 Hi, I'm Rusty Komori, and this is Beyond the Lines. We broadcast live on Mondays from the beautiful Think Tech Hawaii TV studio in the Pioneer Plaza in downtown Honolulu. This show is based on my book, which is also titled Beyond the Lines, and it's about creating a superior culture of excellence, leadership, achieving greater success and sustaining that greater success, and finding greatness. My special guest today is Trevor Ozawa. He is a very successful attorney, and he has been achieving amazing things as our Honolulu City Councilman. Trevor is a man of great character, high standards, and he gets things done. And today, we are going Beyond City Council. Hey, Trevor. Hey, Rusty. Thanks for having me. Thanks for being on Beyond the Lines today. Thank you. I want to know, well, I know that you grew up in Hawaii Kai, and you live in Hawaii Kai still, but I want to know your background when you're in your youth. Can you share about what schools you went to? Yeah. Born and raised out in Hawaii Kai. Yeah. I went to, I actually went to early school out in, by the university on-ramp, that playground down there that everybody sees, and I went to Kamilawiki Elementary School, kindergarten in sixth grade, and all three of my other siblings went there as well. Then seventh grade, I went to Kamehameha, and I went to Kamehameha from intermediate to high school, and I was very involved in student government from Kamilawiki. And also at Kamehameha, I was not in student government at Kamehameha, but I was involved in the math team, the physics team, the golf team, all the real cool things. Chess club, you can't forget chess club, so that, and at Kamehameha, I was the president of the school and involved in student council and junior police officer, and played sports, my whole childhood, from baseball, basketball, football, but I ended up really taking the liking to golf and soccer as well. Yeah, and then what college did you end up going to? I went to the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. And what did you study over there? I majored in economics. I got my Bachelor of Arts in Economics. For a short moment, I was a double major in Chinese and economics, but I ended up dropping the Chinese part because it would have required me to stay one extra year at USC, and we couldn't afford that. So instead, I lived abroad, actually. I lived abroad my last semester in London, England, and then I moved to, after I graduated, I directly enrolled into school out in Beijing, which was much cheaper and a more affordable route to do, and just embraced myself in learning the language every day and in the culture. And it was a great experience. Yeah, it sounds like it. And then you ended up going into law school. Which law school did you attempt? So I went to Suffolk University Law School out in Boston, Massachusetts. It's right at the Park Street station, right by the State House there. It's in the movie that departed. Oh, yeah. That's where our library, they use our library to shoot some scenes there. But yeah, so it's right there. And I know some people are sad about the Dodgers losing, but it's hard because I was both the Dodgers and Red Sox and going to USC and Suffolk. I'm happy that the Red Sox won as well. So why did law become an interest for you? For a couple of reasons, or several reasons. At USC, I actually interned with a sports agent, Lee Steinberg, who Jerry Maguire was based after. And I realized that a lot of the sports agents were actually attorneys. And so they encouraged me to look at law and if I wanted to go into that career field, which I wanted to, law could be a great asset for that. The other is, my father passed away in 2002 while I was at USC and I was 19 years old. And I was his next again. And I had to deal with a lot of legal issues right off the bat. And looking at some of this stuff, I went to our law school at USC and tried to figure out what some of this meant. And it was like reading a foreign language. I felt powerless and I didn't know what anything meant. And so thinking about that, I was like, well, if I can understand the law, maybe situations like this may occur in the future and I'd know what to do. And the third thing is, I felt like the legal profession was kind of, it was just kind of an interest of mine that being in the courtroom, being a litigator, helping others, kind of in my nature. And I felt like it could provide me with a lot of options into the future. Yeah, no, that's interesting insights. And I want to know, Trevor, what was your first official job? Besides picking up the leaves all around our house and stuff, crushing the cans. It was at Waila Country Club. I cleaned the toilets, took down the flag, folded it up, vacuumed the pro shop, threw out the trash. And I also worked at Craig's Bakery in Kailua on the weekends. So right when I turned 15, I had both of those jobs. And I enjoyed both of them for different reasons. I loved donuts and also at Waila, I mean, I loved golf. And so it gave me an opportunity to be able to play the game of golf and learn how to get better at it. An opportunity that I wouldn't have had otherwise, you know, other than working there and being able to get the employee benefits of immersing myself there. And I want to thank them too, because they really promoted junior golf and allowing me to practice. Yeah, I had no idea about that. But that's such a great thing that they did. That's a win-win situation. And, Trevor, you have an absolutely beautiful family. Can you tell me about your wife and your two kids? Yeah. So my wife is Nietzsche, Ozawa, and, you know, Nietzsche, like the philosopher. I thought it was NICHI when I first met her, and she introduced herself to me. But I ended up learning that it was a very difficult name at the time to spell a German name after the German philosopher. She's from Guam. She's also an attorney. We met, like I said, in law school. I did my last year of law school at the University of Hawaii, William S. Richardson School of Law. And we met in a clinic, a defense clinic, so litigation defense clinic. And yeah, we had a common bond. We had both studied abroad in China. That's how we kind of first started, you know, talking story. We have two beautiful daughters, and London and Ava. London is four years