#Kauanoe Batangan

Maui County Council Member Kauanoe Batangan has picked up endorsements from the Hawaiʻi Government Employees Association and the United Public Workers, the two largest public-sector labor unions representing Maui County government employees, according to a campaign announcement. Batangan, who holds the Kahului residency area seat on the Maui County Council, said the unions’ backing carries […]

Bobby Pahia, who is running for the Upcountry seat that could impact the balance of the council, leads all primary candidates in fundraising heading into the Aug. 8 primary election.

The Maui Division of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) Local 142 officially endorsed Kauanoe Batangan for the Maui County Council. Batangan currently holds the Kahului residency seat on the Council, where he advocates for accountability, transparency, and equitable treatment for union workers.

The report identified two key findings: inadequate anti-fraud controls and the absence of a countywide fraud complaint process. The study found $21 million in “direct pay” transactions by the Department of Water Supply that bypass standard procurement. The upcoming 2027 Audit Plan also includes a review of private jet travel provided to county employees.

Signs at the UHMC Recycling Center saying that the much-used facility will be “permanently closing” Tuesday were met with concern from Central Maui residents and their representatives in government, Council Member Kauanoe Batangan said.

Maui County Council members approved on first reading Friday two land use bills to make way for the proposed Hoʻonani Village mixed-use development on former sugarcane fields near Kahului Airport.

The Maui County Council voted 7-2 on Friday to raise fines for loud vehicle sound systems, advancing a measure that drops an earlier proposal to seize stereo equipment from repeat offenders.

The Maui County Department of Planning outlined its multiyear effort Wednesday to rewrite the County’s outdated Title 19 zoning code — a rulebook that shapes nearly every aspect of how and where homes, businesses and farms can be built across Maui Nui.

The Government Relations, Ethics and Transparency Committee will meet Monday at 9 a.m. to receive comments from the county’s special counsel on the status of the wrongful-termination lawsuit filed this spring by former county official Leo Caires, Committee Chair Kauanoe Batangan announced today.

The Maui County Council’s ongoing review of 14 proposed charter amendments continued Tuesday, with members balking at a proposal to set aside 20% of the County’s annual transient accommodations tax revenue to fund climate plan initiatives.

A Maui County Council committee is considering legislation that would require the County to set aside a portion of its Affordable Housing Fund each fiscal year to provide housing for residents with no income—a population currently excluded from the fund’s eligibility criteria.

The Maui County Council gave final approval Thursday to a $1.6 billion fiscal year 2027 budget, sending the spending plan to Mayor Richard Bissen’s desk, but not before adding $50,000 for Maui County campus security.

Two Maui County Council members are headed back to office without a fight, along with Central Maui Sen. Troy Hashimoto and Kahului Rep. Justin Woodson who’re also uncontested for re-election.

A Maui County Council committee voted unanimously last week to send a bill increasing fines for vehicle noise violations to the full Council, even as some members questioned whether the measure would have any real-world impact.

The Maui County Council’s Housing and Land Use Committee voted 6-1 Tuesday to advance new hotel zoning districts for thousands of short-term vacation rentals facing a county-mandated phase-out—overriding unanimous rejection from all three county planning commissions.

A Maui County Council committee voted 5-1 Wednesday to recommend passage of two land use bills that would clear the way for the proposed Hoʻonani Village mixed-use development on former sugarcane fields near Kahului Airport, overriding deferral recommendations from three county departments with concerns about infrastructure shortfalls.

Surrounded by his family and the family of the late Council Member Tasha Kama, fourth generation Kahului resident and current Council Member Kauanoe Batangan officially filed nomination papers Friday to run for the Maui County Council. Batangan shared the moment with his young family, parents, and family-members of his predecessor. 

A mixed-use development proposed for 40 acres of former sugarcane land near Pāʻia won committee approval Wednesday, moving a project that would bring up to 170 homes, commercial businesses, a medical clinic and a public parking lot to the next stage of a years-long entitlement process.

A bill to require landowners to notify agricultural lessees before filing subdivision permits advanced out of the Maui County Council Housing and Land Use Committee by a vote of 5-2 on Wednesday. Council Chair Alice Lee and Council Member Kauanoe Batangan dissented.

Council Member Kauanoe Batangan announced plans today to hold a Maui Lani townhall at 6 p.m. on June 12 at Pōmaikaʻi Elementary School to discuss progress and follow-up efforts to help area residents by his office and county agencies.