

City Cast Las Vegas
City Cast
City Cast Las Vegas is a daily podcast and newsletter created by and for locals (and locals-at-heart) that’ll challenge the easy narratives about our city … and, okay, maybe confirm a few of them, too. Las Vegas is a city of reinvention, bursting at the seams as it welcomes newcomers into its various incarnations as a service-worker union town, a military town, a college town, and, most recently, a sports town.There’s a four-mile street testifying to our entrepreneurial genius, not far from pockets of staggering inequality. Great wealth runs through our city, but how much of that actually stays in Vegas? We’re independent in spirit, but also ruled by orange traffic cones. Our 2.5 million residents anchor an ever-changing city of 42 million visitors.Join us every morning for the messy, delightful, complicated conversations that Las Vegans are having: You’ll hear us ask hard questions about where we’ll get our water when Lake Mead runs out, and how we’ll keep housing affordable. We’ll argue over our favorite Chinatown bars, and share insider tips on the best tacos in town. City Cast Las Vegas will show you how loving a city means celebrating it and also holding it accountable, while having some fun along the way—because Las Vegans know how to have a good time.
Episodes
Mentioned books

May 5, 2024 • 21min
Why Mayoral Candidate Kola Akingbade Wants to Legalize Prostitution
For our special series on the Las Vegas mayoral race, executive producer Sonja Cho Swanson interviews mayoral candidate Kola Akingbade, a proud Nigerian-born American with a background in engineering, the ministry, and real estate. They talk about his history of running for office in Nigeria, how he plans to “offset the offseason” in Las Vegas with economic development, and how legalizing prostitution could help tackle homelessness. Find more of our coverage on the Las Vegas mayoral race here.We’re on social media! Follow us @CityCastVegas on Instagram. You can also call or text us at 702-514-0719.Want some more Las Vegas news? Then make sure to sign up for our morning newsletter here.

May 4, 2024 • 20min
Why Tera Anderson is Running For Las Vegas Mayor
Our special series on the Las Vegas mayoral race continues: Today, co-host Dayvid Figler interviews mayoral candidate Tera Anderson, a second-generation Las Vegan. They talk about how her experience as a businesswoman working in land and economic development influences how she’d tackle affordable housing, the Badlands brouhaha, and growth in our urban center.Find more of our coverage on the Las Vegas mayoral race here.We’re on social media! Follow us @CityCastVegas on Instagram. You can also call or text us at 702-514-0719.Want some more Las Vegas news? Then make sure to sign up for our morning newsletter here.

May 3, 2024 • 34min
Is This Jailed Police YouTuber a Journalist? Plus, Culinary’s Senate Bid, and a Very Vegas Cruise
The June primary election is fast approaching, and one primary race stands out: In State Senate District 3, located here in Las Vegas, the Culinary Union has posted their own challenger as a show of dissatisfaction with the incumbent’s stance against one of their bills. It’s shaping up to be a referendum on Culinary’s power — what else is at stake here? Co-hosts Dayvid Figler and Sarah Lohman are joined by Nevada Current editor April Corbin Girnus to discuss. Plus, the team discusses the recent sentencing of controversial self-described “first amendment auditor” and YouTuber Jose “Chille” DeCastro, as well as the Raiders’ new cruise launching next spring (is it a dream or a nightmare vacation?).We’re on social media! Follow us @CityCastVegas on Instagram. You can also call or text us at 702-514-0719.Want some more Las Vegas news? Then make sure to sign up for our morning newsletter here.

May 2, 2024 • 24min
The Best Tacos in Vegas
What makes a great taco? Does Vegas have a taco style? And crucially, is a hot dog a taco? Co-host Sarah Lohman sits down with artists and taco enthusiasts Justin Favela and Brent Holmes to answer these and more hard-hitting questions. Plus, we hear about their favorite tacos around Las Vegas, from cheesy, drippy quesabirria to crunchy, crisp fish tacos.We’re on social media! Follow us @CityCastVegas on Instagram. You can also call or text us at 702-514-0719.Want some more Las Vegas news? Then make sure to sign up for our morning newsletter here.All the taco spots mentioned in this episode:
Tacos el Gordo on Charleston & 17th
Guisos de el Canelo on Pecos and Charleston
The original Lindo Michoacán on East Desert Inn
Antojitos D.F. on Flamingo and Pecos
Tacos El Compita on Charleston and Jones
The original Tacos Tijuana at Broadacres
Los Tacos on Charleston and 17th
Carnitas y Tortas Ahogadas Guadalajara on Bonanza and Eastern
Juarez Border Food El Paso on Bonanza and Eastern
Habanero Grill on Rainbow and Smoke Ranch
Mariscos Playa Escondida on Charleston and Maryland
Bajamar on Las Vegas Blvd and Oakey
Abuela’s Tacos on Sahara and Lamb
El Tamalucas on Las Vegas Blvd and Pecos
Tacotarian, various locations
Durango Taco Shop, various locations

May 1, 2024 • 20min
Is Yucca Mountain Coming Back From the Dead?
As the old Nevada lore goes, Senator Harry Reid rose up in battle and killed the Yucca Mountain beast in faraway DC, leaving it good and dead. Right? Well, not exactly. The contested nuclear waste site, just 90 miles northwest of Las Vegas, has recently come up again in a Congressional hearing, putting the Nevada delegation and state nuclear commision officials on red alert. Today, co-host Dayvid Figler talks with Nevada Independent reporter Gabby Birenbaum about what danger these new rumblings pose, how an election year plays into the nuclear politics, and what it would take to put a stake in the heart of Yucca Mountain.We’re on social media! Follow us @CityCastVegas on Instagram. You can also call or text us at 702-514-0719.Want some more Las Vegas news? Then make sure to sign up for our morning newsletter here.

