Civil Beat Events
2026 Election Forum: Senate District 13 (D)
Join us online on Wednesday, July 8, from 12:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. for Honolulu Civil Beat’s 2026 Election Forum featuring Senate District 13 democratic candidates Jordan Nakamura, Lynn Vasquez, James Logue, and Tricia Nakamatsu. 
Candidate Lei Ahu Isa declined Civil Beat’s invitation to participate.
The forum will be live-streamed free to the public and will include a live audience Q&A moderated by Civil Beat Politics Editor Chad Blair.
Submit your questions for the candidates here.
Register here to attend virtually or to receive the recording.
A Talk Story with Sara Kehaulani Goo
Honolulu Civil Beat will host an intimate conversation with Native Hawaiian author and journalist Sara Kehaulani Goo on Friday, July 10, 2026, from 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. in the Civil Beat newsroom and online. 
The discussion will focus on Gooʻs acclaimed memoir, Kuleana: A Story of Family, Land, and Legacy in Old Hawaiʻi, which recounts her familyʻs fight to retain ancestral land on Maui.
Kuleana, published by Flatiron Books, blends investigative reporting and personal narrative to examine broader issues of land dispossession, cultural resilience, identity and the responsibilities passed down across generations.
The discussion will be moderated by Civil Beat reporter Blaze Lovell, and will be followed by an audience Q&A session.
This free event will also be available through a Crowdcast livestream. A free recording will be sent to everyone who registers.
Submit your questions to the author here.
Complimentary coffee and light snacks will be provided.
This event will be held at the Civil Beat headquarters in Kaimukī, located on the second floor above Goodwill Hawaiʻi. Parking is located within the building at 3650 Waiʻalae Avenue, entrance on Wilhelmina Rise. Parking validation for up to 2 hours will be provided for all attendees.
Register here to attend in-person, online or to receive the free recording.
2026 Election Forum: Senate District 20 (R)
Join us online on Friday, July 10, from 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. for Honolulu Civil Beat’s 2026 Election Forum featuring Senate District 20 republican candidates Kurt Fevella and Bob McDermott. 
Candidate Rida Arakawa Cabanilla declined Civil Beat’s invitation to participate.
The forum will be live-streamed free to the public and will include a live audience Q&A moderated by Civil Beat Politics Editor Chad Blair.
Submit your questions for the candidates here.
Register here to attend virtually or to receive the free recording.
2026 Election Forum: House District 21 (D)
Join us online on Monday, July 13, from 12:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. for Honolulu Civil Beat’s 2026 Election Forum featuring House District 21 democratic candidates Andrew Phomsouvanh, Angie Knight, Jake Takaya Morrow, Derek Turbin and Ranell Asuega-Fualaau. 
The forum will be live-streamed free to the public and will include a live audience Q&A moderated by Civil Beat Politics Editor Chad Blair.
Submit your questions for the candidates here.
Register here to attend virtually or to receive the free recording.
2026 Election Forum: House District 26 (D)
Join us online on Wednesday, July 15, from 12:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. for Honolulu Civil Beat’s 2026 Election Forum featuring House District 26 democratic candidates Nathan Kenichi Char, Janel S. Fujinaka, Arjuna Heim, and Ian Ross. 
The forum will be live-streamed free to the public and will include a live audience Q&A moderated by Civil Beat Politics Editor Chad Blair.
Submit your questions for the candidates here.
Register here to attend virtually or to receive the free recording.
2026 Election Forum: House District 28 (D)
Join us online on Friday, July 17, from 12:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. for Honolulu Civil Beat’s 2026 Election Forum featuring House District 28 democratic candidates Reno Abihai, Nadia Alves, Ernest Caravalho, Tony Nagatani, and Rep. Cov Ratcliffe. 
The forum will be live-streamed free to the public and will include a live audience Q&A moderated by Civil Beat Politics Editor Chad Blair.
Submit your questions for the candidates here.
Register here to attend virtually or to receive the free recording.
2026 Election Forum: Honolulu Council District IV
Join us online on Wednesday, July 22, from 12:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. for Honolulu Civil Beat’s 2026 Election Forum featuring Honolulu Council District IV candidates, Tara Malia Gregory, Jason Liang and Trevor Ozawa. 
*Candidate Tommy Waters has not responded to Civil Beat invitation to participate.
The forum will be live-streamed free to the public and will include a live audience Q&A moderated by Civil Beat Politics Editor Chad Blair.
Submit your questions for the candidates here.
Register to attend virtually or to receive the free recording.
2026 Election Forum: Senate District 10 (D)
Join us online on Wednesday, July 1, from 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. for Honolulu Civil Beat’s 2026 Election Forum featuring Senate District 10 democratic candidates Les Ihara Jr. and Jackson D. Sayama. 
The forum will be live-streamed free to the public and will include a live audience Q&A moderated by Civil Beat Politics Editor Chad Blair.
Submit your questions for the candidates here.
2026 Election Forum: House District 5 (D)
Join us in-person at the Grand Naniloa Hotel Hilo – a DoubleTree by Hilton on Monday, June 29, from 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. for Honolulu Civil Beat’s 2026 Election Forum featuring House District 5 democratic candidates Matt Kaneali’i-Kleinfelder and Jeanné Kapela. 
This in-person forum will be free to the public and will include a live audience Q&A moderated by Civil Beat Senior Reporter Kevin Dayton. Everyone who registers for the event will receive a free recording.
Submit your questions for the candidates here.
Free self-parking will be available at the venue.
Register to attend in-person to receive the free recording here.
2026 Election Forum: Congressional District 1
Join us online on Wednesday, June 24, from 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. for Honolulu Civil Beat’s 2026 Election Forum featuring Congressional District 1 candidate Jarrett Keohokalole.
*Candidate Ed Case declined Civl Beat’s invitation to participate. 
The forum will be live-streamed free to the public and will include a live audience Q&A moderated by Civil Beat Politics Editor Chad Blair.
Civil Beat hosts numerous public and member-exclusive events every year, including monthly member coffees and pau hanas, Civil Cafe panel discussions, and an intimate speaker series known as Hawaii Storytellers. Through our events, Civil Beat looks to foster community discussions by providing a place where citizens can share their thoughts and debate important issues in a civil manner.
