LA COSTA CURES

La Costa Cures: The Fixer | Mayor La Costa 2026
La Costa Cures: The Fixer — P. Denise La Costa for Mayor 2026
Platform Pillar Three — Infrastructure & Government Accountability

La Costa Cures
THE FIXER

A government that cannot fix a bridge, issue a water meter, or rebuild a town in three years does not have a resource problem. It has a leadership problem.

Broken Roads  ·  Failing Water  ·  A Punishing Permitting System
Broken Roads
South Maui — Kīhei
Failing Water
Upcountry Maui
Punishing Permits
Lahaina & Countywide
The Problem

Maui’s largest-ever budget. Its worst infrastructure outcomes.

The Maui County budget grew approximately 46 percent from FY2023 to FY2026 — from $1.07 billion to $1.558 billion. The FY2027 proposed budget of $1.616 billion continues the climb. Roughly 50 percent growth since before the Lahaina fire. And yet: a community destroyed nearly three years ago is barely rebuilt, a $662,800 drainage plan has not built a single detention basin, and Upcountry families have waited three decades for a water meter.

La Costa Cures is not another plan. The plans exist. The money exists. The legal tools exist. What is missing is the will to use them, the structure to coordinate them, and the honesty to report what is actually happening. On Day One, that changes.

~46%
Budget growth FY2023→FY2026
County adopted budgets
$1.616B
FY2027 proposed — largest in county history
Mayor Bissen, March 25, 2026
$0
Spent on Kīhei Phase 1 flood construction
FY2025, FY2026, FY2027 budgets
5
Commercial permits issued in Lahaina
County of Maui, July 2, 2026
Issue One — Lahaina

Restore Lahaina. Build the Delivery Machine.

The Problem

⚠ In 2018, a county official said publicly: “Currently, we don’t have the protocols to sound sirens for fires.” Five years later, when Lahaina burned, the sirens did not sound. The gap was publicly known — and left unfixed.
“We could have lost most of Lahaina.”
— Mayor Alan Arakawa, Lahainaluna High School community meeting, August 2018

In October 2018 — two months after the Hurricane Lane fire nearly took Lahaina — then-Assistant Fire Chief David Thyne told the county’s Fire and Public Safety Commission that wind-driven fires in Lahaina were undefendable: “If you’re facing those kinds of conditions, you may not be able to advance and protect homes.” Fire Chief Brad Ventura was in the room. Ventura was still fire chief on August 8, 2023. The same hydrants ran dry. The same sirens stayed silent. 102 people died.

A 66-page MEMA after-action report from 2019 — classified, never shared, released only after public records requests in October 2023 — noted that agency staff believed the council had been asked for emergency-preparedness resources and denied. The county buried its own warning.

5
Commercial permits issued in Lahaina town
County of Maui, July 2026
946
Families still on FEMA housing assistance
Mayor Bissen, January 2026
Feb. 2027
FEMA support extended through — 3½ years post-fire
Hawaii Public Radio, July 8, 2025
$15M
CDBG-DR for economic revitalization
Less than 1% of $1.639B total

The Bissen administration’s own recovery staff disclosed at a February 2026 public meeting that the single-family new construction program for displaced renters “has not started yet” and is “in the planning phases.” That was twenty-nine months after the fire.

The Federal Recovery Scandal

Lahaina’s businesses got less than one cent on the recovery dollar.

$1.639B
Total federal CDBG-DR recovery grant awarded to Maui County
$15M
Allocated to economic revitalization — just 0.9% of the total
0.62%
Of the County’s own documented $2.4B economic revitalization unmet need
Maui County’s own Action Plan documents $2,422,500,000 in economic revitalization unmet need. Against that documented need, the $15 million allocation covers less than one cent on the dollar. A town is not restored when only buildings are rebuilt. A town is restored when families can live there, businesses can reopen there, and workers can earn there. La Costa will demand a CDBG-DR amendment to dramatically increase the economic revitalization allocation — and deploy every dollar of the current $15M publicly, with monthly accountability reporting.

