ABOUT

GET TO KNOW RIDA!

Rida Cabanilla Arakawa is a business owner, registered nurse, retired Lieutenant Colonel in the U.S. Army Reserve, and former Hawaii State Representative with a long record of public service.


After moving to Hawaii from the Philippines, Rida built a life rooted in hard work, family, service, and opportunity. Her background in healthcare and small business gives her a practical understanding of the challenges local families face every day, from the cost of living to access to care and the need for good jobs.


Rida previously served the people of West Oahu in the Hawaii House of Representatives, where she focused on issues such as transportation, education, healthcare, job creation, and support for the Ewa Plain. She has also served her country through the U.S. Army Reserve, bringing discipline, leadership, and a deep commitment to public duty.


Now, Rida is running for Hawaii State Senate District 20 to bring experience, balance, and a strong voice for Ewa Beach, Ocean Pointe, Ewa by Gentry, Iroquois Point, and portions of Ewa Villages.


Her campaign is about putting families first, protecting local jobs, improving access to town, lowering the cost of living, and making sure Hawaii has a voice that matters no matter which party is in power.

A Record of Service and Results

Rida Cabanilla Arakawa served for 14 years in the Hawaii State House of Representatives, representing evolving districts that included Waipahu, ʻEwa, and ʻEwa Beach. During her time in office, she focused on practical issues that directly affected local families, including traffic relief, transportation access, healthcare, education, housing, veterans, seniors, and public safety.


Delivering Traffic and Transportation Improvements

Rida worked to reduce traffic congestion and improve daily travel for West Oʻahu residents. Her transportation efforts included:

  • Supporting traffic light synchronization to improve traffic flow
  • Helping move forward the widening of Fort Weaver Road from two lanes to six lanes
  • Addressing flooding problems on Fort Weaver Road
  • Supporting a new traffic light between Kolowaka and Kapolei Parkway
  • Improving road connectivity between ʻEwa, ʻEwa Beach, and Kapolei
  • Voting in support of rail
  • Expanding bus service to town and Waikīkī, including additional express bus options during peak commute times
  • Securing a pilot project appropriation for ferry service from Ocean Pointe to Aloha Tower

Rida also supported changes to help reduce long traffic standstills after freeway fatalities by allowing a victim’s death to be pronounced at the nearest emergency room instead of waiting for a coroner to arrive on site.


Helping Families, Homeowners, and Residents

Rida worked on policies that helped local residents with everyday needs, including housing, property rights, public housing, and constituent services.

Her work included:

  • Helping constituents recover unclaimed property
  • Supporting the right of planned communities and condominium residents to fly the U.S. flag
  • Supporting reasonable clothesline use in condominiums when it does not diminish the appearance of the property
  • Allowing individual electric metering in condominiums so residents have a stronger incentive to conserve energy
  • Rewriting eviction policy for non-payment of rent in public housing
  • Supporting appropriations to repair unusable public housing units and return them to service


Expanding Healthcare Access

As a registered nurse, Rida has long understood the importance of healthcare access for local families.

For ʻEwa Beach, she helped secure three ambulances after the interim hospital closure. Statewide, she supported policies to strengthen nursing, care homes, and access to healthcare, including:

  • Opening the School of Nursing at Leeward Community College
  • Supporting the creation and advancement of Advanced Practice Registered Nurses in Hawaii
  • Passing legislation related to APRN prescriptive authority
  • Supporting pay increases for care homes
  • Passing legislation allowing foster homes to care for a third patient
  • Supporting efforts to allow the NCLEX examination for graduate nurses to be taken in Manila and Guam to help address the nursing shortage


Strengthening Education and Public Facilities

Rida supported major investments in schools and public facilities that serve West Oʻahu families.

Her appropriations work included support for:

  • New buildings at Campbell High School
  • Improvements at ʻEwa Elementary School
  • Support for ʻEwa Makai Middle School
  • Funding for the courthouse in Kapolei


Supporting Veterans, Military Families, and Public Service

Rida also worked on legislation and appropriations that supported veterans, military families, and those who served our country.

Her work included:

  • Supporting burial benefits for Filipino World War II veterans
  • Supporting vehicle tax exemptions for local residents serving in the Army Reserve and National Guard
  • Supporting the Hawaii Medal of Honor


Statewide Legislative Accomplishments

In addition to her district work, Rida supported statewide measures focused on government efficiency, transportation, public safety, healthcare, and privacy.

Her statewide accomplishments included:

  • Supporting traffic light synchronization statewide
  • Reducing the disclosure of Social Security numbers on certain government forms from seven digits to the last four digits
  • Passing a resolution supporting direct flights from Washington, D.C. to Honolulu
  • Supporting legislation and resolutions to strengthen healthcare staffing and nursing access in Hawaii


A Continued Commitment to ʻEwa and West Oʻahu

Rida’s record reflects years of work on the issues that matter most to local families: traffic, schools, healthcare, housing, jobs, veterans, and cost of living.

Her focus has always been practical results. She understands the needs of ʻEwa, ʻEwa Beach, and West Oʻahu because she has served these communities, listened to residents, and fought for improvements that make daily life better.

Setting the Record Straight on ʻEwa Cemetery

Rida has long cared about the condition and preservation of ʻEwa Cemetery. During her time in office, an appropriation was pursued to help support cemetery maintenance, including equipment, gasoline, and a small stipend for the aging volunteers who were helping care for the property.


The intent was to support the cemetery and the community members maintaining it, not to benefit any individual personally. Because of time constraints in the filing process, a family member was listed as an officer of the nonprofit, but the nonprofit’s bylaws made clear that officers and board members would not be paid. Any support was intended for cemetery maintenance work.


Unfortunately, the issue became politicized during a past campaign, and the controversy prevented the release of the appropriated funds. Rida believes the real loss was to ʻEwa Cemetery and the community members who were trying to care for it.



Rida remains committed to preserving local history, honoring those who came before us, and supporting the community spaces that matter to ʻEwa families.

“Mahalo for your vote and for placing your trust in me. I am grateful for the opportunity to stand with the families of Senate District 20 and fight for balance, common sense, and a stronger future for our community.”