News Alert! Important BLNR meeting Thursday, Nov 9th, 9am, scroll down for sample testimony

Aloha Surf Parking Protectors,

Here is how to act right now!

DLNR’s Division of Boating and Ocean Recreation (DOBOR) put in a new attempt to eliminate the free parking stalls at the Ala Wai Small Boat Harbor again.

In the next BLNR meeting on Thursday, November 9th at 9:00am, the agenda includes a new parking concession to Secure Parking Hawaii LLC (the company we're having big issues with about their predatory towing practices once parking meters expire).

However, DOBOR’s staff submission does not give adequate public notification because the change in the parking plan is not mentioned in the title.

Friends of Kewalo provided testimony in support of the bill to preserve the 300 free parking stalls. The Senate’s Water and Land Committee unanimously passed the bill.

DOBOR’s latest attempt to eliminate the free parking stalls is a clear betrayal of the public’s trust into the department. DLNR should immediately withdraw this item from This is exactly what the public wanted to avoid with the bill to guarantee 300 parking free stalls at the Ala Wai Harbor. In a February 2023 Star Advertiser article titled, “Agency denies free parking at Ala Wai harbor targeted,” Ed Underwood, the DOBOR administrator stated, “There is no truth to claims that we intend to eliminate free parking, which includes some spaces facing the lagoon, and many others at the coastline.”

Just six months after making that statement, DOBOR is now recommending the exact opposite! They’ve hidden this proposal in the staff submittal with ZERO notice to the public in the agenda item, and ZERO public outreach and hearings.

All of this comes on the heels of Senate Bill 1034 which called for the protection of the 300 free parking stalls at the Ala Wai Small Boat Harbor and was introduced by Senator Inouye, who also chairs the Senate's Water and Land Committee.

During the bill’s hearing in February, DLNR opposed the bill and stated, “The department has no plans to change these free stalls into paid parking.” More than 220 members of the public, our coalition, and community organizations such as Save Our Surf, Surfrider, and

and community organizations such as Save Our Surf, Surfrider, and

their agenda and do public outreach and community hearings before making any changes to the parking plan.

We have an important action item and need your help. Submitting testimony will only take 5 minutes of your time but will make a huge impact!

Email blnr.testimony@hawaii.gov with your testimony. Below is a sample template for your testimony, but please add your personal information and stories to make it more compelling. If you’d like to keep it short, a paragraph introducing yourself and expressing your opposition to DOBOR’s recommendation to change the parking is valuable too. Your voice matters and any level of support is appreciated!

If you also want to give oral testimony in person, come to the DLNR Kalanimoku building on Thursday, November 9th by 9:00 AM to sign up or online via ZOOM, or livestream via YouTube.

Mahalo for taking action to protect ocean access for ourselves and future generations!

Sample testimony starts here

Subject line for email: Testimony for J-7 - Deny Elimination or ANY Reduction of Free Parking. (Copy and paste the sample testimony below)

TESTIMONY OF [YOUR NAME]  IN STRONG OPPOSITION TO THE ELIMINATION OR MODIFICATION OF FREE PARKING STALLS 

AGENDA ITEM J-7

Aloha Chair Chang and Members of the Board,

My name is [FILL IN YOUR NAME] and I am writing in strong opposition of the Division of Boating and Ocean Recreation’s (DOBOR) staff recommendations to either eliminate free recreational parking stalls or restrict free recreational parking from 300 to 125 free stalls at the Ala Wai State Boat Harbor (AWSBH).  ANY changes to the parking plan shall only be made with noticed prior to community outreach and consultation, including changes of the free time from 6 to 3 hours.

[FILL IN PERSONAL INFORMATION, Where do you live, Are you a paddler, boater, or surfer that uses the area? What does this place mean to you?]

The parking lot of the AWSBH provides ocean access for the canoe paddlers of the Anuenue Canoe Club and surfers for the surf spots Kaisers, Rockpiles, and Ala Moana Bowls.  There are 941 parking stalls with 312 stalls for permit holders who rent boat slips.   In 2008, DOBOR requested that the Board of Land and Natural Resources (BLNR) reduce the remaining 549 free-of-charge stalls to 130 and implement paid parking for the rest.  After huge public opposition and outcry, where the majority of the public wanted to keep all remaining stalls free, BLNR approved DOBOR’s parking plan with the compromise that at least 300 stalls remain free of charge (6h time limit and no parking allowed from 10:30pm to 4:30am).  In January of 2020, DOBOR attempted to reduce the number of free parking stalls again and convert 125 free stalls to paid parking in total disregard of the compromise reached with the community in 2008 and without any prior community outreach.  This Board had denied the amendment to the parking plan and EXPLICITLY required DOBOR staff to engage with community stakeholders before making any changes to the parking plan.

Paid parking will cause surfers to park at Magic Island and paddle across an active boat channel to reach the highly popular and world-famous surf spot “Ala Moana Bowls.”  This causes serious safety concerns for surfers and boaters alike, especially at dusk and dawn, besides the fact that the free-of-charge parking lot at Ala Moana Beach Park is already overcrowded with the influx of new developments in Kaka‘ako.

Converting more or all of the free parking stalls at the AWSBH will detrimentally affect and exacerbate the financial hardship of local ‘ohana and practitioners of Native Hawaiian traditional and customary practices such as canoe paddling, fishing, and surfing, who are already suffering the most from the exorbitant cost of living in Hawai‘i.  This is the last place in Waikīkī where local ‘ohana can access the ocean without having to pay for parking. 

Earlier this year the Hawaii Senate’s Water and Land and Hawaiian Affairs Committees unanimously passed SB1034, which guaranteed the protection of the 300 free recreational parking stalls.  DOBOR opposed this bill and “clarified” that the “Department has no plans to change these free stalls into paid parking.”  Over 220 community members provided testimony in support of this bill because the community was concerned that they would be blindsided by DOBOR again.  The agenda item of J-7 did not mention changes to the parking at all providing ZERO notice!  DOBOR has done ZERO community outreach or provided a public hearing on this issue. 

It is imperative to act now and protect the last free access to the ocean for our local ‘ohana and practitioners of Native Hawaiian traditional and customary practices in Waikīkī.  Please DENY any changes to the parking plan.

Mahalo for your time and consideration,

[YOUR NAME]