Tulsi Gabbard

Tulsi Gabbard (formerly Tulsi Gabbard Tamayo)
Member of the Honolulu City Council from District 6
Incumbent
Assumed office January 2, 2011
Preceded by	Rod Tam
Member of the Hawaii House of Representatives from district 42
In office 2002–2004
Preceded by	Mark Moses
Succeeded by	Rida Cabanilla
Personal details
Born	(1981-04-12) April 12, 1981 Leloaloa, American Samoa
Residence	Honolulu
Website	http://www.votetulsi.com

Tulsi Gabbard (born April 12, 1981) is a member of the Honolulu City Council. She served as Hawaii’s youngest state representative in 2002 and is the youngest woman in the USA to be elected into such a position. She is currently a Company Commander with the Hawaii Army National Guard, and has volunteered to serve on two deployments to the Middle East. She is also vice-president and co-founder of the environmental non-profit organization Healthy Hawaii Coalition.

Childhood and education

Tulsi Gabbard was born in Leloaloa, American Samoa, the fourth of five children of Mike Gabbard, (educator, tennis pro, business owner and current Hawaii State Senator of 19th District) and Carol Porter Gabbard (educator and business owner). The family moved to Hawaii in 1983 where Tulsi grew up. Tulsi was homeschooled through high school, with the exception of two years spent at an all-girls missionary academy in the Philippines. She graduated from Hawaii Pacific University with a degree in International Business.

Political and military career

Tulsi’s involvement in public service began at a young age. In 2002, at the age of 21, she became the youngest legislator ever elected in the history of Hawaii and the youngest woman ever elected in the nation. She served as a State Representative for the 42nd District of Oahu which covers Waipahu, Honouliuli and Ewa Beach. While in office, she served on the Education, Higher Education, Tourism and Economic Development committees. She played a key role, along with her Ewa colleagues, in securing much-needed funding for infrastructure on the Ewa Plains.

In April 2003, while serving in office, Tulsi enlisted in the Hawaii Army National Guard. She received several distinguished honor graduate titles and awards at Basic Combat Training and Advanced Individual Training.

In July 2004, Gabbard gave up her seat in office in order to serve with her Hawaii National Guard unit and volunteered for an 12-month deployment to Iraq, where she worked in a field medical unit. She earned the Meritorious Service Medal for her combat tour.

Gabbard graduated from the Accelerated Officer Candidate School at the Alabama Military Academy in March 2007. She made history as the first female to finish as the distinguished honor graduate in the Academy’s 50-year history. She was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant and was then assigned to the 29th Brigade Special Troops Battalion to serve as the Military Police Platoon Leader.

Upon her return from Iraq in 2006, Gabbard served as a legislative aide for US Senator Daniel K. Akaka in Washington, DC. She was responsible for issues involving veteran affairs, energy and natural resources, judiciary, and homeland security. She acted as a surrogate speaker for Senator Akaka on many occasions, and built a grassroots network with the veteran community in Hawaii.

She continued working for Senator Akaka until 2009 when she volunteered for a second deployment to the Middle East, serving as a Platoon Leader for the 29th Brigade Special Troops Battalion Military Police platoon.

During her deployment, she led her platoon on a variety of security missions, conducted non-military host-nation visits, as well as served as a primary trainer for the Kuwait National Guard. She was among the first females to set foot inside a Kuwait military facility, and became the first female ever to be awarded and honored by the Kuwait National Guard for her work in their training and readiness program.

In 2010, Gabbard was selected as one of 30 national finalists for the White House Fellowship. Although she was ultimately not selected as a White House Fellow, she was the only National Guard Soldier, and only Hawaii resident to reach the finalist round in 2010.

Gabbard now serves as a Company Commander. Gabbard is currently the Honolulu City Councilmember representing District 6 which covers Kalihi Valley, Downtown Honolulu, Punchbowl, Liliha, Pauoa Valley, Nuuanu, Alewa Heights, Papakolea, and portions of Makiki.

Bill 54 Controversy

In 2011, Gabbard introduced and strongly pushed for a highly controversial measure, Bill 54, in the Honolulu City Council. This measure authorized City workers to confiscate the belongings of homeless persons by labeling the items as "stored property". Despite strong opposition (including human rights concerns, concerns about potential thievery due to resulting desperation, problems with existing shelters, fiscal concerns regarding the high costs of enforcement, and particularly concerns about Hawai'i's unique constitutional law, Kānāwai Māmalahoe, which protects "those who sleep by the roadside"), the measure passed, and became City Ordinance 1129.

Since its passage in late 2011, the City has used overtime county workers to rout homeless people, by taking the belongings (such as blankets, tents, and tarps) that they need to survive outdoors. It has also paid particular attention to the (de)Occupy Honolulu encampment at Thomas Square, an affiliate of the larger Occupy movement, which has been raided by the City 10 times.

Under the ordinance, property is to be stored for a period of 30 days. However, there have been numerous reports of this being practically impossible due to a remote storage location miles from Honolulu, long wait times, a complex system of appointment-making, and flat refusal by the City to return more valuable items (such as generators), making it virtually impossible for indigent persons to reclaim their belongings. City workers have also been on record enforcing the ordinance in controversial ways such as the confiscation of tagged items from private property, which circulated broadly on internet video.

Congressional Campaign

In May 2011, Gabbard announced her candidacy for U.S. Representative in Hawaii's Second Congressional District. The incumbent Congresswoman, Mazie Hirono, is running for a U.S. Senate seat.

Non-profit organizations and associations

Tulsi Gabbard co-founded two successful non-profit organizations:
1. Healthy Hawaii Coalition, an environmental educational group of which she is Vice President and Educational Programs Coordinator
2. Stand Up For America, an organization founded after 9/11, which strives to promote patriotism, unity, and support for service members and their families.

She is a lifetime member of the National Guard Association of the United States (NGAUS) and the Military Police Regimental Association.

References

Dkosopedia
Honolulu Star Bulletin
Honolulu Advertiser, August 2004
Honolulu Advertiser, March 2005
Honolulu Advertiser, May 2007
Voice of Kapolei
Hawaii News Now
Hawaii Reporter

External links

• Tulsi Gabbard official website
• Healthy Hawaii Coalition (HHC)

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