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Kuleana. Aloha. Action.
Kuleana. Aloha. Action.
Cyd L. (Makanui) Hoffeld is a kanaka ʻōiwi candidate for Hawaiʻi County Council, District 4 — and she has been doing this community's work for 40 years.
Cyd L. (Makanui) Hoffeld is a kanaka ʻōiwi candidate for Hawaiʻi County Council, District 4 — and she has been doing this community's work for 40 years.
Born of a family rooted in labor and service, Cyd grew up understanding what it means to show up for your people. Her father was an AFL-CIO union steward. Her mother's retirement comes from her ILWU pension. From the beginning, she learned that working people deserve someone in their corner — and that showing up matters more than titles.
Born of a family rooted in labor and service, Cyd grew up understanding what it means to show up for your people. Her father was an AFL-CIO union steward. Her mother's retirement comes from her ILWU pension. From the beginning, she learned that working people deserve someone in their corner — and that showing up matters more than titles.
For the past 26 years, Cyd has served as a Health Promotions Manager and Community Health Educator Supervisor, working across Puna to connect families to care, navigate barriers, and build healthier communities from the ground up. She has counseled families in crisis, trained health workers, led community outreach, and advocated in legislative halls for policies that protect working people, women, and youth.
For the past 26 years, Cyd has served as a Health Promotions Manager and Community Health Educator Supervisor, working across Puna to connect families to care, navigate barriers, and build healthier communities from the ground up. She has counseled families in crisis, trained health workers, led community outreach, and advocated in legislative halls for policies that protect working people, women, and youth.
Her Work in the Community
Her Work in the Community
Cyd's record of service is long and real:
Cyd's record of service is long and real:
As Chair of the Hawaiʻi Community Health Worker Association, she leads the statewide network of community health workers who serve on the front lines of care in every corner of our island.
As Chair of the Hawaiʻi Community Health Worker Association, she leads the statewide network of community health workers who serve on the front lines of care in every corner of our island.
As President of the Hawaiʻi Youth Services Network Board, she helps guide a statewide coalition fighting to prevent child abuse, reduce youth homelessness, and improve foster care and juvenile justice systems.
As President of the Hawaiʻi Youth Services Network Board, she helps guide a statewide coalition fighting to prevent child abuse, reduce youth homelessness, and improve foster care and juvenile justice systems.
As Health & Housing Co-Chair for Going Home Hawaiʻi, she works directly to connect people returning from incarceration to health care, medication, and housing before they are ever released — breaking the cycle before it restarts.
As Health & Housing Co-Chair for Going Home Hawaiʻi, she works directly to connect people returning from incarceration to health care, medication, and housing before they are ever released — breaking the cycle before it restarts.
As Hawaiʻi County Commissioner for the Hawaiʻi State Commission on the Status of Women, she championed Paid Family Leave, Equal Pay, and Title IX protections — and brought the real needs of Puna families into statewide conversations.
As Hawaiʻi County Commissioner for the Hawaiʻi State Commission on the Status of Women, she championed Paid Family Leave, Equal Pay, and Title IX protections — and brought the real needs of Puna families into statewide conversations.
As Director of the Keaʻau Youth Business Center, she built one of the most innovative youth programs this island has ever seen — creating real pathways for Puna youth in music recording, digital media, culinary arts, and entrepreneurship. It was a program before its time.
As Director of the Keaʻau Youth Business Center, she built one of the most innovative youth programs this island has ever seen — creating real pathways for Puna youth in music recording, digital media, culinary arts, and entrepreneurship. It was a program before its time.
She has also served as Vice President of the ʻAhahui Kaʻahumanu Society, former Board Chair of Neighborhood Place of Puna, and a longtime advocate in the domestic violence prevention community — beginning her career as a Women's Advocate and Case Manager with Alternatives to Violence.
She has also served as Vice President of the ʻAhahui Kaʻahumanu Society, former Board Chair of Neighborhood Place of Puna, and a longtime advocate in the domestic violence prevention community — beginning her career as a Women's Advocate and Case Manager with Alternatives to Violence.
Why She's Running
Why She's Running
"I've spent 26 years in health care and I've seen what happens when people can't access the services they need. I've worked in schools and seen what our keiki are up against. I've sat with families who can't afford to stay in the community they've lived in their whole lives. I've helped people coming home from incarceration find their footing — because no one else was there to do it.
"I've spent 26 years in health care and I've seen what happens when people can't access the services they need. I've worked in schools and seen what our keiki are up against. I've sat with families who can't afford to stay in the community they've lived in their whole lives. I've helped people coming home from incarceration find their footing — because no one else was there to do it.
I've also sat in traffic on Highway 130 and thought: this didn't have to get this bad. I've watched Puna change — some of it for the better, much of it not. And I've thought, over and over again: we deserve better representation than we're getting.
I've also sat in traffic on Highway 130 and thought: this didn't have to get this bad. I've watched Puna change — some of it for the better, much of it not. And I've thought, over and over again: we deserve better representation than we're getting.
I'm not running because I want a political career. I'm running because I've spent my whole life doing this work, and the County Council is the next place I can do it — for this community, for our families, and for the future of District 4."
I'm not running because I want a political career. I'm running because I've spent my whole life doing this work, and the County Council is the next place I can do it — for this community, for our families, and for the future of District 4."
Rooted Here for 40 Years
Rooted Here for 40 Years
Cyd has lived on and off in Hawaiian Beaches and Kalapana for more than four decades. She has seen this community through lava flows, hurricanes, economic shifts, and the ongoing changes that come when a beloved place draws more attention than it can absorb. She is not a newcomer to Puna's challenges. She is a neighbor, a colleague, a familiar face — and she intends to be your representative.
Cyd has lived on and off in Hawaiian Beaches and Kalapana for more than four decades. She has seen this community through lava flows, hurricanes, economic shifts, and the ongoing changes that come when a beloved place draws more attention than it can absorb. She is not a newcomer to Puna's challenges. She is a neighbor, a colleague, a familiar face — and she intends to be your representative.
Boards, Affiliations & Recognition
Boards, Affiliations & Recognition
Hawaiʻi Community Health Worker Association — Chair
Hawaiʻi Youth Services Network — President, Board of Directors
Going Home Hawaiʻi — Health & Housing Co-Chair
ʻAhahui Kaʻahumanu Society — Vice President
Neighborhood Place of Puna — Former Board Chair
Hawaiʻi State Commission on the Status of Women — Former Hawaiʻi County Commissioner
Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement — Member
Hawaiʻi State Rural Health Association — Member
Hawaiian Civic Club of Hilo — Member
American Public Health Association — Member
GLSEN Hawaiʻi — Former Board Member
Hawaiʻi County Women's Hall of Fame — Woman of the Year, 2010
Book of Golden Deeds Award — 2015 Recipient
Endorsements
Endorsements
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