What's Being Discussed

Welcome a new commissioner: David Gierlach has been nominated and will be formally welcomed.
Approve past meeting minutes from May 26 and June 9, 2026.
Program updates: Staff will share a summary of the Commission's mediation program and caseload statistics for the year so far.
Active civil rights cases: The Chief Counsel will update the Commission on five ongoing complaints involving employment and housing discrimination:

Diederiks vs. Aliʻi Builders — A hearing examiner issued findings; the full case record is expected to be sent to the Commission in August.
Resurreccion vs. K's Drive-In — Hearing date to be rescheduled.
Tajbakhsh vs. BMW of Hawai'i — Case settled and dismissed.
Miura vs. Zhang and Xie — Hearing tentatively set for November 3, 2026.
Cheong vs. Frederick Zane Trust et al. — Hearing tentatively set for November 17, 2026.

New state laws: Updates on three recent legislative actions, including a law giving people up to one full year to file a discrimination complaint, a resolution requiring the Commission to study the use of automated/algorithmic decision-making, and a bill addressing digital accessibility for people with disabilities.
Hiring update: A staff group will report on the search for a new Deputy Executive Director, including candidate interviews. The Commission will then move into a closed (executive) session to discuss hiring details privately.

Decisions Expected

Approval of meeting minutes from May and June 2026.
Possible action on the Deputy Executive Director hiring following closed-session discussion.

Who Should Pay Attention

People who have filed or are considering filing a discrimination complaint in Hawaiʻi.
Employers, landlords, and businesses subject to state civil rights laws.
People with disabilities interested in digital accessibility rights.
Anyone interested in how automated decision-making tools may intersect with antidiscrimination law.