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Hawaii County committee forwards bill to rename Kaunalani Park after donor
Summary
The Hawaii County Policy Committee on Health, Safety, and Well-Being voted unanimously to forward Bill 58 recommending renaming Kaunalani Park as Yette Song Chang Park after testimony from the donor's daughter and discussion about preserving Hawaiian place names.
On June 3, 2025, the Hawaii County Policy Committee on Health, Safety, and Well-Being voted 9-0 to forward Bill 58 to the full County Council with a favorable recommendation to rename Kaunalani Park as Yette Song Chang Park.
The proposal, introduced by Councilmember Kaguyaana, came after testimony from Carol D'Lima, who identified herself as the daughter of the donor. "Thank you for inviting me. Thank you for hearing me out, and thank you for honoring his name," D'Lima said, describing her late father's decision to donate the parkland to the county.
Committee members discussed cultural and historical concerns raised about changing a Hawaiian place name. Councilmember Villegas said she had "some concerns" about replacing a Hawaiian name tied to the area's cultural and historical significance and asked that the cultural commission or a recognized cultural practitioner be consulted. Councilmember Craigowitz said the county could both recognize the donor and preserve or elevate the site's Hawaiian history through interpretive signage.
Committee members said Parks and Recreation staff had conducted a preliminary search and reported the park's current name reflected the neighborhood rather than a documented cultural site; members asked that the parks director and cultural practitioners be made available at a subsequent meeting for fuller background. After brief discussion and public testimony, the committee proceeded to a roll-call vote and unanimously approved forwarding the bill to the full council with a favorable recommendation. "Chair, you have all nine votes in favor. It moves forward to council with a favorable recommendation," the clerk said following the vote.
The bill will next be considered by the full County Council. Committee members suggested follow-up steps including a fuller report from Parks and Recreation and outreach to the cultural commission or local lineal descendants to clarify the historical significance of the site's Hawaiian name and to discuss interpretive signage or other ways to honor both the place and the donor.
