Executive Director, Hawaiʻi Cannabis Industry Association

Randy Gonce is the Executive Director of the Hawaii Cannabis Industry Association (HICIA). A public servant, veteran and advocate, Randy grew up in a family that struggled to make ends meet, and faced financial instability in recent years as well. He supports greater tax fairness in Hawaiʻi that will reduce the state tax burdens of the many families in his community that are fighting to meet their basic needs.

Randy was raised by a single mother who worked three jobs to keep food on the table for his sister and him. Even that wasn’t enough, though, and Randy got his first job at just 14 years old to help his family pay the bills. For them, the federal Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) was a godsend. It helped his family keep the lights on and a roof over their heads when times were at their toughest.

The struggles that Randy’s family experienced while he was growing up seem to echo all around him today.

“I see the same struggles my family faced everywhere I look in Hawaiʻi today,” he says. “So many people are fighting to stay afloat, including myself. For many residents in Hawaiʻi, the unfair tax burden takes food off their table. At the same time, those at the top are able to use their discretionary funds to hire a professional and intentionally reduce their tax burden, and go on to purchase a second, third or fourth home.”

Randy joined the Air Force when he was 17, and he served for six years with multiple deployments overseas. After completing his enlistment, he worked full time as a HVAC technician, a tutor, and a legislative aide and researcher for multiple sessions, while simultaneously going to school to get his graduate degree.

Randy serves on multiple nonprofit boards to serve his community and is involved at the legislature because he wants to build a brighter future for himself and his community. But making these investments comes at a cost. Randy feels like he is barely keeping his head above water.

Year after year he has seen his cost of living go up to include rent, vehicle taxes, and other basic needs. Each increase has disrupted the stability he is trying to build. For most of Randy’s working life, his take-home pay has not been enough to cover his living expenses, and leaves little to no cushion in the event of an emergency or unexpected event.

One such event happened in April of 2016. While walking in downtown Honolulu, Randy witnessed a SUV get into an accident and flip over. With one of the occupants screaming, “My babies are in the car!” Randy dropped his school bag and ran to their aid. After helping the family, he went back to retrieve his bag. It was gone, along with his wallet, phone, car keys, and the laptop he needed for school.

Shortly thereafter, Randy found his bank accounts emptied. The only way he was able to weather the loss was because his friends started an online crowdfunding page for him. The local news caught wind of the story and ran it on the evening news which helped them raise enough money to support Randy until the investigation was completed many months later and his bank returned some of the funds that were stolen. Without that help Randy wouldn’t have been able to pay his rent.

While the circumstances of Randy’s financial calamity are unusual, the theme is not. All across Hawaiʻi, families are a paycheck away from financial collapse. “There are a lot of reasons why Hawaiʻi families are just a step away from financial disaster. Unfair and overly burdensome state taxes shouldn’t be one of them. A few relatively small changes to our tax system can help a lot of families away from the brink and onto the path of stability.”