There’s a lot in the crosshairs of Smith Entertainment Group’s proposal for a new sports and entertainment district downtown, but Japantown might be getting the least attention. Salt Lake City Council member Darin Mano tells host Ali Vallarta how SLC and SEG’s visions for the historic downtown community align — and where they diverge. Plus, how long before downtown sees a resurgence of Japanese businesses? Resources and references: SLC Redevelopment Agency’s conceptual renderings for Japantown S...
Jun 17, 2024•26 min
Intermountain Health wants to replace the Sears Lake on State Street with an urban hospital, and we finally have renderings. Executive producer Emily Means joins host Ali Vallarta to see if the vision fits what the community wants. Plus, the SLC Council approved the new budget, Heber City’s nightlife is popping off, and a cool tool to check your neighborhood’s air quality. Resources and references: Plan for a high-rise hospital at former Sears site isn’t wowing SLC Council [Salt Lake Tribune] Ho...
Jun 14, 2024•29 min
In response to local complaints, law enforcement are targeting drug operations on the Jordan River Trail. But, in an area where many unsheltered people live, crime and homelessness are often conflated. Executive producer Emily Means joins host Ali Vallarta to draw comparisons between the Jordan River situation and 2017’s Operation Rio Grande — and muse on lessons learned so we don’t make the same mess. Resources and references: Raising Sales Tax, Juicy Texts, and More Sanctioned Camping? [City C...
Jun 13, 2024•26 min
The Utah Department of Transportation will connect our entire state with a network of paved trails, and the first 19 projects have already been funded to the tune of $95 million. Host Ali Vallarta asks UDOT Trails Division director Stephanie Tomlin if this signals a statewide shift away from car-centric commuting — and when can we ride our bikes from Park City to St. George? Related listening: Will A New Strategy Change Where We Recreate? [City Cast Salt Lake] Consider becoming a founding member...
Jun 12, 2024•21 min
Gov. Spencer Cox has a pointed message for homeless service providers: Show results or lose funding. Host Ali Vallarta and executive producer Emily Means break down the ironies in his speech and in the room. Plus, preview some Salt Lake City Council decisions, meet the county’s new public health boss, and find yellow watermelons. Resources and references: Utah Gov. Cox to homeless providers: Produce results, or you could lose funding [Utah News Dispatch] Explaining the Salt Lake City Mayor's $47...
Jun 11, 2024•32 min
If you're new here, welcome! We’ve put together a starter pack for you, with episodes and articles to welcome you to the City Cast Salt Lake community. You know you’re a Salt Laker once you’ve had a Tan France sighting. The Queer Eye star has called Utah home for almost two decades — so let’s test him on his local credentials. Tan joins host Ali Vallarta to dish on the best and worst our town has to offer and the most Salt Lake thing about him. Subscribe to our daily morning newsletter, Hey Salt...
Jun 10, 2024•27 min
Developers want to turn West Valley’s Redwood Drive-In and Swap Meet into housing — for the second time. Executive producer Emily Means joins host Ali Vallarta to calculate its odds of survival. Plus, a vacant SLC building gets a sexy makeover, primary ballots hit mailboxes, and a weekend wrestle-off. If the sponsored interview with the Governor’s Office of Economic Development grabbed your attention, learn more about the Startup State Initiative. Resources and references: Vote in the second-rou...
Jun 07, 2024•33 min
Two Salt Lake chefs are finalists for the 2024 James Beard Awards, and winners will be announced on June 10. But when it comes to the prestigious Michelin star, the travel award often associated with culinary excellence, Utah restaurants haven’t made the cut. Host Ali Vallarta asks food writer and Gastronomic SLC founder Stuart Melling why we haven’t received the blessing and what area restaurants should be on Michelin’s short list. This episode originally aired Oct. 5, 2023. Consider becoming a...
Jun 06, 2024•20 min
The Salt Lake City Council just approved two new historic districts on the east bench. Host Ali Vallarta and executive producer Emily Means pick apart the curious case for historic protections in the Yalecrest neighborhood. Plus, downtown SLC gets a swanky new liquor store, Salt Lake County kids get free access to rec centers, and develop your disposable at a local camera shop. If the sponsored interview with the Human Rights Campaign piqued your interest, learn more about their work in Utah, an...
Jun 05, 2024•37 min
There are more than 500 parks across Salt Lake County, and host Ali Vallarta is on a quest to visit all of them. After drinking at every bar in Salt Lake last year, Ali joins producer Ivana Martinez to explain her newest project, why parks are worthy investments, and how she plans to beat the odds. Consider becoming a founding member of City Cast Salt Lake today! It’s the best way to support our work and help make sure we’re around for years to come. Get all the details and sign up at membership...
