
City Cast Salt Lake
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.
Latest episodes

Dec 12, 2023 • 18min
When Will Lawmakers Address Air Quality on SLC’s West Side?
Salt Lakers just know: The worst air is on the west side of the valley. But our chewy air quality has consequences beyond the ick we get looking at our murky horizon. Salt Lake Tribune west side reporter Alixel Cabrera and KUER politics reporter Saige Miller join host Ali Vallarta to break down the impacts to residents and possible solutions by local and state leaders.Browse the Reaching for Air series and graphics. 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:
Harmons Grocery
Cotopaxi
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dec 11, 2023 • 21min
Why Utah Has a Road Rage Problem
It’s that time of year when everyone is on the road, trying to make it home for the holidays or racing up the mountain to ski. And this year, we’ve seen a lot of headlines specifically about road rage leading to crashes and, in too many instances, death. So, what are state leaders doing about unsafe drivers? Salt Lake Tribune innovation reporter Sofia Jeremias joins host Ali Vallarta to break down why we’re so bad at driving and what solutions are on the table. Sweet Streets SLC’s traffic violence map.Read Sofia’s Jeremias reporting on road rage. 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:
Harmons Grocery
Cotopaxi
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dec 8, 2023 • 31min
Cox’s Big Budget, Final Election Results, and a Real Housewives Performance
Gov. Spencer Cox rolled out his budget proposal for the 2025 fiscal year. Host Ali Vallarta and executive producer Emily Means dig around to see if there’s anything good in there. Plus, we’ve got the final election results for Salt Lake County municipal races, a local budget update, and our picks of the week.Learn more about Salt Lake County’s newly approved budget. 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 find us on Instagram @CityCastSLC and Twitter @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:
Harmons Grocery
McGillis School
Mattress Warehouse
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dec 7, 2023 • 23min
Could a Spicy Resignation Letter Lead to a Better Planning Commission?
Two SLC Planning Commission members have left the board recently, and one’s farewell was accompanied by a pointed letter offering suggestions to improve the commission’s processes. Which should matter to any Salt Laker, because the group is tasked with many of our city’s land-use decisions — from affordable housing to building heights. Former commissioner Andra Ghent joins host Ali Vallarta to share her thoughts on how she believes the group could be more effective.Apply to join the planning commission.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:
Harmons Grocery
McGillis School
Mattress Warehouse
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dec 6, 2023 • 28min
Your Guide to December in Salt Lake
Welcome to December, Salt Lake! From outdoor activities that don’t involve skiing to local Christmas markets and movie magic, host Ali Vallarta and Hey Salt Lake newsletter editor Terina Ria have created a guide to the month in our charming, snow-capped city. Plus, tips for maintaining holiday sanity and managing family in town.Here are some of the events and places discussed:International Peace GardensPanaderia FloresMicrospikesSalt Lake Film Society’s holiday movie lineupLove Actually at the Utah SymphonyThe Elves at Gardner VillageChristmas Street in Sugar HouseConsider 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.This episode features a sponsored interview with Sheridan Mordue, owner of Hip & Humble, about gift ideas for the hardest folks on your list to shop for.Learn more about the other sponsors of this episode:
Harmons Grocery
McGillis School
Mattress Warehouse
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dec 5, 2023 • 22min
Righting SLC’s Walkability Wrongs in a New City
Our state’s newest large-scale development, Utah City, will sit on the eastern shore of Utah Lake in Utah County. Seductive renderings brag about walkability, transit orientation, and high density — three of an urbanist's greatest pleasures. In the recurring theme of Salt Lakers leaving for the suburbs in search of density, host Ali Vallarta asks Utah City planner and “Walkable City” author Jeff Speck for his notes on Salt Lake’s streets.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:
Harmons Grocery
Mattress Warehouse of Utah
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dec 4, 2023 • 24min
Is Impeachment on the Menu for AG Sean Reyes?
“Just who does Sean Reyes think he is?” That’s the question the Salt Lake Tribune Editorial Board is asking about Utah’s Republican attorney general — and legislators are trying to find the answer through an audit of Reyes’ office. State Sen. Todd Weiler, R-Woods Cross, is one Republican who requested the report amid a flurry of unfavorable headlines that paint Reyes as someone who appears to want to do anything but be the attorney general. Weiler joins host Ali Vallarta to make the case for appointing rather than electing the state’s top cop and weighs in on whether Reyes could be impeached.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:
Harmons Grocery
The McGillis School
Mattress Warehouse of Utah
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dec 1, 2023 • 28min
Olympic Transit Dreams, the AG’s Action Movie, and Screaming Maria
Get ready to light the fire within again because Salt Lake City has been named the preferred host of the 2034 Winter Olympics. Host Ali Vallarta and executive producer Emily Means talk about what that means for the next 10 years. Plus, Attorney General Sean Reyes wrote a scene for a movie about Operation Underground Railroad founder Tim Ballard that stars … himself? Or at least, someone who has his job, last name, and ambitions. As a note: The screenplay mentions sexual assault, so please take care while listening.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.Sing along with Maria and the Sound of Music at the Broadway.Apply for a Brine Shrimp classroom grow kit by 5 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 1.Subscribe to our daily morning newsletter. You can find us on Instagram @CityCastSLC and Twitter @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:
Tecovas at City Creek Mall
Harmons Grocery
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Nov 30, 2023 • 23min
Cheap and Creative Kids Party Ideas
Planning kids birthday parties can be difficult, especially around the holidays when money is already tight. So, let’s get creative! Salt Lake mom Shireen Ghorbani joins host Ali Vallarta to give her best tips and tricks for throwing the ultimate kids birthday party this season and beyond — without breaking the bank. 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:Tecovas at City Creek Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Nov 29, 2023 • 20min
Fake Islands and Real Revenge on Utah Lake
Just south of Salt Lake County lies Utah Lake, a freshwater body connected to Great Salt Lake via the Jordan River that you might know for its summer algal blooms. But beneath the pond scum lies a tale of back-room scheming and vengeance. Salt Lake Tribune reporter Leia Larsen has been digging into the muck around Lake Restoration Solutions’ islands project and shares her findings with host Ali Vallarta.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:Tecovas at City Creek Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices