay, or because they seek greater economic opportunity, and according to the 2020 Census, approximately 55% of Native Hawaiians now live outside of Hawaiʻi.
With negative net migration continuing to drain Hawaiʻi of its local population, how can we restore optimism and convince local working families and young professionals that they have a viable economic future in the islands?

People will stay in Hawaiʻi when they can afford to build a future here. That means increasing the supply of affordable housing, growing good-paying local jobs, strengthening public schools, supporting small businesses, and investing in infrastructure and public transportation. We must also diversify our economy beyond tourism by expanding opportunities in healthcare, technology, clean energy, agriculture, and skilled trades. I want our children and grandchildren to choose Hawaiʻi because it offers opportunity, not feel they have to leave to achieve it.

People will stay in Hawaiʻi when they can build a real future here. I will tackle low wages and limited opportunities by raising labor standards, strengthening wage growth, and supporting policies that lift working families. I will invest in workforce training, apprenticeships, and career and technical education through our schools and UH system. I will also prioritize industries that create living-wage jobs in healthcare, clean energy, technology, agriculture, and skilled trades, and ensure that state contracts and economic development dollars support local workers and small businesses. Our goal must be simple: work in Hawaiʻi should be enough to live in Hawaiʻi.

Many employers report difficulty finding qualified workers, while many residents struggle to access career pathways that provide long-term financial stability. It is estimated that in the next decade, 170,000 keiki will enter the workforce, but only 100,000 living wage jobs will be available for them.
What are ways the State can improve workforce development efforts and ensure that enough living wage jobs will be available for youth entering the workforce?

I will strengthen workforce development by aligning UH and DOE training with real employer demand, expanding paid apprenticeships, internships, and career and technical education starting in high school, and partnering with unions and industry to build clear pathways into living wage jobs. I will also use state incentives and procurement to grow high-wage industries in healthcare, clean energy, tech, agriculture, and skilled trades, so opportunity keeps pace with our keiki entering the workforce.

Housing experts recommend that a household spend no more than one-third of its income on housing costs. In its 2025 Employee Affordability Survey, Holomua Collective found that most local working families identify housing as the main driver of Hawaiʻi’s high cost of living. Most local families also said they are spending more than half of household income on housing costs.
What practical and actionable solutions do you have to lower housing costs?

I will lower housing costs by increasing supply and speeding up approvals. That means streamlining permitting, reducing delays, and using public land faster for workforce and affordable housing. I support building more “missing middle” homes, like duplexes and townhomes, near jobs and transit, and partnering with local builders to reduce costs. I will strengthen tenant protections, explore rent stabilization to keep families housed, and improve renterʻs and homeownerʻs insurance protections for local families.

Hawai’i’s housing market is impacted and constrained by out-of-state and speculative buyers. A variety of solutions have been proposed to dedicate housing for local working families.
How do you propose we dedicate housing for local working families over out-of-state or speculative buyers?

We can prioritize local working families by putting residents first in how housing is built and sold. That means stronger owner-occupant rules, limits on speculative investment, and reducing incentives that favor out-of-state buyers. I support expanding first-time local-buyer programs, down payment assistance, and community land trusts so that homes remain affordable in the long term and remain tied to Hawaiʻi residents who live and work here.

Hawai‘i needs tens of thousands of new homes, and every year we fall further behind, more local families are forced to leave.
What will you do to ensure the State quickly builds more housing for local working families before they are priced out of Hawai‘i?

I will treat Hawaiʻi’s housing shortage as an urgent priority requiring speed and accountability. I will streamline permitting, set clear timelines for approvals, and cut unnecessary delays that slow construction. I will prioritize state land for workforce and affordable housing, expand public-private partnerships, and support higher-density “missing middle” housing near jobs, schools, and transit so local working families can stay in Hawaiʻi.

Nearly one in three Hawaiʻi households experience food insecurity. More than one in five households report skipping meals or going entire days without eating because they cannot afford enough food. With grocery prices 30–40% higher than the continent, many families are struggling to meet their basic needs.
How do you propose we reduce everyday living expenses like groceries?

