

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

Aug 23, 2024 • 35min
Fall Ballots Just Got Juicier, SLC Housewives Return, and Local Jimmy Buffett
The Utah Legislature used their emergency powers this week to put a constitutional amendment on our ballots. KSL TV reporter Lindsay Aerts joins host Ali Vallarta and executive producer Emily Means to break down what exactly we’ll be voting on in November and why. Plus, the Real Housewives of SLC are back, CatVideoFest, and a Parrot Head reunion.Resources and references:
Watch the RHOSLC season five trailer.
Get tickets to CatVideoFest at The Broadway.
Get tickets to the Jimmy Buffett memorial concert on Sunday, Sept. 1.
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.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:
Utah Department of Health and Human Services
Stein Eriksen Lodge
ICO
Embodied Patience
Live Crude - Get $25 off your facial by mentioning this ad.

Aug 22, 2024 • 22min
‘Let’s Get To Work’: Ballpark Still Needs a Plan
The Salt Lake Bees are in the home stretch at the Smith’s Ballpark; their final scheduled game before moving to Daybreak is on Sept. 22. And yet, we still don’t know what will fill the hole the team leaves behind. Erika Carlsen, co-chair of the Ballpark Action Team, tells host Ali Vallarta what the community wants from city leaders as the future of the neighborhood hangs in limbo.Resources and references:
What's NEXT for Smith's Ballpark? Our Favorite Proposals. [City Cast Salt Lake]
Request free tickets to an upcoming Salt Lake Bees game.
Attend the Ballpark community meeting with Mayor Erin Mendenhall on Thursday, Sept. 12 at 6 p.m.
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.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:
Utah Department of Health and Human Services
Stein Eriksen Lodge
ICO

Aug 21, 2024 • 25min
Where Condos Fit in Salt Lake’s Housing Crisis
The developer C.W. Urban just presented plans for a 16-story condominium in downtown SLC. Why are apartments you can own such a victory in Utah? Dejan Eskic, senior research fellow at the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute, joins host Ali Vallarta to explain the past and present barriers to building condos here and where they fit in our affordable housing crisis.This episode originally aired on April 8, 2024.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.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:
Utah Department of Health and Human Services
Stein Eriksen Lodge
ICO

Aug 20, 2024 • 31min
Will the Legislature Fight Back? 6.7 Magnitude Earthquake, and Vinyl Treasures
The Utah Legislature might call themselves into special session to push back on recent losses handed down by the Supreme Court. Host Ali Vallarta and executive producer Emily Means discuss the odds that lawmakers will put another constitutional amendment on our ballots. Plus, the state’s earthquake commission gets canned, treasure hunting in KRCL’s record collection, and apply to be an SLC planning commissioner.Resources and references:
Vote for City Cast Salt Lake in Best of Utah
Will Legislators Plot Revenge on Utah’s Supreme Court? [City Cast Salt Lake]
Utah legislators eye special session, maybe next week. Will it deal with abortion, redistricting? [Utah News Dispatch]
This group is tasked with preparing Utah for the “Big One.” Utah leaders voted to get rid of it. [Salt Lake Tribune]
Check out KRCL’s record sale.
Apply for Salt Lake City’s planning commission (especially Glendale and Avenues residents!)
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.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:
Utah Department of Health and Human Services
Stein Eriksen Lodge
ICO
Embodied Patience
Live Crude - Get $25 off your facial by mentioning this ad.

Aug 19, 2024 • 22min
Could Utah Republicans Fix School Lunch Debt?
As Salt Lake kids head back to school this week, we can’t get this number out of our heads: Utah students owe nearly $3 million in school lunch debt. But one Republican legislator from Provo is making it his problem. Host Ali Vallarta asks Rep. Tyler Clancy for his solutions and how he plans to sell his conservative colleagues on them.Resources and references:
Constitutional amendment on November ballot could lead to removal of Utah food sales tax [KSL TV]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.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:
Utah Department of Health and Human Services
Stein Eriksen Lodge
ICO

Aug 16, 2024 • 30min
Gubernatorial Cringe, Salt Lakers’ $1B Vote, and Baby Olympics
Salt Lakers will vote on more than $1 billion in bonds this November. Executive producer Emily Means and host Ali Vallarta break down what that money buys us and how it’d impact our wallets. Plus, one insane campaign ad, SLC baby Olympics, and “Life After Deadpool.” Resources and references:
A First Look at Salt Lake County’s Homelessness Plan [City Cast Salt Lake]
Utah’s oldest public high school urgently needs upgrades — and could see a complete rebuild [Salt Lake Tribune]
The Case for (and Against) Glendale High School [City Cast Salt Lake]
Pics from the library’s baby Olympics.
Pre-order “Life After Dead Pool” by Zak Podmore.
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.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:
Salt Lake Sewciety
Utah Department of Health and Human Services
Live Crude - Get $25 off your facial by mentioning this ad.
Embodied Patience

Aug 15, 2024 • 26min
If Abravanel Hall Ain’t Broke, Why Fix It?
Abravanel Hall is staring down either a remodel or a complete rebuild as it’s wrangled into the new downtown sports and entertainment district. But if it ain’t broke, why fix it? David Porter, violinist and spokesperson for the Musicians of the Utah Symphony, joins host Ali Vallarta to discuss why the math isn’t adding up and what the future holds for the symphony if they lose their home. Resources and references:
Abravanel Hell, Another Mysterious Fire, and Midtowners Unite [City Cast Salt Lake] 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.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:
Salt Lake Sewciety
Utah Department of Health and Human Services

Aug 14, 2024 • 21min
How Living Near Mountains Makes Us Smarter
The proximity of Salt Lake’s mountain inspires awe on the daily. But what if that feeling is making us smarter, more generous people? Dr. Megan Call, assistant clinical professor in psychiatry at the University of Utah, joins host Ali Vallarta to share the psychological and physical impacts of being in awe and how it’s changing lives on the Wasatch Front.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.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:
Salt Lake Sewciety
Utah Department of Health and Human Services

Aug 13, 2024 • 29min
Last Chance To Bully SEG, Another Big Court Ruling, and Cheap Provo Flights
The Utah Supreme Court’s latest ruling on sexual assault and medical malpractice hints at a continued vibe shift among the justices. Host Ali Vallarta and executive producer Emily Means consider the impacts for the 94 women who brought the case and the public going forward. Plus, last chance (for now) to weigh in on SLC’s downtown sports district, props to Provo’s cheap airport, and Jazz fans place their hope in one Finnish ogre.Resources and references:
Vote for City Cast Salt Lake in the best of Utah competition!
Utah Supreme Court Rules That Alleged Sexual Assault by a Doctor Is Not “Health Care” [ProPublica]
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.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:
Salt Lake Sewciety
Utah Department of Health and Human Services
Embodied Patience
Live Crude - Get $25 off your facial by mentioning this ad.

Aug 12, 2024 • 19min
Utah's Execution, According to an Eyewitness
Last Thursday, just after midnight, the state of Utah executed Taberon Honie by lethal injection. It was the state’s first execution in 14 years, and Salt Lake Tribune reporter Jessica Miller witnessed it. She joins host Ali Vallarta to reflect on this “monumental moment,” explain what led to it, and consider what’s next for the death penalty in Utah.Read Jessica Miller’s reporting on the Honie execution.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.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:
Salt Lake Sewciety
Utah Department of Health and Human Services