Mayor La Costa 2026
Experienced, steady, community-driven leadership for Maui County.
About P. Denise
P. Denise La Costa (Mayor La Costa 2026) wants to keep the islands we love from falling further into decay. That’s why she’s running for Maui County Mayor. She has watched too many families leave in tears. Robbed of opportunities, satisfying jobs and hope, local families are leaving the island for places that can give them what they can no longer find at home.
P. Denise La Costa is a longtime Maui resident, community leader, and small-business owner with more than three decades of experience in land use, housing, and public service. She has lived on Maui since January 1, 1990, and has spent much of that time working directly on the issues that shape neighborhoods, families, and the future of the island.
P. Denise currently serves as President of the West Maui Community Task Force, where she continues a years-long commitment to grassroots problem-solving and community advocacy. Previously, she served as Vice President of the Task Force from 2019 to 2023, helping guide West Maui through periods of growth, challenge, and transition.
From 2018 to 2023, Denise served on the Maui County Planning Commission, including roles as both Chair and Commissioner. In that capacity, she worked on some of the county’s most consequential land-use and housing decisions—balancing growth, infrastructure, environmental stewardship, and community needs. Her service reflected a practical, community-centered approach grounded in experience rather than ideology.
P. Denise is also a founding member of the West Maui Domestic Violence Task Force, where she volunteered from 2004 to 2019, helping bring attention, coordination, and resources to one of the most critical—and often overlooked—public safety and public health issues facing families.
Her public service extends statewide. Denise has served as a Commissioner on the Hawaiʻi Real Estate Commission and held multiple leadership roles with the Real Estate Association of Maui, including service from 2013 through 2016. Professionally, she is the Principal Broker and Owner of La Costa Realty Hawaiʻi, a role she has held since 2014, with earlier leadership from 2004 to 2011. Her 33 years in real estate give her deep, practical insight into housing supply, affordability, zoning, and regulatory impacts.
P. Denise holds an Associate Degree in Business from Tacoma Community College and a Bachelor of Science in Business from Central Washington University. Her leadership has been recognized with multiple honors, including Maui County Woman of Excellence – Mana Wahine (2022), RPAC Hall of Fame (2023), and Dame of Honor of the Orthodox Order of St. John Hospitallers (2018).
P. Denise La Costa is running for Mayor to bring experienced, steady, and community-driven leadership to Maui County—leadership rooted in service, accountability, and a deep understanding of the people and places that make Maui home.
VISION
W.H.E.N.
Quality housing shortages. Problems with water. A restrictive economy. A government that is broken. For years, Maui residents have wanted to know when their mayor would come up with a plan. A plan for their success. A real plan. P. Denise says Water, Housing, Economy, New Procedures – “WHEN” is now.
P. Denise La Costa believes water itself is not Maui’s problem—how the county manages it is. From Upcountry shortages to the ongoing challenges in West Maui recovery, water issues have touched every part of the island, exposing weaknesses in planning, infrastructure, and long-term strategy.
Maui now faces expanding water pressures driven by climate change, aging systems, and years of fragmented management. These challenges demand leadership that understands water not as a crisis to react to, but as a resource that must be responsibly stewarded.
The La Costa plan focuses on building a resilient, multi-source water system for Maui’s future. It fully utilizes recycled water where appropriate, replaces old and leaking pipes with modern materials, and prioritizes smart investment in infrastructure that works.
Just as important, P. Denise’s approach is grounded in cultural respect, transparency, and public accountability—ensuring water decisions honor Maui’s history, protect its people, and are made openly with the community.
P. Denise La Costa believes housing on Maui must be affordable, dignified, and real. The La Costa plan starts with a basic fact: we do not have enough homes, and county government has made that problem worse.
If Maui wants more housing, the county must fix a permitting process that is slow, unpredictable, and often punitive. Years of capricious decision-making at the Planning Department have driven up costs, stalled good projects, and discouraged responsible builders. That has to end.
Housing solutions must also include the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands. Hawaiian families have waited far too long. The county must expand its efforts and work aggressively with DHHL to move families onto Hawaiian Home Lands—not talk about it, but do it.
Maui must also stop pretending that substandard shelter is an acceptable solution. Storage units dressed up as “tiny homes” are not housing.
Housing policy must finally be honest, practical, and focused on results.
Maui’s economy must improve. Shops are closing. Small businesses are struggling. The average person is falling further behind.
The county needs to foster a construction industry by encouraging skilled trades through training and a friendlier stance toward development.
Maui must also look forward—actively expanding sectors such as technology, renewable energy, agriculture, aquaculture, health care, and creative industries.
Our kids should have opportunities that lead to real careers with a future.
Maui needs a county government that works efficiently, predictably, and transparently.
Core systems that require focused improvement include:
- Building Permits (MAPPS)
- Waste Disposal & Recycling
- Water Services & Water Use Rules
- Zoning & Land Use
- Business Licensing
- Emergency Preparedness
Government should work clearly, consistently, and in the public interest.
Newsletter Sign Up
Get campaign updates, news, and ways to get involved.
