Flores, Cara

Flores, Cara

Office Seeking: Maui Council Member (Kahului)

Party: Non-Partisan race (registered Democrat)
Website: CaraFlores.com

Food security is defined by the USDA as "access by all people at all times to enough food for an active, healthy life." How will your platform address food insecurity in Maui County?

I would like to see our county seek federal subsidies for food crops, to seek grants, state funds and any other supplement to help reduce the cost of produce to residents while making farming a profitable endeavor for farmers. I would like to see a credit on county water bills for people who grow food on their property. I would like to see a county ordinance making growing food a right and allowing people to create food forest in their yards and plant gardens in their adjacent parkways. I would like to see county sponsored programs teaching people how to grow their own food and helping them with the needed resources to get started. I would work to create and fund a county program that provided daily fresh produce to schools so that all children would have access to a full and free salad bar at lunch in addition to their regularly provided lunch. I would like to see us reduce invasive species through hunting programs and by providing needed processing capabilities.

Please list any initiatives you have supported in Maui County to increase food access and food production that you are proud of:

I started the Apocalypse Gardening group for the purpose of teaching people new to growing food how to do it. Through that I hosted many seed and plant exchanges during a time when seeds and seedlings were very difficult to find. I used to harvest, give away and sell fruit when we had land with many fruit trees. We support local farmers by buying directly from them when possible. I have testified in support of measures to help small and sustainable farming and supported the creation of a county department of agriculture. I have volunteered helping with school gardens and I have been making efforts to grow my own food for well over a decade. Growing food is a lot of work but I truly believe if we can support and empower people in their efforts to do it we can create a lot of our own food on very small scales (similar to victory gardens).

Hawaiʻi imports roughly 85% of our food supply. How will your platform address increasing local food production?

By creating and supporting legislation that makes growing food easier, more profitable and helps overcome obstacles. By incentivizing local food production. By seeking out grants, federal money and state money to support food production.

Please indicate your position on the following policies:

1. Creating County funding mechanisms to support DA BUX Double Up Food Bucks. SUPPORT

2. Increasing local food procurement for Maui County schools. SUPPORT

3. Increasing Farm to School initiatives including school gardens. SUPPORT

4. Pursuing County Farm to Food Bank Funding. SUPPORT

5. Developing regional organic waste and composting services. SUPPORT

6. Restructuring the Department of Water Supply and Department of Wastewater to encourage strategies for conservation, efficient water use, storage, and growing water resources. SUPPORT

7. Increasing the budget for the Maui County Department of Agriculture. SUPPORT

8. Offering subsidies to local farms that have shown the ability to sustain production. SUPPORT

9. Supporting policies that allow for increased affordable housing for farmworkers. SUPPORT

10. Improving policies around hunting and utilizing invasive protein sources. SUPPORT

11. Funding updated shared processing facilities, including slaughterhouses and food hubs. SUPPORT

12. Implementing new inspection policies to reduce the spread of invasive species. SUPPORT

13. Establishing local control of water resources through a Maui County Community Water Authority, with the ability to establish regional community boards. SUPPORT

Please elaborate on any of your above positions here.

I have testified in support of the Maui County Community Water Authority and think it is an excellent idea. I would love to see Maui Food Hub expand (and any other food hubs) so I would support putting more county money towards making this happen. I would support a county provided processing center for people who hunt invasive species and education in the community about this. We enjoyed some lovely venison stew this week because someone gave us deer meat that they had too much of. It is a huge blessing in this economy and is what people in our community do (share the abundance). I support allowing more ADU capacity for working and productive farms. I strongly support large scale water conservation efforts. I would like the county to take this issue seriously and start taking action on it immediately. I would also like to see the county provide rain barrels to people who want to grow their own food as this is an excellent way to say money on watering and conserve potable water. I support DA BUX program as it helps people eat healthier and reduces the effects of poverty (slightly). I would like to see free salad bars at every school that is filled with Maui grown produce.

Are there other issues, County-wide or within your own residency area, about food security that concern you, and how do you plan to address these issues if elected?

Rat lung worm disease. I would like to see a plan to combat this and would support efforts to reduce the risk of catching it and educate the community on it.