

City Cast Salt Lake
City Cast
City Cast Salt Lake is Salt Lake City’s daily news podcast. Host Ali Vallarta and a bevy of smart and entertaining locals will bring you conversations about the issues that matter most to SLC. Some days City Cast will make you proud; other days it’ll make you angry. It will celebrate Salt Lake’s triumphs, (try to) solve its mysteries, and explore its history. City Cast will help you feel more connected to the Wasatch Front – whether you’ve lived here for 6 months or 6 generations.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Nov 13, 2024 • 29min
What Trump 2.0 Means in Utah
What does another Trump term mean for a still-red Utah? Host Ali Vallarta asks Utah Policy editor Holly Richardson what to expect locally and statewide, from air quality to immigration and more. Become a 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.citycast.fm.Subscribe to Hey Salt Lake, our daily morning newsletter. You can also find us on Instagram @CityCastSLC.Looking to advertise on City Cast Salt Lake? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads.Learn more about the sponsors of this episode:
ICO
University of Utah

Nov 12, 2024 • 26min
Will Utah Get Its Train to Vegas? Shelter Plans Spiked, New Cidery
Temps are dropping while residents just north of Salt Lake push back against a state-mandated warming shelter. Host Ali Vallarta and executive producer Emily Means discuss the latest drama in Davis County amid their effort to house unsheltered neighbors. Plus, the likelihood of a weekend train to Vegas, a fantasy-themed tavern, and songs of the SLC Airport.Resources and references:
Fruit Heights church pulls offer to host homeless shelter on cold nights after backlash [KSL.com]
What could another Trump presidency mean for passenger rail in Utah? [OPINION]
SLC Airport River Tunnel playlist
Become a 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.citycast.fm.Subscribe to Hey Salt Lake, our daily morning newsletter. You can also find us on Instagram @CityCastSLC.Looking to advertise on City Cast Salt Lake? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads.Learn more about the sponsors of this episode:
ICO
University of Utah
Embodied Patience
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Nov 11, 2024 • 20min
How To Avoid Ski Traffic While We Wait for the Gondola
Ski season has officially begun, and with the trek to the mountains comes the dreaded “red snake” of canyon traffic. Salt Lake Tribune outdoors reporter Julie Jag tells host Ali Vallarta what transportation solutions we can expect and when, from the Little Cottonwood Canyon gondola to the ski bus.Sign up for the Cottonwood Canyons sticker program.Become a 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.citycast.fm.Subscribe to Hey Salt Lake, our daily morning newsletter. You can also find us on Instagram @CityCastSLC.Looking to advertise on City Cast Salt Lake? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads.Learn more about the sponsors of this episode:
ICO
University of Utah

Nov 8, 2024 • 31min
Local Democratic Victories, a Likely Legislative Flip, Pizza Pop-Up
Election results are still rolling in and we’ve got some good news. Executive producer Emily Means and host Ali Vallarta discuss wins in Salt Lake County and where the future of the Democratic party is headed. Plus, a Native-majority school board, a pizza pop up, and legislative surprises. Become a 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.citycast.fm.Subscribe to our daily morning newsletter. You can also find us on Instagram @CityCastSLC.Looking to advertise on City Cast Salt Lake? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads.Learn more about the sponsors of this episode:
The Shop
Utah Arts Alliance
Embodied Patience
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Nov 7, 2024 • 30min
The Nepo Baby Running Salt Lake County
Election Day is over, and all eyes are now on the political power players who will shape our lives. Today, we’re looking at local “nepo babies” — shorthand for the children of famous or well-connected people who have benefited from nepotism — whose family business is politics. Host Ali Vallarta and executive producer Emily Means explore the family trees of four Salt Lake-area politicians and the parents or spouses who helped pave their way.This episode originally aired on Nov. 21, 2023.Become a 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.citycast.fm.Subscribe to Hey Salt Lake, our daily morning newsletter. You can also find us on Instagram @CityCastSLC.Looking to advertise on City Cast Salt Lake? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads.Learn more about the sponsors of this episode:
The Shop
Utah Arts Alliance

