Scott Nishimoto

Scott Yoshimi Nishimoto is an American politician and public servant born and raised in Honolulu, Hawaii. He is currently a member of the Honolulu City Council representing District V, a position he assumed on January 2, 2025. Before transitioning to the City Council, Nishimoto served as a Democratic member of the Hawaii House of Representatives for 22 years, from 2002 to 2024.

Beyond his legislative roles, Nishimoto has maintained an active presence in Hawaii's civic and nonprofit sectors. He is the executive director of Ceeds of Peace, a Hawaii-based nonprofit organization dedicated to raising peacebuilding leaders. He also serves on the board of trustees for Pacific Buddhist Academy and the Board of the Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies.

Education

Nishimoto attended Mid-Pacific Institute for high school. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa in 1997, where he also served as Student Body President. He subsequently earned his Juris Doctor from the William S. Richardson School of Law at the University of Hawaiʻi in 2002. He has been a member of the Hawaii Bar Association since 2003 and was awarded the Dean's Alumnus of the Year by the UH William S. Richardson School of Law for his dedication to public service.

Political Experience

Prior to his election to the Hawaii House of Representatives in 2002, Nishimoto worked as a staff member in the Washington, D.C. office of U.S. Senator Daniel K. Inouye. During his two decades in the state legislature, he held several key leadership positions:

• Chair of the House Judiciary Committee, where he championed House Bill 2071, which established the Law Enforcement Standards Board to regulate and investigate police officers
• Chair of the House Legislative Management Committee
• Chair of the House Higher Education Committee
• Chair of the Subcommittee on Capital Improvement Projects, through which he helped secure over $260 million in infrastructure funding for community projects and provided funding to every public school in the district
• Vice Chair of the House Finance Committee

From 2023 to 2024, Nishimoto handled capital improvement projects appropriations for the House. He has been recognized as Legislator of the Year by both the Healthcare Association of Hawaii and the Friends of the Library of Hawaii. At the end of the 2024 legislative session, he announced his transition to run for the Honolulu City Council, where he now represents District V.