old, and Ava is one. She just turned one in July. And London was born three days before the primary election in 2014. And we named her London, because right after we got married, we went off to London. And that was my wife's first time to Europe. And we had a great time. And like I said, I studied abroad in London as well. And we just really felt like it meant so much for starting our married life together. And so her name is actually London Leahy. And Leahy is where we got married at Leahy Beach Park out there. Oh, I like hearing that. Diamond hand. Yeah. Now, Trevor, when and why did you get interested in public service? Really, I would say, from when I was in elementary school, I felt like public service was a calling for me. Being a junior police officer, being on the student council at Kamilouiki. I felt like I wanted to help my peers to make their lives a little bit better every day. And it kind of stuck with me. At USC, I was involved in student government. On the USC Student Senate. And even in law school. But eventually, I worked at the city council after I graduated from law school. And I worked as a staff member and realized that, you know what, if I ever had the opportunity to be a city council member myself, I would probably take that opportunity and try to, because I wanted to be the voice for the community to have a seat at the table to take care of the little things that mean a lot to people. Like, well, why is this left turn not happening? Or why is the trash not being picked up on time? Why is it so expensive here? Why does traffic stall us for hours on end? And I'm persistent. And I have a passion for helping out in the community. All three of my siblings moved away off this island. And a lot of my best friends moved away. And I think that if we can make this place a little bit better, then we can hopefully appeal to them to come back and we can, you know, really enjoy what Hawaii's all about, which is family and friends. And you're definitely doing that. I mean, you're getting things done really good. And as a Hong Kong City council member, what do you like about being a council member? Well, I just love the opportunity to represent the district where I was born and raised. And to see it through with passion, you know, to stick my neck out on the line for things that I feel like our district really wants, you know, being able to help people on a daily basis when they email or call me or see me in grocery stores and ask me, hey, Trevor, can you look into this? Can you try to do this? And we do things and we get them done, like helping people get their licenses faster. I mean, little things like that really, it's so irritating for a lot of people that, you know, if I'm there to help them, it means a lot. Like I just ran into my friends, one of my friends at the bank recently and she said, hey, you help my mom and my grandma get their licenses. And they had no other way to go about getting it. They tried everything and they felt helpless and hopeless. And you personally helped them get it very quickly and, you know, they felt good about it. It's little things like that, but it's also some of the big things, like, you know, making sure that we use your property tax dollars for core services to keep our neighborhoods safe, fun, and provide outdoor activities for the kids, like making sure our parks are clean, safe. We got equipment. Some of our parks when I became a city council member had no playground equipment and I fought for that. We got playground equipment in there, fought for better lighting, more parking, more affordable options in housing. You definitely, I mean, you're getting, you're doing a lot and people need to know all the things that you actually have done so far. And I want to know, Trevor, you have a ton of supporters. Why do you think you're so likeable and why do you have so many of these great supporters? Yeah, I think it's that they know that I care for them and these supporters have been there through thick and thin. When we started this campaign out four years ago, we started out with three people, you know, my wife and my other friend. We started the campaign and we've grown to now really thousands of people because I think they know that we're really there for the right reasons and we're actually fighting for them every single day. I'm accessible. They know my family. They know where I'm from. You know, there's really nothing that they can't ask of me that I'm not willing to go out and fight for them at City Hall. Can you have empathy for them? I do. I feel for them because I look around and as I've been campaigning now for my second term, you hear so many stories and the common theme is that people are wondering, is Hawaii changing for the better or is it changing for the worse? And some people that are moving away still, they feel like nobody's listening. They feel like they can't afford to be here. But when I tell them, look, I still think that Honolulu's best days are still ahead of us and I'm fighting to make sure that that happens. It rejuvenates them and it's the least that I can do. I'm just one man trying to make a difference for the community. And you are. You totally are. And how do you like campaigning, Trevor? Campaigning is a tough job. I've been knocking on doors for really four years ago. I started going door to door. We've hit over 20, I think it was like 23,000 doors in the first election and we're approaching the same in this one, which is almost complete. But I know every single nook and cranny in this district. The district goes from Alamuana to Hawaii. I never thought I would be able to say that or never thought I would actually do that, but I did. And it's good to get your feet on the ground and listen to people and experience stories. It's tough too because four years ago I went to these people that lived in Wailaiki and I knocked on their door and there were a couple in their late 60s. They said that they had just retired and they said that they were considering moving in the mainland, but I didn't believe them. They said that they were going to move to a retirement community near a winery in Portland and have a good time in their retirement. I said, why can't you just do that here? They're like, it's just too expensive. Four years later, I go