I will reduce grocery costs through a practical, three-part strategy: targeted GET relief on essential food items to lower prices at the register, strong tax incentives for local farmers and ranchers to expand production, and investment in food processing and distribution so more locally grown food reaches our shelves. I will also expand state procurement of Hawaiʻi-grown food to support local producers and keep more food dollars circulating in our economy.

Hawaiʻi families face some of the highest early childcare and education costs in the country, with center-based infant care averaging more than $24,000 annually. These costs often prevent parents from returning to work and pose a significant barrier to economic opportunity for working families.
How can the State make childcare and education costs more affordable?

I will make childcare more affordable by treating it as essential infrastructure for working families. That means expanding subsidies so families are not burdened by extreme costs, increasing provider reimbursement rates to keep centers open, and investing in early educator pay and training to grow the workforce. I also support expanding public preschool and community-based early learning programs to increase capacity, reduce waitlists, and ensure parents can work and thrive in Hawaiʻi.

If you could change one aspect of Hawaiʻi's tax system to improve affordability for local working families, what would it be and why?

If I could change one part of Hawaiʻi’s tax system, I would expand refundable tax credits for working families, including enhanced earned income and child tax credits. This delivers direct, targeted relief to those most impacted by high housing, food, and childcare costs. It is a more effective approach than broad tax cuts because it puts money back in the pockets of local families while protecting funding for schools, healthcare, and essential public services.

Hawaiʻi ranks 49th overall nationally in America’s Top States for Business 2025. Local sentiment underscores this ranking, with Holomua Collective’s 2025 Employee Affordability Survey finding that only 19% of respondents believe Hawai‘i is a good place to do business.
Why do you believe Hawai‘i is seen as such a difficult place to do business, and how would you improve conditions for local businesses?

Hawaiʻi is seen as difficult for business because high costs and structural barriers raise operating costs, from housing and labor shortages to shipping, energy, and slow permitting.
I will streamline permitting by setting firm timelines and clear accountability, invest in workforce development so businesses can hire and retain local talent, and reduce operating costs through smarter infrastructure and energy policy. I will also prioritize small, locally owned businesses in state contracting and economic development so growth stays rooted in Hawaiʻi.

In a 2025 survey by Holomua Collective, only 20% of local working residents said that they had confidence in state and local government to do right by the people of Hawaiʻi.
What reforms would you support to improve transparency, accountability, trust, efficiency, and public confidence in state and local government?

I would strengthen trust in government by making it more transparent, accountable, and efficient. That means real-time public access to budgets, contracts, and permitting decisions, stronger ethics and conflict-of-interest rules, and clear disclosure requirements for decision-makers. I also support modernizing state systems to reduce delays, setting performance benchmarks for agencies, bringing community input earlier into decisions, and implementing term limits to ensure regular leadership renewal and accountability.

Related Candidates

Nathan Kenichi Char
House District 26,No Response Received

Democrat
Arjuna Heim
House District 26,No Response Received

Democrat
Robin C. McCreary
House District 26,No Response Received

Republican
Ian M.A. Ross
House District 26,No Response Received

Democrat

BACK TO THE CANDIDATES

Janel Fujinaka

Hawaiʻi’s affordability challenges affect nearly every aspect of daily life, from housing and education to healthcare, transportation, and childcare.
What are your personal experiences with the high cost of living in Hawaiʻi?

Hawai’i’s housing market is impacted and constrained by out-of-state and speculative buyers. A variety of solutions have been proposed to dedicate housing for local working families.
How do you propose we dedicate housing for local working families over out-of-state or speculative buyers?

Hawai‘i needs tens of thousands of new homes, and every year we fall further behind, more local families are forced to leave.
What will you do to ensure the State quickly builds more housing for local working families before they are priced out of Hawai‘i?

If you could change one aspect of Hawaiʻi's tax system to improve affordability for local working families, what would it be and why?

Related Candidates

Nathan Kenichi Char

Arjuna Heim

Robin C. McCreary

Ian M.A. Ross

Be a part of the solution

Advocates for an affordable Hawai‘i