Campaign Spending Commission

Campaign Spending Commission Meeting
In-Person & Zoom Video Conference
December 19, 2025
10:00 a.m.

Commissioners Present
David Chee, Danton Wong, Jon Itomura, Barbara Polk

Commissioner Excused
Neal Herbert

Staff Present
Kristin E. Izumi-Nitao, Kristie Chang, Terence Lau, Anthony Diep

Deputy Attorney General
Candace Park (via Zoom)

Deputy Solicitor General 
Ewan Rayner

Guest(s)
Chad Blair (via Zoom), Judith Mills-Wong (via Zoom)

Call to Order
Chair Chee called the meeting to order at 10:07 a.m.

Chair Chee went over the procedures for the hybrid in-person and remote meeting via Zoom and introduced the Commissioners and Commission staff who were present.  He stated that Vice-Chair Herbert was excused from today’s meeting.

*Chair Chee asked to take the matters out of order to allow Deputy Solicitor General Rayner to present an update concerning The Babylon Bee, LLC and Dawn O’Brien vs. Anne E. Lopez et al, Civil No. CV25-00234 HG-KJM case as he was already present.

Executive Session
Vice-Chair Wong moved to go into Executive Session Pursuant to Hawaii Revised Statutes section 92-5(a)(4) – Consultation with the Commission’s attorneys on questions and issues pertaining to the Commission’s powers, duties, privileges, immunities, and liabilities concerning The Babylon Bee, LLC and Dawn O’Brien vs. Anne E. Lopez et al, Civil No. CV25-00234 HG-KJM, filed on 6/4/25. Motion seconded by Commissioner Polk.  Motion carried (4-0).

*Commission went into Executive Session at 10:11 a.m.

*Commission returned into public session at 10:40 a.m.

Chair Chee explained to the public that the purpose of the Executive Session was for attorney-client communications with Deputy Solicitor General Rayner, who is representing the Commission on The Babylon Bee, LLC and Dawn O’Brien vs. Anne E. Lopez et al, Civil No. CV25-00234 HG-KJM case, and to brief the Commission on the status of the case.

*Commission resumed originally scheduled agenda

Consideration and Approval of Minutes of Meeting on 11/12/25
Vice-Chair Wong moved to approve the minutes of the meeting held on 11/12/25.  Motion seconded by Commissioner Polk.  Motion carried (4-0).

Old Business
*Consideration, Discussion, Approval, and/or Update of Commission Legislation and Other Related Bills/Resolutions for the 2026 Legislative Session – Chair Chee proposed that matters regarding old business be postponed to the Commission’s next meeting on January 7, 2026.

There was no objection.

Report from Executive Director
*Report on Compliance of Filing Timely Disclosure Reports – Executive Director Izumi-Nitao reported that there were no reports due since the Commission’s last meeting, but there will be a Supplemental Report covering the period of 7/1/25 to 12/31/25 due on February 2, 2025 that is required to be filed by all registered committees, which consist of 431 candidate committees and 248 noncandidate committees.  She added that the filing schedules for the upcoming election year for both candidate and noncandidate committees are available on the Commission’s website, and recommended that committees be familiar with the schedule as candidate committees may be required to file up to 10 reports based on their situations, and up to 7 reports for noncandidate committees depending on their circumstances.

She further reported that committees that failed to file reports are still listed on the Commission’s website, and staff will continue to work with the Attorney General’s Office’s – Civil Recoveries Division to collect fines and obtain compliance.

*Update on FY 2027 Supplemental Budget – Executive Director Izumi-Nitao reported that staff made efforts to secure funds for salary parity; however, the request was not approved by Budget and Finance or the Governor.  She also mentioned that there are scheduled informational briefings with House Finance on 1/12/26 and Senate Ways and Means on 1/13/26.  Staff will continue working to include this in the budget, and if that is not successful, there is still a bill in the Commission’s package aimed at achieving some level of salary parity moving forward.

*Report on the 2026 January CSC Newsletter – Executive Director Izumi-Nitao reported on the contents of the newsletter to be posted after the Commission’s January 7, 2026 meeting and stated that it is still being finalized but will include the following topics:

• Reminder To All Committees to File the Supplemental Report
• Reporting Schedules
• New Schedule of Fines
• $1,000 or Less Aggregate Contributions and Expenditures for the 2026 Election
• Updating Organizational Reports
• Commission’s Bills for the 2026 Legislative Session
• Considerations for Candidates Who Are Planning to Run in the 2026 Election
• Term Limited Candidates
• Termination of Committee Registration with The Commission
• HRS Chapter 92H – Restrictions on Publication of Certain Public Servants’ Personal Information
• Update on the Commission’s New Filing System
• Violations of the Campaign Finance Laws
• New – Cyber-Learning Videos
• Results of The Commission’s 2025 Online Survey
• Reminder to Check Off The $3 Box on Your 2026 Tax Return
• 2026 Meeting Schedule, Meeting Agendas and Board Packets
• Downloadable Calendar Available on The Commission’s Website
• 2026 Amended Standard Mileage Rate Announced by The Internal Revenue Service (IRS)
• Mahalo to Associate Director Tony Baldomero
• Welcome New Commissioner

*Report on the 2025 COGEL Conference – Executive Director Izumi-Nitao reported that General Counsel Chang, Commissioner Polk, and Vice-Chair Wong attended this year’s COGEL Conference in Atlanta, Georgia.

