Hi, I’m Angie Knight!
Democrat Candidate for State House District 21
(St. Louis Heights, Pālolo Valley, Maunalani Heights, Wilhelmina Rise, Kaimukī)
Priorities:
Pedestrian Safety: I joined the Neighborhood Board because of one crosswalk (4th x Wai‘alae Ave), and that advocacy quickly grew into multiple crosswalks, improved bus routes, and then into efforts to curb speeding in our neighborhoods. Commuting should not carry a fear of becoming a casualty; it also should not be spent primarily dodging parked or speeding cars.
Homelessness: Progress is being made; people are moving from homelessness to housing. At the same time, we are seeing more people become homeless for the first time, due to salaries not keeping up with rent prices, unexpected expenses, mental health issues, natural disasters, government shutdowns, and more. Our State’s Safety Net—the services that support people on the brink of homelessness—is fraying, due to increased demand and operational costs with unstable, insufficient funding. Shelter is only one part of the housing spectrum; maintainable housing is another.
Caring for our Kūpuna: The economic pinch of the rising cost of living is felt across all income levels and ages, especially by those on fixed incomes. Families are having to choose between caring for loved ones themselves or working absurd hours to pay for home care. For those who live independently, rising costs and insurance fluctuations are causing instability and limiting their ability to plan for the long term.
Sustainable Housing & Infrastructure: Hawai‘i is one of the most isolated island chains. We have finite resources and land; it makes sense that we care for and maintain what we have. Yet, that is not the case in most regards. Our need for more housing is growing; new development is not the only answer. We need to look at and invest in maximizing what supply currently exists.
Local Market + Small Businesses: Local produce, livestock, and goods are competing with imported wholesale goods for market share. Despite Hawai‘i being an ideal pilot zone for innovation due to its diversity and location between East and West economies, new businesses struggle to survive their first few years of operation, largely due to operational costs. Our local businesses and farms should be uplifted and encouraged, resourced to thrive rather than fend for themselves against national, scaled businesses and brands.
Education: Not all public school classrooms have air conditioning, despite ceiling and tower fans; the rooms are hot. Teachers are buying snacks for students whose families struggle to provide full lunches for their keiki, who are just above the income limits for free meals. If we truly believe keiki are our future, we need to reflect that with investments in their education, including support for teachers, the arts, facilities, and learning environment.
About Me
I'm the proud daughter of educators who taught children of US military service members. I was born in Tokyo, raised in Okinawa, grew up in the New Hope International 'ohana, and am honored to call Kaimukī home. I’m running to represent District 21 at the State House. District 21 consists of St. Louis Heights, Pālolo Valley, Maunalani Heights, Wilhelmina Rise, and Kaimukī.
At 18, I moved to the United States to pursue an undergraduate degree in Communications. My studies included a semester abraod in Bavaria, Germany and an internship in Blantyre, Malawi. After graduation, I worked in product development for calendars, children's publishing, and Mountain Apple music replication. My first project was overseeing the impact of the Trump administration's additional tariffs and the revised Fair Packaging and Trade Law. Quickly, I dove into the world of policy and saw firsthand how greatly daily life was affected by these policies but that many did not have the time to sift through. After picking up a second job editing for Hawai‘i's then-only local fishing and hunting magazine, I enrolled in a dual-degree program: Master's in Public Administration from the University of Washington Evans School of Public Policy & Governance and a Master's in Public Policy from Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand.
During my public policy program, I began working at Hawai‘i's largest homeless services organization. Working there, I advocated to improve the homeless services ecosystem and housing opportunities, increase mental health and substance use treatment access, public safety and holistic diversion and rehabilitiation, and greater cross-sector collaboration.
Community Activities:
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Junior High Youth Ministry Leader (13+ years)
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Member, Hawai‘i Chamber of Commerce's Young Professional (YP) Program
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Organizer and Moderator, annual YP Cost of Living Summit
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Neighborhood Board District 5: St. Louis Heights-Kapahulu-Diamond Head
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Commissioner for Neighborhood Commission
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District 21 Council Chair, Democratic Party of Hawai‘i
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Member, Pearlside Church - Kahala
Join our Movement
I've had the pleasure of sharing with keiki and adults about homelessness and how, together, we're ending cycles of homelessness. In those talk stories, I always end with this:
Community builds Community, and together we care for our Community.
The same is true with this campaign. It's not about me, or only my ideas; this campaign
is about using our voices to make our home better, not just for future generations, but for ours: here and now.