The Honolulu City Council’s Committee on Housing, Homelessness and Parks on Nov. 18 advanced two nominations to the Board of Parks and Recreation, reporting both resolutions out for adoption.

Catherine Chang, nominated to serve through Dec. 31, 2030, said she leads the nonprofit Center for Tomorrow’s Leaders and intends to expand student-led projects that connect youth with local parks. Chang told the committee her organization assigns 11th- and 12th-grade students to evaluate a nearby park and host a community event; those projects are set to complete in the spring.

The nomination for a reappointment drew far more public attention. Carla Hauser, whose term was up for reconfirmation, faced multiple in-person speakers who opposed her reappointment. Testimony cited community concerns about recent street sweeps and charged that Hauser’s connections to homelessness-related organizations presented a conflict of interest.

"I strongly oppose it," said a testifier who asked the chair to consider recusal, calling the affiliation a "significant conflict of interest" and saying West Side residents had seen no solutions during Hauser's tenure.

Deputy Director Kia Haupu'u of the Department of Parks and Recreation responded that Hauser has "more than 15 years" of experience with at-risk youth and had helped develop programs to serve young people and kupuna. "She asks tough questions, and she shows up every meeting," Kia Haupu'u said, adding that the department does not see any conflict of interest and that board positions are voluntary and unpaid.

Council members praised Hauser’s work with marginalized youth and emphasized that parks-board duties differ from enforcement actions; the chair noted that the parks board makes recommendations to staff and does not execute enforcement sweeps. With no objections, the committee ordered Resolution 25-295 (Catherine Chang) and Resolution 25-298 (Carla Hauser) reported out for adoption.

The committee advised members of the public that parks-board meetings are monthly and encouraged those interested in board service to contact the Department of Parks and Recreation.