Trevor Ozawa and Tara Malia Gregory Face Off for District 4 Seat

Voters across East Honolulu face a distinct political choice for the Honolulu City Council District 4 seat, following a primary election that left the field narrowed to two contenders with sharply contrasting backgrounds. As hawaiipublicradio.org reported, the general election matchup pits a former councilmember seeking a return to office against a political newcomer whose interest in government grew following the 2023 Lahaina wildfires.

District 4 spans from Waikīkī through East Honolulu, encompassing neighborhoods including Kapahulu, Kaimukī, Kahala, Āina Haina, and Hawaiʻi Kai. The outcome will determine local representation on key municipal issues, including housing development around the Honolulu rail project, city spending, and disaster preparedness.

Trevor Ozawa Seeks a Return to the Council

Voters are broadly familiar with Trevor Ozawa, who previously represented District 4 after winning election in 2014. His tenure ended in 2018 when he lost to Tommy Waters, an opponent with whom he has shared a political rivalry since 2014, including a recent legal dispute over Waters’ eligibility to seek a third consecutive term.

Supreme Court Blocks Honolulu Council Chair From Seeking Third Term: The court ruled candidates Trevor Ozawa and Tara Malia Gregory should be placed on the ballot this fall. Tommy Waters is not allowed to run this time. https://t.co/NlaN52KngL #HInews

— https://x.com/CivilBeat/status/2093472369612673441

During his time on the council, Ozawa chaired the Budget and Zoning and Planning committees. He was known for fighting against the continued development of “monster homes” through legislation targeting permits for those buildings and routinely challenged the financial trajectory of the Honolulu rail project, at one point delaying millions in funding to demand detailed spending justifications.

“I treated every city dollar like it came out of your pocket. Because it did,” Ozawa stated on his campaign website. “I don’t just talk about watching your money. On the Council, I stood up against higher costs on working families, even when that meant taking on the special interests pushing them, because that’s what I was elected to do.”

For the current race, Ozawa highlights housing affordability and tax relief for local homeowners and kūpuna on fixed incomes as central platform items. He advocates for streamlining the city’s building permitting process, promoting targeted housing development around the rail line to keep properties accessible to residents rather than out-of-state buyers.

“I thought that I would have a second term the last time I was at the City Council, and that went away quickly in April of 2019,” Ozawa told hawaiipublicradio.org. “I really wanted to get so much more done in a second term. So eight years later, if elected again, I would love the opportunity to serve.”

Tara Malia Gregory Brings an Outsider Platform Focused on Accountability

Challenging Ozawa is Tara Malia Gregory, whose political engagement intensified following the 2023 wildfires on Maui. Having lived in Texas prior to the disaster, Gregory returned to Hawaiʻi and immersed herself in civic governance, questioning official accounts of the tragedy and pushing for structural changes in emergency management.

Trevor Ozawa and Tara Malia Gregory Face Off for District 4 Seat

“After Lahaina, I don’t know what’s entirely true,” Gregory told hawaiipublicradio.org. “I know there’s a lot of evidence pointing to a lot of things that I think will continue to come out just regarding the major players that were involved in that fire or negligence or combination.”

Reporting by Honolulu Civil Beat noted that Gregory has been associated with conspiracies involving the wildfires, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the 2020 presidential election. Last year, she was one nominee offered by the Hawaiʻi Republican Party to replace Gene Ward after he died during his term.

Gregory’s platform centers on sweeping government audits, enhanced transparency, and curtailing the emergency proclamation powers held by the governor and county mayors. Gov. Josh Green has faced public criticism for utilizing emergency proclamations to expedite housing construction by suspending specific public participation and environmental rules, a use of executive authority that Gregory’s campaign explicitly targets.

She also points to local infrastructure needs, arguing that dry conditions in regions like East Honolulu mirror vulnerabilities seen on Maui and require upgraded water systems to mitigate major fire risks.

What Lies Ahead for District 4 Voters

The campaign places two distinct political philosophies before the electorate. Ozawa leans on his established municipal voting record, committee chair experience, and familiarity with city budget negotiations. Gregory runs as an insurgent outsider focused on executive overreach, auditing city operations, and restructuring emergency powers.

As mail-in ballots and polling places process votes across the district, residents of Waikīkī and East Honolulu will decide whether to restore a veteran councilmember to office or elect a newcomer driven by post-disaster skepticism and demands for institutional reform.