Editor’s Note: Ahead of Hawaii’s November 5 general election, Civil Beat asked candidates to answer several questions about where they stand on various issues and what their priorities would be if elected.

The following is from Jocelyn Cruz, candidate for Maui County Council Upcountry District. Her opponent is Yuki Lea Sugimura.

For general information, check out Civil Beat’s Election Guide, and check out other candidates on the general election ballot.

1. It is clear that Maui County is facing serious challenges with the fires. What is the most important thing Maui needs to do now to recover from the fires?

Transferring water to citizens, prioritizing water as a source of affordable housing and agriculture.

Lahaina was quite lush when they were farming. Land that is alive is less likely to burn, and being able to feed our community and work on food sovereignty is so important.

2. What should Maui do to encourage people to stay? What can the county do to ensure families are not priced out?

I believe that much should be relied upon in the practical steps taken by the Maui County authorities.

Comprehensive Affordable Housing Plan. We really need to focus on housing for people whose income is less than 60% of the area median income.

We are also looking for other sources of income for the state. I think the entertainment industry is a great option, we have good tax breaks for filming and we have a requirement that the production team must be local workers. This will create new and exciting jobs, especially for younger residents, to encourage them to stay.

3. Do you support a new state law that would allow counties to regulate and even close short-term rentals? Why or why not?

I think regulation is very important. One place to start is to look at homes

non-residents who use their island homes as STRs, and eliminate these cases.

Also consider imposing a vacant property tax on homeowners who live there for less than six months and have no one living in their home. To keep housing affordable for residents, we need to discourage people from buying second and third luxury vacation homes that are not being used.

We can’t keep allocating water to pools and lawns when so many residents are struggling to survive. I don’t think we should close all STRs, but we should definitely be more aware.

4. What is your vision for Lahaina? How should it be rebuilt and who should decide?

I think the best course of action is to help the current incumbent Tamara Paltin and the people of Lahaina. They have proven time and again how organized and resilient they are, so they should take the lead in rebuilding.

No one knows this area better than they do, and we, especially council members and public officials, should do everything we can to listen to them and then lend a helping hand where they point us.

The ideal vision is to restore access to water to residents, making it more affordable.

By growing native crops, homes can be built and the landscape will once again become more lush and vibrant.

5. What should elected officials do to restore trust in county government?

Accountability. I think that would be huge. Clear, set deadlines for projects that benefit the community. The Maui Island Plan was written over a decade ago and had some really solid solutions, and it seems like few, if any, of those solutions have been implemented.

Similarly, in 2021, Maui County released a comprehensive public housing plan, and the fires have driven housing prices even higher.

We need to hold accountable those responsible for not taking the necessary actions that prioritize our community. We have the ability to review the records and see who wrote the laws and what laws were passed.

I think it’s time to come together and seek advice to take the necessary action for anyone who isn’t doing their job. In almost every other industry, if you’re not doing your job, you can’t stop working. I don’t think politics should be any different.

6. Do you think Maui County should do more to manage water resources? Why or why not?

I think we need to entrust water management to non-profit organizations. Too many people are making money off of this precious resource, and that is hurting our farmers and citizens.

It is not right for offshore companies and institutions to control part of the water here and then profit from the island. We need to rely on environmental and cultural groups who have a deep understanding of our water and heed their advice on best practices for restoration.

7. What should Maui County do first to address climate change, rather than just react to it?

At the risk of sounding like a red herring, invest in our agriculture. We are very fortunate to have a year round growing season, so we can really increase our production and focus on our food hubs.

Carbon is a necessary part of photosynthesis, so if people are concerned about that, let’s plant more food. Also, the more food sovereign we become, the less dependent we are on importing as much food as we are importing. It will also help reduce the carbon footprint of transporting food here.

The whole world needs to be more aware of our food shipping practices in my opinion. It’s not the most efficient and causes unnecessary pollution.

8. Homelessness is a growing problem on Maui. What do you think needs to change to help people get into and stay in housing?

I know ecovillages aren’t the most popular idea, nor are they a sustainable solution, but I think we really need to consider them as a middle ground. There are people living in their cars right now, who have jobs but don’t make enough to rent anything, and that’s unacceptable.

When it comes to the issue of people with mental health and addiction issues, we need to be much more strategic and make that a priority to address the issue. For example, Paia has a really big issue right now with homeless people who are clearly high.

Many of these people hang out and “live” near the youth center there and we absolutely need to prioritize the safety of our children. The county should work with the state to see what funding we can allocate for mental health support and addiction treatment programs to get these individuals off the streets.

9. Traffic on Maui is getting worse and different regions are facing different challenges. What would be your approach to solving Maui’s transportation problems?

First we need to finish the Lahaina bypass. We need to make sure that residents have safe access to that area. Then we should focus on South Maui and we should consult with residents about how they feel about widening some of the road.

I think we need safe parking lots for the whole island where people can get to work by public transport. I’ve heard some people inland, in Kula and Makawao, say they would use public transport more if they could leave their car in a safe lot.