Executive Director Izumi-Nitao stated that she was part of an 18-member Program Committee that represented various jurisdictions and disciplines in Campaign Finance, Ethics, Elections, Freedom of Information, and Lobbying, and that the committee met in Atlanta this past April to plan 44 sessions for the conference.  She noted that 30% of the attendees were first timers; however, there was a big drop off in attendees from 540 at the conference she co-chaired in Los Angeles last year to just 430 this year largely due to the travel bans for federal employees and COGEL’s counterparts in Canada, which usually make up about a quarter of the attendees.  Some of her highlights of the conference included attending the public financing roundtable hosted by The Brennan Center, moderating a discussion between agency heads, assisting with team huddle, organizing a joint dinner for the attendees from various Hawaii and Guam agencies, and participating on the panel for a discussion on campaign finance legislative updates.

She further stated that Vice-Chair Wong, General Counsel Chang, and she were able to meet with the President and Co-Founder of Maplight Dan Newman and Director of Product of Maplight Laura Curlin to discuss the Commission’s ongoing contract to develop the Commission’s electronic filing system.  She further stated that the next conference will be in Denver, Colorado from December 6-9, 2026.

General Counsel Chang shared that she appreciated the opportunity to attend the conference.  As a newcomer, it was eye-opening and at times overwhelming due to multiple breakout sessions with many topics to choose from.  She mentioned that unlike other conferences, this one covered a broad range of areas—ethics, campaign finance, and OIP—all relevant to the Commission.  It provided valuable learning, especially on public financing, which is a key issue for the Commission.  She added that she also appreciated the networking opportunities, such as informal dine-arounds which allowed her to connect with General Counsels from other states for future collaboration. Overall, she thought that she gained significant insights and took detailed notes to apply moving forward.

Commissioner Polk thanked the Commission for the opportunity to attend the conference.  She found the conference to be interesting and somewhat overwhelming due to the variety of topics.  She shared that she especially enjoyed meeting the Guam representatives, and learning about how they manage campaign spending, ethics, and elections all under one agency.  She added that among the sessions, “Following the Money” stood out as particularly useful, and she took extensive notes that could benefit a future investigator of the Commission.  Overall, she was proud of our Commission’s practices, as many suggestions shared were things staff already do—and more.

Vice-Chair Wong shared that this was his second time attending a COGEL conference, and it reinforced his belief that advancing public financing would greatly benefit everyone.  He cited New York’s model with $100 million allocated and an 8-1 matching ratio as a success and that public financing there is seen as a badge of honor.  He understands that achieving similar goals in Hawaii will require strong political will, but it is worth striving for.  He also appreciated meeting with Maplight, who reaffirmed their commitment to the development of the filing system and implementation is on track despite Associate Director Baldomero’s retirement.  Additionally, hearing from frontline speakers—such as a whistleblower from the first Trump administration and the Carter Museum’s executive director—was inspiring, as they emphasized the importance of protecting democracy and fair elections.

*Update on Transition of Retiring Associate Director Tony Baldomero – Executive Director Izumi-Nitao reported that she has been meeting with Maplight and scheduled a meeting next week with staff to review system design and flowcharts.  She believes that Administrator Assistant Diep and Election Assistant Lau’s input is essential for creating a user-friendly and efficient platform as they are the ones who directly engage with the committees.  Associate Director Baldomero’s retirement revealed the breadth of his responsibilities, so staff is prioritizing tasks, staff morale, and transparency during this transition.  She added that hiring of additional staff is underway and explained that the office was reorganized into two branches—Reporting & Compliance (led by the Associate Director with two Election Assistants) and Enforcement (led by General Counsel with an Investigator).  She further stated that the goal is to fill these positions by January using the biennium budget, and that General Counsel Chang will assume the Associate Director role, but that as Executive Director, she will continue to oversee the Maplight contract and election preparations during the transition period as well as maintain open communication with the Commission’s partners.

Chair Chee acknowledged the challenges and that staff has the Commission’s full support.

Executive Director Izumi-Nitao expressed her gratitude to Chair Chee for the support and thanked the staff for their efforts during this transition.  She acknowledged that Associate Director Baldomero’s retirement was abrupt and credited staff for stepping up.  She assured the Commission that the team will do their best moving forward.

Deputy Attorney General Park asked if Tony Baldomero will be returning to the Commission in limited capacity on a consultant contract.  Executive Director Izumi-Nitao stated that it is a consideration but there are other variables at play including whether Tony is interested and if there is sufficient funding in the existing budget so nothing is confirmed.

There being no further business, Chair Chee stated that the Commission’s next meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, January 7, 2026 and asked for a motion to adjourn the meeting.

Vice-Chair Wong moved to adjourn the meeting.  Motion seconded by Commissioner Polk.  Motion carried (4-0).

Meeting Adjourned at 11:20 p.m.