On March 4, 2010, del Castillo filed as a candidate for the seat Neil Abercrombie vacated on February 28, 2010 in the U.S. House of Representatives, Hawaii’s 1st District (map). Rafael del Castillo, “Del,” has fought for civil rights and reforms in healthcare, education, and homeless programs in various capacities since 1974. This is the first time del Castillo has ever sought public office. He argues that voters have to stop sending career politicians to Washington because they have become the most powerful special interest group in Congress. As a “Citizen Legislator,” his campaign symbol is a broom, a reminder that house cleaning is due.

       Together with his law partner, Arleen Jouxson-Meyers, M.D., del Castillo has fought for health care reform in Hawaii since 1997. Since 2001, he has been lead attorney on a number of cases involving complex issues in health care. They include an ongoing civil rights action he filed in December 2008 against the State of Hawai`i for contracting with disgraced Tampa insurer, Wellcare Health Plan, to manage the government-funded programs. Previously, del Castillo was lead attorney on a U.S. Supreme Court petition to vindicate Hawaii’s Patient Bill of Rights and Responsibilities.

Del Castillo’s partnership with Dr. Jouxson-Meyers began with a case against Kaiser Permanente on behalf of a severely brain damaged infant under the Hawaii Patient Bill of Rights and Responsibilities. Meyers spearheaded the enactment of the bill of rights in 1997 to provide patients an independent expert forum in which to challenge wrongful denials of benefits by health insurance companies.

       Del Castillo spent seven years in a “target area” elementary school following post-graduate teacher training at the Monterey Institute of Foreign Studies in 1973. Del Castillo established a special program to raise competency and enjoyment of math and science, training teachers as well as small groups of K-6 students. Del Castillo and his wife, Lea, undertook a year-long training in marriage and family counseling training, which they used to lead a successful school-wide program providing students, parents, and teachers with alternatives to violence.

       While serving as a commissioner on Monterey County’s Overall Economic Planning Commission, he came to the attention of the multi-million dollar federally qualified health center in south Monterey County, which had been suspended by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.(DHHS). Although he had no prior experience with health care claims and reporting, the health center was convinced del Castillo could unravel and organize several years of unreported data it had to provide for the suspension to be lifted. Del Castillo quickly provided enough data to DHHS for it to lift the suspension for one year. Subsequent progress won another one-year extension. The massive project took two years, but DHHS reinstated the health center for the maximum three year grant in April 1987, and del Castillo had gained invaluable knowledge about assessment and accountability.

       Del Castillo relocated to Honolulu in July 1987 with his wife, Lea, after she was accepted by the masters program in Applied Linguistics at the University of Hawaiʻi. In 1991, after working as a businessman in the for-profit sector, del Castillo was again sought out by the non-profit sector. Homeless Aloha engaged him to train the surveyors of the statewide homeless services network. Del Castillo surveyed programs on the mainland and traveled to New York City on his own to visit its large, well-regarded homeless program, which was directed by Andrew Cuomo. With HA Executive Director Clarence Liu, del Castillo subsequently co-authored a report to the Hawaii Legislature on the state of Hawaii’s homeless efforts. Del Castillo has been involved with Angel Network Charities, East Honolulu’s only homeless services program, ever since, either as a board member or adviser.

Liu and del Castillo were subsequently engaged by the Waianae Coast Community Mental Health Center to help it assess its program and establish goals and benchmarks consistent with the requirements of becoming an accredited mental health center. Del Castillo entered UH law school in August 1994 in mid-project, but found time to complete the task before finals in December 1994, in which he posted the highest GPA in the class. WCCMC was granted maximum accreditation in 1995.

       Del Castillo was born on December 24, 1947 in Albuquerque, New Mexico, the second of seven children, five boys and two girls. Del Castillo met his wife, Lea, in 1973 in Monterey when they were both teaching school. They have been married since September 27, 1980. They moved to Hawaii in 1987. The del Castillos have four daughters and two grandchildren.

       * Bachelor of Science, Political Science, University of Utah
       * Elementary Education post-graduate credential program, Monterey Institute of Foreign Studies
       * Community Planning and Assessment Studies, Dept. of Urban Planning, University of Hawaii
       * Juris Doctor, William S. Richardson School of Law, University of Hawaii

       Del Castillo was honorably discharged from the U.S. Air Force Reserves in 1970 as a conscientious objector. Del Castillo trained to be a jet engine mechanic. His record earned him a rare honorable discharge (conscientious objectors were often sent to jail or to combat as medics). Del Castillo petitioned for discharge when the senselessness of the Viet Nam war persuaded him his father’s committed opposition to war was right. Del Castillo’s father, a WWII veteran, piloted 72 missions over Europe, but became a devout Christian and proponent of non-violence. Del Castillo maintains that an advocate for non-violence is much needed in Congress to ensure that we do not ask our youth to waste their lives when we have another way to protect their liberty and ours.