The Plan

La Costa’s Seven Commitments for Lahaina
✓
Day One: The Front Street Recovery Desk
Executive order creates a single-point-of-contact desk — named case manager per commercial parcel, concurrent agency review from Day One. Funded from CDBG-DR administration allocation already in the approved Action Plan. No new appropriation required. Codified by permanent ordinance within 90 days.
✓
The 30-Day County Clock — Published, Tracked, Enforced
Every county-controlled step completed within 30 days. A public weekly dashboard shows each commercial file: county days elapsed, current holder, next required action, and which outside agency is causing delay. Every bottleneck is named. Every week. Publicly.
✓
Zero Fees for Lahaina Families and Local Businesses
No county building, plan-review, or fire-review fees for fire-impacted rebuilds. Proposed in the first budget, codified by ordinance. County review capacity backfilled from eligible CDBG-DR administration funds — revenue-neutral to operations.
✓
Pre-Approved Commercial Pattern Books
Pre-approved prototype shells for single-tenant retail, multi-tenant retail, restaurant shells, and mixed retail-office. Developed with SHPD, Native Hawaiian organizations, and the Front Street Recovery Group. Choose a pre-approved shell — move from concept to permit in weeks, not months.
✓
Scale ‘Ulu o Lele — Bridge Commerce Back to Front Street
The interim marketplace opening September 2026 proves the concept. La Costa will formalize it, scale it, and integrate it into the permanent recovery pipeline. Rent-bridge grants for displaced businesses. Tenant-improvement assistance.
✓
Deploy the $15M Economic Revitalization Allocation — Publicly, With Deadlines
Every dollar published: dollars available, obligated, disbursed, businesses assisted, jobs retained, storefronts reopened — updated monthly. And La Costa will pursue a CDBG-DR Action Plan amendment to increase economic revitalization funding well beyond $15M.
✓
Faster Historic & Burial Review — Lawful and Respectful
Federal regulations at 36 CFR Part 800 allow programmatic agreements for “similar and repetitive” effects — which describes virtually every Lahaina commercial rebuild. One shared framework replaces owner-by-owner archaeological process. A county-funded monitoring pool eliminates six-figure survey costs. A standing 48-hour discovery protocol turns finds into managed events — not project collapses.

What Changes in Year One

Day One
Front Street Recovery Desk operating. 30-Day County Clock in effect. Lahaina Recovery Director appointed. Public permit dashboard live — every commercial file, every agency, every week.
First Budget to Council
Front Street Commercial Recovery Fund with named director and published timeline. Zero-fee ordinance introduced. CDBG-DR amendment to increase economic revitalization submitted to HUD. $15M deployment plan published with deadlines and monthly reporting.

How We Measure Progress

Public Dashboard — Published Weekly
Every commercial file: county days elapsed · current holder · next required action · outside-agency blocker. Monthly: CDBG-DR drawdown · economic revitalization dollars disbursed · businesses assisted · housing units completed · commercial spaces reopened. When a file sits with SHPD for 90 days, the dashboard says “SHPD — 90 days.” When recovery money sits undeployed, the dashboard says so. No more hiding.
Issue Two — South Maui

Fix Kīhei Flooding. Stop Studying. Start Building.

The Problem

Kīhei was historically a wetland. More than 21,000 people now live at the bottom of a watershed draining a 10,000-foot volcano. Between 1980 and 2010 South Maui’s population grew 300% — and its vast marshland was largely replaced by condos, hotels, shops, and restaurants. The county has hired consultants to study this problem at least three times over the past decade and has not moved forward in any meaningful way.

“We’re not going to stop flooding in Kīhei with any of these projects. It’s not a question of can we stop flooding. It’s more of how do we become better at managing through it.”
— Jordan Molina, Director of Public Works, Civil Beat, May 7, 2026
⚠ The Bissen administration has given up on stopping Kīhei flooding. They are managing through it. La Costa is not willing to accept that.

The county paid $662,800 for a 405-page Kīhei Drainage Master Plan completed in December 2022 — outlining roughly $200 million in flood mitigation projects. For four consecutive fiscal years, the county budgeted $1 million per year for more hydraulic studies and zero for construction.

“More than three years after the drainage plan was finalized, the county has not taken steps to build that or any of the other detention basins earmarked in phase one.”
— Civil Beat, May 7, 2026
“We should not be doing any more studying at this point. They should specify what they’re going to do, instead of basically, ‘Give us a million dollars and we’ll see what we can do with it.’”
— Kelly King, former South Maui Council member, Civil Beat, May 7, 2026

In March 2026, two Kona low storms caused at least $80 million in damage. South Kīhei Road closed for weeks. The 16-unit A Building at Kīhei Kai Oceanfront Condominiums collapsed into the ocean. Ludeane Bonner, 83, had three feet of water in her home of 25 years.

$662,800
Paid for 405-page drainage master plan
Completed December 2022
~$200M
In flood mitigation projects identified
Kīhei Drainage Master Plan, 2022
$0
For Phase 1 construction, FY2025–FY2027
Three consecutive adopted budgets
$1M/yr
Budgeted for more hydraulic studies
Four consecutive fiscal years

The Plan

La Costa’s Four Commitments for Kīhei
✓
Phase 1 Construction in the First Budget — No More Studies
The Kīhei Drainage Master Plan is complete. The first capital budget La Costa submits includes the $13.5 million Phase 1 construction appropriation — starting with South Kīhei Road culvert replacements and the Kūlanihākoʻi detention basin.
✓
Green Infrastructure + Wetland Acquisition alongside Hard Infrastructure
Mauka watershed management — native vegetation restoration, axis deer fencing, sediment capture — prevents gulches from refilling after every dredging cycle. South Maui wetland mapping completed and protected parcels acquired. Sediment removal scheduled as regular budgeted maintenance — not emergency response.
✓
South Maui Stormwater Infrastructure Fund — Protected by Ordinance
A dedicated fund in both the annual budget and a companion ordinance. Anti-sweep provision requires a supermajority Council vote before any transfer. Quarterly public reporting on appropriations, obligations, and project status.
✓
Independent Engineering Audit + Infrastructure Accountability Office
Within 90 days: independent audit of county-built infrastructure that evidence suggests may be diverting floodwater — the Waiakoa Gulch bridge is the starting point. Results published with corrective-action timelines.

