Luella Costales

{{Infobox officeholder

|name = Luella Costales

|image =

|state_house= Hawaii

|district = 39th

|term_start = March 11, 2022

|term_end = November 8, 2022

|appointed = David Ige

|predecessor= Ty Cullen

|successor = Elijah Pierick

|birth_date =

|birth_place= Los Angeles, California

|death_date =

|death_place=

|party = Democratic

|spouse =

|children =

|residence =

|education = University of California San Diego (BA)

|website =

}}

Luella Toledo Costales is an American politician who served as a Democratic member of the Hawaiʻi House of Representatives. She was appointed to represent the 39th district after incumbent Representative Ty Cullen resigned in February 2022.

Early life and education

Costales was born in Los Angeles and moved to Hawaiʻi in 1992 after her children were born.{{cite web|url=https://www.bizjournals.com/pacific/stories/2010/03/01/story11.html|title=People who make Hawaii work: Luella Costales|date=February 25, 2010|access-date=April 28, 2022|website=Pacific Business News}} She graduated from the University of California San Diego with a Bachelor of Arts in Communication/Visual Arts and minors in Literature/Writing and Sociology.{{cite web|url=https://www.civilbeat.org/2014/08/candidate-qa-state-house-district-36-luella-costales/|title=Candidate Q&A — State House District 36: Luella Costales|date=August 3, 2014|access-date=April 28, 2022|website=Honolulu Civil Beat}}

Career

Costales previously served as executive director of the Hawaiʻi Farm Bureau Federation and the Filipino Community Center in Waipahu.{{cite news|last=Viotti|first=Vicky|title=Aquino's slaying altered psyche of Filipinos|date=August 21, 2003|work=Honolulu Advertiser|url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/414647387|accessdate=May 4, 2022|id={{ProQuest|414647387}} |url-access=subscription}} She was previously the director of fund development for the Rehabilitation Hospital of the Pacific and currently works as the community and resource manager for the Oahu Economic Development Board.{{cite web|url=https://apnews.com/article/hawaii-honolulu-david-ige-1354feb03c2525bd31e62bae9e30c7d8|title=Ige appoints Costales to replace former lawmaker Cullen|website=Associated Press|date=March 9, 2022|access-date=April 28, 2022}}

Costales was appointed to the Honolulu Police Commission in 2012 by Mayor Peter Carlisle.{{cite news|last=Pang|first= Gordon Y.K.|title=Police Commission picks new chairman|date=December 8, 2016|work=Honolulu Star-Advertiser|url=https://www.staradvertiser.com/2016/12/08/hawaii-news/police-commission-picks-new-chairman/|accessdate=May 4, 2022|url-access=subscription}} She resigned in 2017 in protest over a lack of gender, ethnic, and work background diversity on a consultant-selected panel reviewing candidates for a new police chief to replace Louis Kealoha.{{cite web|url=https://www.civilbeat.org/2017/09/honolulu-police-commissioner-resigns-over-chief-selection-process/|title=Honolulu Police Commissioner Resigns Over Chief Selection Process|date=September 25, 2017|access-date=April 28, 2022|website=Honolulu Civil Beat|agency=Associated Press}}

Hawaiʻi House of Representatives

Governor David Ige appointed Costales to fill the 39th district seat left vacant after incumbent Representative Ty Cullen resigned due to pleading guilty to federal bribery charges.{{cite web|url=https://www.civilbeat.org/beat/costales-named-to-replace-cullen-in-hawaii-house/|title=Costales Named To Replace Cullen In Hawaii House|date=March 9, 2022|access-date=April 28, 2022|last=Blair|first=Chad|website=Honolulu Civil Beat}} She was sworn in on March 11, 2022.{{cite web|title=Representative Luella Costales March 2022 Newsletter|url=https://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/MemberFiles/House/Costales/Newsletter/2022MarNeighborhoodBoard.pdf|date=March 2022|access-date=April 28, 2022}} Costales did not run for a full term in the 2022 Hawaiʻi House of Representatives election,{{cite news|last=Lovell|first=Blaze|title=Nearly 400 Candidates File For Hawaii's Primary Election|date=June 8, 2022|work=Honolulu Civil Beat|url=https://www.civilbeat.org/2022/06/nearly-400-candidates-file-for-hawaiis-primary-election/|accessdate=June 10, 2022}} and she was succeeded by Republican Elijah Pierick.{{cite news|last=Gomes|first=Andrew|title=Gains in Hawaii Legislature small, but encouraging for Republican party|date=November 10, 2022|work=Honolulu Star-Advertiser|url=https://www.staradvertiser.com/2022/11/10/hawaii-news/gains-in-hawaii-legislature-small-but-encouraging-for-republican-party/|accessdate=March 14, 2023|id={{ProQuest|2734610447}}}}

Costales had previously run for the 36th district in 2014, losing the Democratic primary to former representative Marilyn Lee who went on to lose to incumbent Republican Beth Fukumoto.{{Cite web|url=https://www.civilbeat.org/2014/04/marilyn-lee-seeks-former-state-house-seat/|title=Marilyn Lee Seeks Former State House Seat|date=April 3, 2014|access-date=April 28, 2022|website=Honolulu Civil Beat}}{{cite news|last1=Blair|first1=Chad|last2=Hofschneider|first2=Anita|title=Hawaii Legislature: Most Incumbents Win by Wide Margins|date=November 4, 2014|work=Honolulu Civil Beat|url=https://www.civilbeat.org/2014/11/hawaii-legislature-only-a-few-new-faces/|accessdate=May 21, 2022}}

Electoral history

{{Election box begin no change

| title = 2014 Hawaiʻi House of Representatives 36th district Democratic primary results{{cite web|url=https://files.hawaii.gov/elections/files/results/2014/primary/histatewide.pdf |title=Primary Election 2014 - State of Hawaii – Statewide |access-date=April 28, 2022|publisher=Hawaii Office of Elections}}

}}

{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change

| candidate = Marilyn Lee

| party = Democratic Party (United States)

| votes = 3,762

| percentage = 64.7

}}

{{Election box candidate with party link no change

| candidate = Luella Costales

| party = Democratic Party (United States)

| votes = 1,598

| percentage = 27.5