Lahaina recovery
Homes rebuilt, jobs returning, and what each leading candidate says went wrong with the pace of recovery — and what should change next.
As of early 2026 reporting: about 128 homes rebuilt in Lahaina and Kula; roughly 300 under construction. Obstacles include tariff-driven construction cost increases, insurance shortfalls, grant eligibility limits, and ongoing lawsuit delays.
All major candidates acknowledge recovery has been slower than desired; they disagree on what broke, who is accountable, and what to prioritize next. Coverage of Lahaina is treated with gravity appropriate to a community that suffered catastrophic loss.
Use the cards below for each candidate’s framing.
Where leading candidates stand
Richard T. Bissen Jr.
Federal dollars + Office of RecoveryHow they frame the problem
Catastrophic loss, insurance shortfalls, tariff-driven construction costs, grant limits, and lawsuit delays have slowed rebuilding. The county’s job is to organize recovery, clear bureaucratic obstacles, and bring federal relief to scale.
What they say should happen
Defend the Office of Recovery model; continue deploying the ~$1.6B in federal disaster relief secured; keep clearing permit bottlenecks so rebuilds and affordable housing can move; treat recovery as a multi-year federal–county partnership rather than a single local failure.
Summarized from administration record and public statements. Rebuild counts (homes finished vs. under construction) remain contested in local reporting.
Yuki Lei Sugimura
Rebuild jobs with homesHow they frame the problem
Recovery sequenced homes without enough parallel commercial rebuild — so residents return without the jobs and small-business economy that make a community livable. Accountability for pace and priorities belongs with the administration that set the sequence.
What they say should happen
Rebuild businesses alongside homes so employment is ready when residents return; pair recovery with infrastructure and permitting reform so West Maui can reopen and stay economically viable.
Summarized from council record and campaign framing in local coverage and the research brief.
P. Denise La Costa
La Costa Cures deliveryHow they frame the problem
Recovery is stuck in county process — opaque permit clocks, fees on fire-impacted rebuilds, and slow deployment of economic revitalization dollars — while Front Street and West Maui wait for a single accountable delivery desk.
What they say should happen
Front Street Recovery Desk; 30-day county clock with a public weekly dashboard; zero county fees for fire-impacted rebuilds; pre-approved commercial pattern books; deploy $15M CDBG-DR economic revitalization with monthly reporting and seek an Action Plan amendment to increase that allocation.
Campaign positions from mayorlacosta2026.com/la-costa-cures. Funding and timeline claims are campaign proposals, not enacted county policy.