back to that house again this year and it's a new family in there. And so this is the reality. It's tough to see sometimes, but it's good to see too. The society is changing and I feel connected and part of the change. And what kind of endorsements do you have right now? You know, I got endorsements from a lot of the neighbors in my community, but big organizations that I would say, the Honolulu, let's see, SHOPL, the police unit, the fire department, the Hawaii Firefighters Association, the Hawaii Lodging and Tourism Association. Let's see, the General Contractors Association and the Building Trades Council. That's a lot. And you got, and, Trevor, you got honored. You received the Hawaii Tourism and Lodging Award for leadership. I did and I was, I wasn't expecting that. You know, this is a lot of, this is all the private hotel lodging and tourism organizations around the state. And it meant a lot to me and I was very humbled because I just go to work and luckily I have Waikiki in my district. So that probably helps because I'm always there for them. I'm there for the community and the Hotel Lodging and Tourism Association because I know how important that industry is to the entire state. So I feel the added burden to do a good job. My dad worked in the hotel industry his entire life. And it means a lot to my family and also to many others. And I know how important that is to keep food on the table for people. So I'm there and I'm humbled by the support. It was kind of an affirmation that what I'm doing is resonating with the community and I was really grateful. No, and everyone's recognizing that. So that's awesome, Trevor. Trevor, we're going to take a quick break and then when we come back I want to talk to you about leadership and success. Okay, thanks. You're watching Beyond the Lines on ThinkTech Hawaii with my special guest Honolulu City Councilman Trevor Ozawa. We will be back in a quick minute. Hi, I'm Bill Sharp, host of Asian Review here on ThinkTech Hawaii. Join me every Monday afternoon from 5 to 5.30 Hawaii Standard Time for an insightful discussion of Contemporary Asian Affairs. There's so much to discuss and the guests that we have are very, very well informed. Just think we have the upcoming negotiation between President Trump and Kim Jong-un, the possibility of Xi Jinping, the leader of China remaining in power forever. We'll see you then. Welcome back to Beyond the Lines on ThinkTech Hawaii. My special guest today is Honolulu City Councilman Trevor Ozawa. And today we are going Beyond City Council. Trevor, you read my book Beyond the Lines or you're working on it still. What are you liking about it so far? I like the anecdotal stories that you have about how you translate what you've learned through tennis and really give us good lessons on leadership, being the last one to speak, listening first. It really resonates with what we do at the City Council. I mean, we sit there and we listen. We listen for a long time and then we have a discussion among ourselves. And I think it's important because people need to know that they're being heard, you know, that that was one great takeaway that I learned from your book. Just also that, you know, we all have problems. There's a ton of problems out there. But what are the solutions and how do you proactively approach these problems and solve them? And I think that's a good story for us here in the City Council as well because we can all identify the problems. That's the easiest thing to do is to point out the flaws in everybody and everything around the city. But it takes a great deal of hard work and effort and daily determination to actually take an idea for a solution and see it all the way through. It doesn't come overnight. And like you say, it's hard work. You know, this is dedication, belief, having a positive attitude, not throwing the racket on the ground, not kicking the ball around, but, you know, honing your energy and focusing it in on something productive. And I really like those aspects. I can really relate to that, that part of the book. And it's in creating a superior culture of excellence. And that's what you're about. I mean, I know you have high standards. Yeah, it's exactly. It's just always taking the high road, you know. And being in the public sector, you have a high standard, first of all, for the public. As an attorney, as a father, as somebody representing my hometown, I sit the bar really high. And you're right. It's an excellent standard. I'm not going to be perfect. And I know that. But one thing is that people know, I will try my hardest. And I will definitely represent them with passion. And I put a lot of thought into everything that I do. You know, people may not see it, but at times it's agonizing. And it's not always fun, you know. It's not always enjoyable because it's hard work. And it takes courage to do the right thing. It does. It does. And, you know, specifically, like when I go door to door, day by day, I'm not out there with a bunch of people. Sometimes it's most times, it's just me. I'm just out there sweating. It's boring, you know. It can be monotonous. And, you know, if a couple things aren't going your way that day, I mean, you know, you could just throw in the towel and walk away and say, you know what, whatever. But you got to remember, there's so many more people counting on you that you got to just pick up, you know, just like in golf or tennis. For me, it's golf. It's, you know, you got to just put that hole behind you. Just move on to the next one and just start fresh, you know. Even when we're sign waving, you know, I mean, I would say 99% of the time we get awesome honks and eyes, but, you know, one out of a, not even 100, maybe one out of a thousand, it can be an interesting interaction. You just go, whatever. I mean, you just keep moving on, you know. So it doesn't, you just got to be, you got to be tough, too. And you got to let things just slide off your back. No, and you're completely right. And, Trevor, you know, there's people define success in so many different ways. How do you define success? I define success by really the environment and the culture and the things that are changed as a result of my effort or my team's effort. And I can say that we have been successful at the City