Nov 6, 2024 • 29min
How Salt Lake Voted So Far
Early election results are in. Salt Lake Tribune news columnist Robert Gehrke joins host Ali Vallarta to break down how Utahns voted, from the governor’s race to Salt Lake County candidates and big ballot questions. Plus, our biggest takeaways from this election cycle. Check out the most up-to-date election results. Become a 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.citycast.fm.Subscribe to our Hey Salt Lake, daily morning newsletter. You can also find us on Instagram @CityCastSLC.Looking to advertise on City Cast Salt Lake? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads.Learn more about the sponsors of this episode:
The Shop
Utah Arts Alliance

Nov 5, 2024 • 30min
Election Expectations, Homeless Accountability, Non-Alcoholic Spirits
It’s Election Day! Executive producer Emily Means and host Ali Vallarta have everything you need to know, from voting options to when to expect local results. Plus, the Utah Homelessness Services chair threatens SLC’s funding, local non-alcoholic spirits, and the candidates who wouldn’t go on the record. Wait till the last minute to vote? Check out our guide on everything you need to know.Become a 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.citycast.fm.Subscribe to our daily morning newsletter. You can also find us on Instagram @CityCastSLC.Looking to advertise on City Cast Salt Lake? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads.Learn more about the sponsors of this episode:
Zoo, Arts, and Parks Reauthorization and Preservation Committee
Vote.utah.gov
The Shop
Utah Arts Alliance
Embodied Patience
Live Crude - Get $25 off your facial by mentioning this ad.

Nov 4, 2024 • 28min
Will LDS Voters Keep Showing Up For Trump?
For the first time in years, Republicans are having to court Latter-day Saints, trying to sell them on voting for former President Donald Trump. McKay Coppins, staff writer for The Atlantic, joins executive producer Emily Means to discuss if the Trump campaign’s tactics are working and whether LDS voters will turn Utah purple. Read McKay’s reporting, “The Comically Terrible Rollout of Latter-day Saints for Trump.”Become a 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.citycast.fm.Subscribe to our daily morning newsletter. You can also find us on Instagram @CityCastSLC.Looking to advertise on City Cast Salt Lake? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads.Learn more about the sponsors of this episode:
Zoo, Arts, and Parks Reauthorization and Preservation Committee
Vote.utah.gov
The Shop
Utah Arts Alliance

Nov 3, 2024 • 25min
The Four Cities That Could Decide the Election
This week we’ll be sharing results from our local elections and discussing what they mean for Salt Lake. But we can’t help but wonder… what’s going on with our City Cast colleagues in swing states? As America white-knuckles its way into one of the closest presidential elections in modern history, City Cast CEO David Plotz sits down with the hosts of our shows in swing state cities: Madison, Philly, Pittsburgh, and Las Vegas. In this special episode, our crew of hosts gives you a locals’ look inside how their cities are preparing for the presidential election and its aftermath. From a peek inside the Pennsylvania election warehouse where mail-in ballots will be counted, to a glimpse at how Dane County, Wisconsin’s early voting is going, you’re invited to hear what the swing states are talking about…with each other.

Nov 1, 2024 • 35min
Ballot Boxes on Fire, SLC Street Safety, Cow Cuddles
The election is next week, and the vibes in SLC are … intense. Host Ali Vallarta and executive producer Emily Means give a rundown of how local officials are securing your vote amid recent ballot box fires in other states. Plus, SLC’s Vision Zero progress, cuddling emo cows, and local sparkling sake. Check out our guide to November in Salt Lake. Become a 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.citycast.fm.Subscribe to our daily morning newsletter. You can also find us on Instagram @CityCastSLC.Looking to advertise on City Cast Salt Lake? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads.Learn more about the sponsors of this episode:
Zoo, Arts, and Parks Reauthorization and Preservation Committee
Wasatch Food Co-op
BetterHelp - get 10% off at betterhelp.com/CITYCAST
Vote.utah.gov
Embodied Patience
Live Crude - Get $25 off your facial by mentioning this ad.