What Changes in Year One

First Budget to Council
$13.5M Phase 1 construction appropriated. South Maui Stormwater Infrastructure Fund created and protected by ordinance. Wetland acquisition plan funded. Scheduled sediment removal built into the maintenance budget.
Issue Three — Upcountry Maui

Upcountry Water. Thirty Years Waiting. A Credible Path Forward.

The Problem

The Maui County Department of Water Supply stopped accepting new applications for Upcountry water meters on January 1, 2013. The waitlist itself dates to 1993. As of October 2025, 1,424 applicants seek 3,612 meters they cannot get. At peak, Upcountry customers use 10.1 million gallons per day against a reliable supply of 9.7 million gallons per day. Demand exceeds supply before counting a single waitlisted property.

In October 2025, the county declared a Stage 3 water shortage — the most severe level. First ever for Upcountry Maui.

Jan. 2013
New meter applications frozen — waitlist since 1993
DWS official policy
1,424
Applicants waiting for 3,612 meters
DWS Director Stufflebean, Oct. 2025
10.1 vs.
9.7 MGD
Peak demand already exceeds reliable supply
Maui Now, November 2, 2025
622
County civil service vacancies — 21% of workforce
Civil Beat, January 2026

What the County Is Doing — and What’s Still Missing

The county’s improvement plan (real progress, worth accelerating)
Filter upgrade: $5M upgrade at Kamole Water Treatment Plant adds 1.5 MGD of capacity. Two new reservoirs near Kamole at ~$25M each (construction target FY2028). Six additional wells in the Makawao aquifer under long-term consideration. If fully executed: total capacity could reach 17.7 MGD — enough to clear the waitlist.
What the plan does not provide
A specific, dated schedule telling property owners when their meter will actually be available. That gap is what La Costa will close.

The Plan

La Costa’s Four Commitments for Upcountry
✓
Mauka-to-Makai Water Plan: Accelerate and Commit
Support and accelerate the DWS capacity program already underway. Commit reservoir construction in the first bond package. Advance the well exploration program with a published timeline. Water source capacity is a protected priority in every budget La Costa submits — never traded away.
✓
A Specific, Dated Meter Waitlist Resolution Schedule
Property owners on the Upcountry Priority List deserve a written, milestone-tied answer about when their meter will be available. La Costa will direct DWS to publish and quarterly update a dated schedule tied to specific capacity improvements. Indefinite waiting without milestones ends.
✓
Treat the 622 County Vacancies as an Infrastructure Emergency
Within 60 days: a workforce audit identifying the highest-impact vacancies across DWS, Public Works, and permitting — with target fill dates, recruitment strategies, and retention incentives. DWS positions are service-critical and filled first.
✓
Upcountry Drainage on the Public Accountability Scorecard
Upcountry drainage challenges tracked on the same public capital project scorecard as Kīhei and Lahaina. No project disappears into an unfunded backlog without a published explanation and timeline.

What Changes in Year One

First 60 Days
Workforce audit completed. Emergency recruitment plan for DWS and Public Works activated. Mauka-to-Makai Water Plan work order issued.
First 90 Days
Dated meter waitlist milestone schedule published by DWS. Reservoir bond package prepared for council submission.
The Delivery Schedule

Every Commitment Has a Mechanism and a Date

La Costa Cures is not a list of intentions. Every commitment is tied to a specific action, a specific timeline, and a named accountability structure.

Day One — Executive Orders
Front Street Recovery Desk created
30-Day County Clock directive issued
Lahaina Recovery Director appointed
Public permit dashboard launched
Emergency workforce recruitment begins
First 60–90 Days
622-vacancy workforce audit completed
Waiakoa Gulch engineering audit commissioned
Upcountry meter milestone schedule published
CDBG-DR amendment package prepared
$15M economic revitalization deployment plan published
First Budget to the Council
Kīhei Phase 1 construction: $13.5M appropriated
South Maui Stormwater Fund: created & protected
Front Street Commercial Recovery Fund
Zero-fee ordinance introduced
Water system expansion: protected budget line
Ongoing — Published Publicly
Permit dashboard: every file, every agency — weekly
CDBG-DR drawdown & expenditures — monthly
Economic revitalization: $ disbursed, jobs, storefronts — monthly
Meter waitlist milestones — quarterly
Capital project scorecard — annual

“Maui does not need another plan. The plans exist. The money exists. The legal tools exist.”

What has been missing is the will to use them.
P. Denise La Costa will build the delivery machine. On Day One.

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