On this week’s episode of the One O‘ahu Podcast, Mayor Rick Blangiardi joins host Brandi Higa to discuss his recent trip to Japan, an update on the effort to get more homeless individuals off the streets and into more permanent housing, and the end to pay-per-view for University of Hawai‘i football home games.
Mayor B goes to Japan
On what was his first international trip as Mayor, Mayor Blangiardi embarked on a trip to Japan from July 30 to August 7, 2025, to participate in events commemorating the 80th anniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima.
“Personally, for me, I felt especially honored to be there,” said Mayor Blangiardi. “I was born in 1946 and my dad, my uncles, and every kid I went to school with, all of our fathers fought in World War II. And while these men didn’t tell us about their personal heroics, we knew about the impact of the war and certainly the end of the war.”
While in Japan, the Mayor attended memorial ceremonies and cultural programs that honor the lives lost and reaffirm a shared commitment to peace and reconciliation. He also conducted meetings with government and tourism partners.
Homeless situation
The City’s Department of Enterprise Services installed new signage marking the perimeter of the Ala Wai Golf Course as private property. The new signs went up on Aug. 4 to prohibit trespassing and camping.
“Nobody has a right to sit out there or for that matter, defecate on sidewalks in public or take their clothes off and run down the street,” explained Mayor Blangiardi. “And everybody’s supposed to go “well they’re homeless, that’s ok” – it’s not! And I think we’re addressing all of that as aggressively as we can for the sake of our community. But more than anything, to help these people because they need help.”
To learn more about homeless services in the City and County of Honolulu, visit https://www.honolulu.gov/dcs/homeless/
No pay-per-view for Hawaii home football games in 2025
The University of Hawai‘i announced on Monday that its home football game televised by Spectrum Sports will not be on pay-per-view and instead will be broadcast live without any additional cost.
“That will drive attendance, that will drive interest, that will win back share of mind, that will win back audiences,” added Mayor Blangiardi.
The Rainbow Warriors open their 2025 campaign against Stanford on Saturday, August 23. That game will be broadcast by CBS.
AloJapan.com