Columnist

Lee Cataluna

Lee Cataluna has been telling Hawaii stories for 25 years and has worked in local radio, television and newspapers.

She was born on Maui and raised on the neighbor islands as her family moved frequently for her father’s job in sugar. She went to nine different schools before graduating from Baldwin High School, so if you think she was your classmate, you might be right.

She received an undergraduate degree from the University of the Pacific and an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of California-Riverside.

Her writing outside of journalism includes Folks You Meet in Longs, which has been in print since 2005 and was named one of the 50 Essential Books About Hawaii by Honolulu Magazine. She has been writing for the stage for more than 20 years and her plays have been produced and workshopped around Hawaii, in California and New York. Her recent work includes “Home of the Brave,” a play about the lives of children from military families, which she wrote after interviewing hundreds of kids, teachers, parents, principals, active duty and veterans from all branches of the military.

Lee Cataluna: Biki Is A Waste Of Money. Get Over It Lee Cataluna/Civil Beat/2026

Lee Cataluna: Biki Is A Waste Of Money. Get Over It

Biki represented an ideal Honolulu that hasn’t worked in the real Honolulu.

Lee Cataluna: It’s Not What You Say, It’s How Often We Have To Hear It Screenshot/2026

Lee Cataluna: It’s Not What You Say, It’s How Often We Have To Hear It

And, in the case of those relentless Derek Kawakami advertising spots, who’s paying for it.

Lee Cataluna: When The Pono Posse Goes Quiet Christina Jedra/Civil Beat/2026

Lee Cataluna: When The Pono Posse Goes Quiet

Does public disdain only apply to outsiders? What about locals who break our rules?

Lee Cataluna: Wheelies? Really? Laws Don’t Work Without Enforcement Getty Images/iStockphoto

Lee Cataluna: Wheelies? Really? Laws Don’t Work Without Enforcement

Dangerous bike stunts and other public safety issues are examples of restrictions that policymakers try to crack down on.

Lee Cataluna: Gov. Green Still Can’t Leave The State Craig Fujii/Civil Beat/2026

Lee Cataluna: Gov. Green Still Can’t Leave The State

By swapping an un-elected bureaucrat for scandal-tainted Lt. Gov. Sylvia Luke, Green has not solved the problem of leaving the leadership of the state to the political equivalent of a substitute teacher.

Lee Cataluna: Why People Were Waiting In Lines Across The State This Week Photo by Bart Asato

Lee Cataluna: Why People Were Waiting In Lines Across The State This Week

In an era where so many basic things are unaffordable for the most frustrating, unfair reasons, this bit of Hawaiʻi exclusivity is still obtainable by the middle class.

Lee Cataluna: Being Ready for Storms Should Be More Than Political Erin Nolan/Civil Beat/2026

Lee Cataluna: Being Ready for Storms Should Be More Than Political

Recent weather woes in Hawaiʻi exposed a lack of just-in-case thinking.

Lee Cataluna: Republicans Did Not Score On This Defection Chad Blair/Civil Beat/2026

Lee Cataluna: Republicans Did Not Score On This Defection

Rep. Elle Cochran hasn’t been much of a player at the Legislature in recent years.

Lee Cataluna: When The Stickler Doesn’t Stick To Her Own Standards Cory Lum/Civil Beat/2022

Lee Cataluna: When The Stickler Doesn’t Stick To Her Own Standards

As House Finance chair, Sylvia Luke was a tough inquisitor. Now she’s the one in the hot seat.