By Staff Reports
(Honolulu)– Mayor Rick Blangiardi is proud to announce his selection of Renee R. Sonobe Hong as the First Deputy Corporation Counsel (COR). Sonobe Hong was sworn in today and will step into her role with the City and County of Honolulu on Tuesday, Feb. 15, 2022.
Sonobe Hong has been the supervising deputy of the State of Hawai‘i Department of the Attorney General’s Criminal Justice Division, which is the criminal prosecution arm of the Attorney General. Prior to that she served as the Deputy Director of Law Enforcement at the State of Hawai‘i Department of Public Safety, where she was responsible for overseeing the operations of the Sheriff Division and the Narcotics Enforcement Division, both of which coordinated with federal, state, and county law enforcement agencies to maximize the quality of law enforcement services provided to the public.
Sonobe Hong had previously served as First Deputy Corporation Counsel in 2012, during the Peter Carlisle administration, after spending 20 years with the Department of the Prosecuting Attorney.
“We are absolutely thrilled to welcome Renee Sonobe Hong back to our team at the City and County of Honolulu,” said Mayor Blangiardi. “Her past experience working for the City is an invaluable asset and her wealth of experience managing the operations of various offices across the state will be most helpful in contributing to the excellent work they are already doing at Corporation Counsel.”
“I am honored by the Mayor giving me the opportunity to serve as First Deputy Corporation Counsel,” said Renee R. Sonobe Hong. “I look forward to meeting the challenges of this important role.”
Sonobe Hong is a product of the University of California system, first earning her Bachelor of Arts in Legal Studies from Berkeley and then her Juris Doctor from the Hastings College of the Law in 1991.