Jun 04, 2024•28 min
The Salt Lake City Council is deep in budget season, and every year we wonder: Why is the police department’s piece of the pie so big? Former SLC police chief and Center for Policing Equity consultant Chris Burbank joins host Ali Vallarta to pull back the curtain on the police budget and suggest where we should prioritize its resources. Resources and references: Explaining the Salt Lake City Mayor's $475 Million Budget Proposal [Hey Salt Lake] Attend a public hearing on the budget, Tuesday, June...
Jun 03, 2024•23 min
How is SLC Mayor Erin Mendenhall thinking about the Smith Entertainment Group’s new downtown district around the Delta Center? Salt Lake Tribune reporter Andy Larsen got the mayor on the record and joins host Ali Vallarta and executive producer Emily Means to break down what she had to say as well as what’s to like and dislike about the project so far. Plus, ways to celebrate Pride, Real Salt Lake is making a comeback, and a new playground in Central City. If the sponsored interview with the Gov...
May 31, 2024•39 min
If you're new here, welcome! We’ve put together a starter pack for you, with episodes and articles to welcome you to the City Cast Salt Lake community. Grab your produce tote and slap on the sunscreen because June marks the official start of summer in Salt Lake. Host Ali Vallarta and Kendall Rodriguez, TikTok’s Queen of SLC, bring you a guide to what to expect and how to make the most of this month, including the best vendors at the downtown market, navigating Salt Lake’s pools, and cheap date n...
May 30, 2024•26 min
A Salt Lake City building burned down this weekend, right before it was scheduled for demolition — and it’s not even the first time that’s happened. Host Ali Vallarta and executive producer Emily Means put on their tinfoil hats and muse on the importance of fire preparedness. Plus, setting the record straight on Abravanel Hall, the Midtown Business District wants your input, and Utah’s statuesque representation in D.C. If the sponsored interview with the Human Rights Campaign piqued your interes...
May 29, 2024•30 min
Throw a stone on Capitol Hill, and you’ll probably hit a Utah lawmaker with ties to real estate development. But a new analysis by the Salt Lake Tribune breaks down just how many of our state’s most influential decision makers have their hands in both honeypots. Reporter Emily Anderson Stern tells host Ali Vallarta how it impacts our affordable housing crisis. Resources and references: See what connections your lawmaker has to Utah’s housing industry [Salt Lake Tribune] Lawmakers eye housing aud...
May 28, 2024•17 min
Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall is asking for a $44,000 raise. Has she earned it? Executive producer Emily Means joins host Ali Vallarta to discuss how this pay bump measures up to other mayors and how residents can weigh in. Plus, the hottest new mode of transportation, Memorial Day pool openings, and a (probably) last-ever sidewalk sale. Resources and references: SLC Mayor Erin Mendenhall wants to give herself a hefty raise. Here’s what Tribune readers are saying. [Salt Lake Tribune] How ...
May 24, 2024•26 min
A local family is in a heated campaign with Veterans Affairs to keep their mom 40 miles closer to Salt Lake. Salt Lake Tribune reporter Sofia Jeremias joins host Ali Vallarta to share the story of Patricia “Pat” Gallegos Delgado and brainstorm what policies could do more for our city’s veterans than a Memorial Day tweet. We’re doing our annual survey to learn more about our listeners. We’d be grateful if you took the survey — it’s only seven minutes long, and you’ll be doing us a big favor. Plus...
May 23, 2024•20 min
You’ve found it: your special outdoor spot. But if you let people in on the secret, do you run the risk of drawing too much traffic to paradise? And if you don’t share those spaces, what kind of legacy are you enabling? Western Desk founder Madeline McGill joins host Ali Vallarta to examine gatekeeping of our natural lands and who writes the rules for navigating them. This episode originally aired April 17, 2023. We’re doing our annual survey to learn more about our listeners. We’d be grateful i...
May 22, 2024•20 min
Utah’s water forecast is looking pretty damn good as we head into summer. Host Ali Vallarta and executive producer Emily Means take a look at the Great Salt Lake, our reservoirs, and when you should really be watering your lawn. Plus, the Salt Lake City Council considers a handful of tax increases, and Ali and Emily share local shoutouts. Resources and references: Utah water forecast appears good headed into summer [Great Salt Lake Collaborative] Participate in the Great Salt Lake elevation chal...
May 21, 2024•33 min
National headlines proclaim we saved the bees. That’s great news for us in the Beehive State, but we might have saved the wrong one. Bee researcher Jesse Margolies joins host Ali Vallarta to mythbust which bees need saving and share ways Salt Lakers can support local pollinators. Resources and references: Wait, does America suddenly have a record number of bees? [Washington Post] Utah Pollinator Habitat Program Gardening for Native Bees in Utah and Beyond [Utah State University] iNaturalist App ...