Apr 30, 2024 • 25min
Your Guide to May in Las Vegas
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 Las Vegas community. Our pre-summer weather is really kicking in so while you clean out the meltable items from your car, you can plan to make the most out of your month in Las Vegas with our May guide. From a cactus oasis to how to enjoy the Punk Rock Bowling and Music Festival, tune in for activity recommendations and tips that you’ll only hear from locals. If you love our guest CoCo Jenkins, CEO of @nothingtodolv on Instagram, check out our episode on the best non-touristy things to do in Vegas.For even more tips on how to make the most of May in Las Vegas, check out Hey Las Vegas’s take on what to do this month. And we’re also powered by our members, who enjoy an ad-free version of the show. Find out more about how to become a member of City Cast Las Vegas.Interested in advertising with City Cast? Find more info here. Reach us at lasvegas@citycast.fm, follow us @CityCastVegas on Instagram, or call or text us at 702-514-0719.

Apr 29, 2024 • 36min
Mayoral Candidate Shelley Berkley’s Vision for Las Vegas
Even though only a third of the valley can vote for the Las Vegas mayor (here’s why), the role has become a bully pulpit on the global stage. So who should be our city’s next spokesperson? In our second installment of Mayoral Mondays, our special series on the 2024 Las Vegas mayoral race, we sit down with candidate Shelley Berkley. Shelley enters the race after serving in the Nevada Assembly, on the Board of Regents, and in the United States Congress as Las Vegas’s representative for seven terms between 1999 and 2013. She and co-host Dayvid Figler sit down to talk about how she'd tackle affordable housing, the Badlands lawsuits, and homelessness in Las Vegas.Stay tuned for more upcoming candidate interviews: Cedric Crear on May 6 and Victoria Seaman on May 13.We’re on social media! Follow us @CityCastVegas on Instagram. You can also call or text us at 702-514-0719.Want some more Las Vegas news? Then make sure to sign up for our morning newsletter here.

Apr 26, 2024 • 36min
Local Restaurants Sue Uber, SCOTUS Hears Public Camping Case, and Mojave Max Emerges
Now that Mojave Max has finally emerged, we can officially welcome you to spring on this week’s Friday News Roundup. After a local restaurant owner discovered ghost kitchens posing as popular established restaurants on UberEats, four local restaurants filed a class-action lawsuit against Uber and related parties. Uber paused applications for virtual kitchens on the app on Tuesday, but the affected businesses want more. Also this week, the Supreme Court of the United States is weighing in on a case from the 9th Circuit Court — which oversees Nevada — that struck down a law banning camping in public places. Co-hosts Sarah Lohman and Dayvid Figler are joined by Nevada Current reporter Michael Lyle to break down the week of news.We’re on social media! Follow us @CityCastVegas on Instagram. You can also call or text us at 702-514-0719.Want some more Las Vegas news? Then make sure to sign up for our morning newsletter here.

Apr 25, 2024 • 24min
Why the 'Best Chinese Food in America' Is in Las Vegas
American restaurateur and writer David Chang almost broke the foodie internet when he declared “the best Chinese food in America is in Las Vegas” on his Instagram earlier this year. While we are inclined to accept any food flattery towards Las Vegas, we needed some proof. Co-host Dayvid Figler sits down with Review-Journal restaurant reporter Johnathan L. Wright, a major Chinese food fan, to ask what makes Las Vegas the Chinese food destination in America and where to find the best bites.Restaurants mentioned:
Shanghai Taste
Xiao Long Dumplings
Wing Lei at the Wynn
Red Plate at The Cosmopolitan
Mott 32
The Noodle Man on S. Rainbow
Ping Pang Pong at the Gold Coast
Chinglish Cantonese Wine Bar
Xiang Wei Xuan
China Mama
Palette Tea Lounge
Chengdu Taste
We’re on social media! Follow us @CityCastVegas on Instagram. You can also call or text us at 702-514-0719.Want some more Las Vegas news? Then make sure to sign up for our morning newsletter here.

Apr 24, 2024 • 24min
Strip Secrets to Impress Your Friends
How well do you really know the Strip? Today, our resident Vegas insiders, co-hosts Dayvid Figler and Sarah Lohman, along with newsletter editor Rob Kachelriess, spill their favorite hidden gems from around the Strip: From little-known historical oddities and quiet places for reflection to the best food and drink surprises they’ve discovered.We’re on social media! Follow us @CityCastVegas on Instagram. You can also call or text us at 702-514-0719.Want some more Las Vegas news? Then make sure to sign up for our morning newsletter here.