Aloha Reader,

Just a reminder as the holidays approach, there is still lots to do before we take a break to celebrate the season with your loved ones.

2026 Primary Elections

Mahalo to all who have registered for the two Talk Story events with the Congressional District 1 (CD1) challenger candidates this week. If you haven’t registered yet, please do.

Remind me again: Why do we in Kona care about this race?

Hawai‘i has only two Representatives in the US Congress, Jill Tokuda and Ed Case, along with our two US Senators, Brian Schatz and Maize Hirono. We do not have the luxury of ignoring either US House district. With such a small delegation, everyone in the state is affected and needs to weigh in.

Unfortunately, CD1 (Urban Honolulu) is represented by Ed Case, who has the most anti-progressive voting record among House Democrats. In 2025, his votes included

• The SAVE Act - disenfranchising married women.
• HR 9495 - authorizing Trump’s Justice Department to target organizations like Indivisible as “domestic terrorists.”
• Honoring the late Charlie Kirk who disparaged black people (including MLK Jr.) and believed allowing women to vote was a mistake.
• Censuring Al Green - who stood up to Trump at the State of the Union, and
• Giving Kristi Noem a free pass to use DHS/ICE as she wished.

It is time for Hawai’i to Replace Ed Case with a Representative who will represent us, not the big corporations and special interest PACs that fund his campaigns.

Hawai’i State Senator Jarrett Keohokalole and Hawai’i State Representative Della Au Belatti are both serious challengers for this congressional seat. Indivisible Hawai’i is holding these events to learn who the right fighter is to take on the Trump agenda.

TAKE ACTION: Register for both talk story events. (Please register separately for each.) The registration gives you access to the live event and the recording through Sunday, December 21. If you register and watch both interviews, live or recorded, we’ll ask you afterwards for your insights, too. Your voice counts.

​Tuesday, December 16, 2025, 10 am, State Senator Jarrett Keohokalole ​

​Wednesday, December 17, 2025, 10 am, State Representative Della Au Belatti ​ ​

Hawai'i County Council

Our County Council continues to show leadership across the State in trying to protect us against overreach by federal agencies under the color of enforcing immigration regulations.

December 17, 2025, at 9 AM: The County Council meets with this agenda. They will vote on Resolution 399-25. This resolution urges the State Legislature to enact important measures to protect us from Federal agency overreach, including:

1. A Law Enforcement Mask Ban
2. A Law Enforcement ID Requirement
3. A ban on 287(g) agreements between local police and ICE
4. Protection of Sensitive Community Spaces (churches, schools, etc.) from ICE Activities
5. A Limit on State/Federal Collaboration on Immigration Enforcement

Read our testimony: [Part 1] and [​Part 2]. We strongly support this resolution and encourage the Council to pass it unanimously.

TAKE ACTION: Submit written testimony by noon Monday and/or show up and testify Wednesday at the West Hawaiʻi Civic Center Building A or on Zoom. See the agenda for instructions.

Hawai'i County Police Commission

The search for a permanent Police Chief continues. In the last meeting, we learned that 64 candidates had applied, of whom 27 met the stated qualifications.

In addition, the terms of both the Chair and Vice Chair of the Police Commission expire on December 31, so the selection of two new Commissioners is also on the agenda. Meanwhile, the Mayorʻs nominees for the two Commission seats will be reviewed by the Council Government Operations Committee on 12/16/25 and the whole Council on 1/8/26.

TAKE ACTION: Show up at the Police Commission Meeting on Friday, December 19, 2025, in Hilo. (Agenda).

If youʻd like to carpool to the upcoming Police Commission meeting in Hilo, please reply to this email or reach out in our member Signal group.

Postcarding

We had a great turnout for the postcard writing event on December 7 at Kahalu'u Beach Park prior to the Potluck Social event. A big thank you to everyone who participated! As you know, important midterms are coming up in 2026 and we are pushing to get people registered and get them out to vote for Democratic candidates.

We currently have 3 campaigns going:

1. News boosting postcards to Michigan to combat disinformation and educate voters about how harmful the Trump/GOP agenda is to them;
2. Postcards encouraging voter registration and folks to vote for Roy Cooper for US Senate in North Carolina; and
3. Postcards encouraging people in Ohio to elect Sherrod Brown to the US Senate.

It's easy! We provide you with free postcards, voter lists, scripts, and instructions. You provide the stamps! If you want to help, go to the postcard page on the KIND website for directions on ordering postcard packets. We look forward to seeing you all at the January 4 event at Kahalu'u Beach Park.

Pop-Ups: Every Other Thursday

Our recent pop-up events have been very successful, thanks to the strong turnout and your incredible support. Last week was our first multilingual pop-up and our first at the Kona Courthouse. This pop-up was scheduled to coincide with Spanish language hearings at the courthouse, and all the signs were in English and Spanish. We’re hoping to keep the positive momentum going and look forward to seeing you at one of the pop-ups soon.

TAKE ACTION: Join our next Pop-Up Event on Thursday, December 18, 2025, 4 – 5:30 pm.

• Please arrive by 3:45 pm.
• We'll meet in the Safeway parking lot near Basking Robbins, and we'll walk up as a group to Queen Ka'ahumanu Highway and Henry St.
• Kona Indivisible will provide five large signs and a few smaller ones, but feel free to bring your own.
• You might want to bring a hat and water as it could be hot and sunny.
• If you’re interested in participating, contact Ellen at lnlubrano53@gmail.com or send her a text at 503-784-6192.

Remembering January 6th Pop-Up Protest

Next month will mark the fifth anniversary of the only violent attack on the US Capitol since the British army burned our federal buildings in 1814. We will mark this grim anniversary with a pop-up protest.

MARK YOUR CALENDAR: The first Pop-Up of the new year will be Tuesday, January 6, 2026, 4 – 5:30 pm. The location will be announced closer to the protest date.

January Member Meeting and Potluck

In January, weʻre going to try something a little different for our members' meeting. Rather than have a separate virtual meeting followed by a social potluck, we will have a three-part event.

• 3:00 pm - Postcarding
• 4:00 pm - Member meeting with an update on completed and planned actions
• 4:45 pm - (roughly) Potluck 😋🍴

We hope to see you there! [Register]

MARK YOUR CALENDAR: Sunday, January 4, 2026, meet at Kahaluʻu Beach Park Pavilion, for postcarding, member meeting, and potluck. 😊

Wishing You A Great Holiday

Unless an emergency arises (and we wouldn't put anything past this administration), we're going to take two weeks off and return right after New Year's Day with renewed energy and another jam-packed newsletter. Take care of yourself and your loved ones, and enjoy the holiday season.

Mele Kalikimaka a Hauʻoli Makahiki Hou!

With Warmest Aloha,
Sam & the Leadership Team

​ - The Kona Indivisible Team ​konaindivisible.org​ ​info@konaindivisible.org​

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