May 20, 2024•19 min
Utah Auditor John Dougall is picking a fight with the legislature after they made him the state’s new bathroom monitor. Host Ali Vallarta and executive producer Emily Means break down the political implications and bathroom design ideas stemming from this ongoing showdown. Plus, Salt Lakers give their quality of life a C-minus, free bike workshops, and a cheap date idea. Resources and references: State Auditor John Dougall’s bathroom video Why Are We So Obsessed With Bathrooms [City Cast Salt La...
May 17, 2024•34 min
Salt Lake can claim another reality TV star now that season two of TLC’s “MILF Manor” has dropped. Businesswoman and certified hot mom Barby Garcia talks to host Ali Vallarta about busting Utah stereotypes and where she absolutely would not take her costars in SLC. Resources and references: Bethenny Frankel’s reality TV union is easier said than done [Vox] Utahns’ Quiet Obsession With Med Spas [City Cast Salt Lake] Consider becoming a founding member of City Cast Salt Lake today! It’s the best w...
May 16, 2024•21 min
The U.S Supreme Court is poised to make a big decision around cities’ policing of homelessness in public spaces. University of Utah parks and recreation professor Jeff Rose joins host Ali Vallarta to break down how this court case could impact access to Salt Lake’s parks and have a chilling effect on our First Amendment rights. Resources and references: Salt Lake City Homeless Services Dashboard How Salt Lake Criminalizes Homelessness? [City Cast Salt Lake] Raising Sales Tax, Juicy Texts, and Mo...
May 15, 2024•27 min
The University of Utah will shutter its Office of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion to comply with a new state law. Producer Ivana Martinez joins host Ali Vallarta to break down what’s at stake for employees. Plus, Utah families are $2.8 million in debt for school lunches. And, we shout out some bagel news in Holladay and a neighborhood resource for free stuff. Resources and references: University of Utah EDI Director Breaks Culture of Silence To Advocate For Students [SLUG Magazine] Utah familie...
May 14, 2024•34 min
The Salt Lake City Council is weighing everything from raising sales tax to razing city blocks; Big, controversial decisions that could change the look and feel of our city for decades. Council Chair Victoria Petro tells host Ali Vallarta how she’s making choices on our behalf with “cautious skepticism” — from the mayor’s $475 million budget proposal to the future of downtown. Resources and references: How to participate in the May 21 Capital City Revitalization Zone hearing. Weigh in on the SLC...
May 13, 2024•33 min
Hey there! We are excited to share the trailer for a new special limited series from our friends and colleagues at City Cast Denver. If you’re a fan of what we do at City Cast, you’ll want to check it out: You’ve probably heard a story about Congresswoman Lauren Boebert. Like, how she got kicked out of a production of “Beetlejuice” for vaping and groping her date. Or, that time she heckled President Biden during his State of the Union address. Throughout it all, she keeps winning elections and a...
May 11, 2024•2 min
SLC Mayor Erin Mendenhall proposed a $475 million budget to the city council this week. So how will the city use our tax dollars this year? Building Salt Lake editor Taylor Anderson joins host Ali Vallarta to break down the most interesting projects and themes — from the meaning of a “family-friendly” downtown to Sports Lake City. Plus, the wrecking ball is coming for 300 S., the NHL team survey is live, and Ali’s dream job just posted — you should apply! Resources and references: Review the may...
May 10, 2024•40 min
Spring has arrived in Salt Lake City, so it’s time to say “good morning” to our black bear neighbors. Oh, you didn’t know we have bears in Utah? Join the cub. Wes and Jeff Larson of the Tooth and Claw Podcast join host Ali Vallarta to share their tips for handling an encounter with a black bear and their personal stories about their research run-ins. This episode originally aired May 2, 2023. Resources and references: Tips for Taking On a Mountain Lion (if You Have To) [City Cast Salt Lake] Cons...
May 09, 2024•23 min
News of the Sundance Film Festival taking bids to leave Utah caused a stir –– but has the writing been on the wall for years? Host and former Sundance staffer Ali Vallarta talks producer Ivana Martinez through the institution’s existential threats and opportunities. And, whether Salt Lake City could convince the festival to stick around. Consider becoming a founding member of City Cast Salt Lake today! It’s the best way to support our work and help make sure we’re around for years to come. Get a...
May 08, 2024•28 min
Smith Entertainment Group is asking SLC taxpayers for $54 million a year, three city blocks, a heliport, and so much more at tonight’s Salt Lake City Council meeting. Salt Lake Tribune reporter Andy Larsen joins host Ali Vallarta to break down what we already know about the sports and entertainment district proposal. Plus, Ali mourns the potential loss of an iconic Salt Laker and Andy finds two new favorite karaoke bars. Resources and references: Ryan Smith wants control of 3 city blocks — and a...
May 07, 2024•36 min