Council. We've made people think differently. We've made people question things, but not only have we made people question things, we've helped change things into a better culture, in my opinion, that we have more accountability since I've been there. We have provided more transparency on our big projects like the real. We're shooting for the moon. You know, I think that we can, I think that we can, we can change the way that we budget for this real. I think that we can help, we can help steer things in a different path forward. I believe that our best days are still ahead of us. I've been fighting for more affordable rentals in Hawaii, in Honolulu, more affordable for sale projects, fighting for that gap group like my colleagues, people in my demographic that have said, there's nothing for us in Honolulu. I'm changing that and I'm working, not only, it's not me, it's the people that we've been working with. And I think that is successful. That is successful when you can say things are different four years ago than they are now. And the reason that a lot of people, a lot of people don't like change. And so they, because things are comfortable, but when we change, it makes people a little uncomfortable. But for the greater good, I think we've been moving in the right direction. I totally agree. And I want to ask you about yourself here. What's been your greatest obstacle in your life in achieving success? And how did you overcome that obstacle? I would say when my dad passed away in 2002, it was a real tough time. And I thought about maybe switching schools or doing something different. And instead, I decided to put my nose down and keep working harder. And I actually had my best year at USC at the highest GPA I ever had. And I just decided to go forward in a positive way and make a difference in this lifetime because that life is short. And that if you're going to be here, might as well make the most out of it. And so when I decided to have a positive outlook on life and to say, Hey, you know what? These are the cards that were given to me. Things happen. I can either respond in one or two ways, you know, look backwards or look forward. And I wanted to move forward and made me work harder. It's pushed me to achieve more things. For example, running for city council. Life is short. I mean, you don't have to wait until you're a certain age to run. If you want to get involved, get involved now. And I did that. And I won my last election, my 41 votes. And I always felt that if I were to win that election, and if I were to win any other election in the future, it's really the will of the people and it's meant to be. And I feel like winning by 41 votes is a clear thing that it was really meant to be there. That obstacle with my dad, if I didn't decide to continue forward and think of it in a positive way, I could have just, I don't think I would have been able to achieve success or be able to change the culture around me and help make Honolulu a better place. Well, Trevor, every vote definitely matters in that case. Now, what are you hoping to aspire to achieve in your future? I want to just continue to make my community better. I want to be able to call Honolulu a place that is desiring, that people that have moved away after high school or after college and never came back. See it as a place of not sacrifice, right, where we have to come back all because we've got to take care of our parents or grandparents or a family member. But I want to change it to be a place where Honolulu is the best place in the world to live. I mean, we already know that here. But we've got to also continue to sharpen our knife. We've got to continue to sharpen that edge that we have here and let people know, hey, we're not sitting on our laurels. We are the best place for new growth, for live, work and play, lifestyle, we're the healthiest. We want traffic to go down. We want to be, right now we're the worst in traffic. I want us to be the best in traffic. I want us to be the best in clean energy and renewable energy and smart growth and technology in every sort of way. I mean, we're number one in Aloha. We're number one in tourism. We're number one in a lot of rankings and I want us to be the best in all of them. But most importantly, I want my family to come back home. I want my friends to be able to come back home and I want us to just enjoy what it is, why we're all here. Why we're here is because we love the people. We love our friends and family and I want people to come back. I like hearing that. Now, before we close, Trevor, I want to ask you what character traits, what are some of the most important character traits you feel an effective leader needs to have? I think honesty, integrity and passion because number one, honesty, I mean, nobody wants a liar around whether you're lying about little things or not. If you can't trust that person, it makes people feel uncomfortable. I wear my heart on my sleeve. People know I'm honest. I'm straightforward and that's when I get, you can take some criticism as well, being straightforward, but at the end of the day, people can trust that you're telling them what you're feeling and that's, I noticed people like that a lot. Having integrity, doing things not for your own personal gain, political gain, well, for the right reasons and integrity, when nobody's around, are you doing the right thing? That means a lot, especially in the public service world. It's just you have to have it. No, I totally agree with you and I mean, every great leader, you're so right. They need to have that, the passion, the honesty and the integrity and I love hearing your insights on the show today and I'm wishing you the best of luck on your campaign for this election. I want to really thank you for being here on the show today. Thank you for having me. Appreciate it. Thank you and thank you for watching Beyond the Lines on Think Tech Hawaii. For information about my book and TV shows, check out my website, RustyKamori.com and connect with me on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter. A special thank you to Eolani Sportswear for my awesome shirt. I hope that this show and my book inspires you to create your own superior culture of excellence and to find your greatness and help others find theirs. Aloha.