PODCAST · news
The Olympia Standard
by The Olympia Standard
A podcast about politics in Olympia, WA
Episodes
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#161: Thurston County Clerk Candidates
Daniel Garcia and Jeff DeLuca sit down with Thurston County clerk candidates Nicole Miller and Garrett Cady. They discuss the role of the office in our justice system and how it can survive in tough budget times.
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#160: Timberland Regional Library Levy
In our first episode of this general election campaign season, Daniel talks with Brent Caron of the Timberland Library workers union and Rachel Martin of the TRL Patrons group to talk about the Library Levy Lid Lift.
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#159: 2026 Primary Election Review
Host Daniel Garcia is joined by expert panelists Jeff DeLuca and Robin Vasquez to unpack the Thurston County election results. Together, they analyze key takeaways, explore what the outcomes mean for the upcoming November general election, and break down county-level races (including sheriff,...
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#156: The 2026/27 Olympia School District budget
Erika Lari from OSD4All is back on the podcast, this time walking us through the dynamics around the current budget recently approved by the Olympia School District.
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#155: O-POP and the New Olympia
Over the last ten years or so, Olympia has led the pack in local governments in Washington State in reversing course on decades of restrictive zoning. Behind that movement has been Olympians for People Orientated Places. This week, we sit down with Holly Gadbaw and Janae Huber. They are two of...
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#153: 2026 Primary Election Ballot Rundown
Daniel sits down with former city councilmember and county commission candidate Jim Cooper to talk through who will be on your ballot in August.
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#152: Pride Storytelling
Daniel sits down with the folks behind Window Seat Media’s Pride Storytelling Project. The project is a partnership between Window Seat Media and Capital City Pride, is a community initiative utilizing an LGBTQ+ cohort to document and preserve local Queer history in the South Sound area. Through...
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#150: Sine Die 2026 with Beth and Claire
We expand our annual Sine Die episode this year to include education expert Senator Clair Wilson! Also on this episode is our own Rep. Beth Doglio who does the traditional unpacking of what the legislative session meant for us in Olympia.
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#149: What do we think about when we think about closing schools
As we enter budget building season for the Olympia School District, Erika Lari sits down with veterans (both students and parents) about the debate just a couple of years ago over closing some elementary schools. You can also listen to this old episode: #105: Do we want to close Madison and…
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#148: Neighborhood Associations
For decades, official neighborhood associations have been an essential part of Olympia’s civic fabric. This week, we examine how these associations operate with Michael Craw from The Evergreen State College, a scholar in the field. Then, Daniel sits down with Grace Fletcher to discuss the new...
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#147: Planning for a Better Olympia
Daniel sits down with Greg Quetin, Chair of the Olympia Planning Commission, to talk about the city’s recently approved Comprehensive Plan and the role of the planning commission in guiding Olympia’s growth.
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#146: How to Understand the Fine Grain of Olympia Schools
We are in the season where, in the Olympia School District, you can choose a different path for your kids. In this episode, we sit down with OSD4All’s Erika Lari to talk about the new guide the group recently released to describe, in fine detail, all of the different programs around the district:...
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#145: Intercity Transit
Daniel visits with leadership at Intercity Transit. Emily Bergkamp, General Manager, and Nick Demerice, Chief Marketing, Communications & Outreach Officer, cover the recent history of our local transit agency, what is going on with the change in routes and how transit will grow.
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#144: Olympia School District Tech, Safety and Facility Replacement Levy 2026
You’ve already received your ballot, so this week Erika sat down with Superintendent Mr. Dr. Patrick Murphy and Marc Elliot, Chief Information Officer, to talk about the replacement levy. Don’t forget to vote by February 10!
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#143: Legislative Preview
What is Olympia going to get from Olympia this year? Erika sits down with Maria Flores from the school board and Daniel visits with State Senator Jessica Bateman. We dive deep into what schools need from the legislature and what we should expect this session as a community. For further discussion...
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#142: 2025 Holiday Special
We sit down with Mayor Dontae Payne and City Councilmember Dani Madrone (also host emerita) to walk through the formative issues in Olympia of 2025 and how they lead into 2026.
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#141: Sarah DeStasio looks back at 2025
Daniel sat down with Sarah DeStasio to round out our campaign coverage for this year. Destasion worked on the Caleb Geiger and Robert Vanderpool campaigns and takes us through 2025 from the progressive lens.
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#139: The Last 2025 Election Episode
This is the last election 2025 episode! We are joined in the first segment by Danielle Westbrook, long time friend of the podcast and political consultant. In the second segment, the 2025 election crew comes together one more time with Rob Richards.
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#137: Ballot 2025 Roundup
Emmett is joined by Erika Lari and Daniel Garcia to make a complete rundown of your Olympia ballot for this election. Erika and Daniel dissect the interviews we’ve been running for the last several weeks to help you make your decisions this fall.
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#136: Berendt vs. Geiger (Position #7)
Daniel Garcia returns to interview Paul Berendt and Caleb Geiger for Position #7 on the Olympia City Council.
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#135: Workers’ Bill of Rights (Prop 1)
Mayor Dontae Payne and Caleb Geiger debate the pros and cons of the Workers’ Bill of Rights (Prop 1), which will be on your ballot this week! This discussion was hosted by Daniel Garcia, who runs the Heal Olympia project.
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#134: Vanderpool v. Stang (Position 6)
Daniel Garcia from the Heal Olympia project is back on the podcast, this time sitting down with Robert Vanderpool and Justin Stang, who are competing for the Position 6 seat on the Olympia City Council.
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#133: Olympia City Council Position #4 (Gilman, no Carlson)
This episode was supposed to feature Daniel Garcia from Heal Oly sitting down with two city council candidates for a conversation. But at the last minute, we had to cancel. We offered the candidates a chance to record their responses on their own, but only Clark Gilman was able to get his in.…
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#132: Renee Fullerton and Rhyan Smith (Olympia School Board)
Erika Lari from OSD4All again takes the wheel to talk with Renee Fullerton and Rhyan Smith, who are facing off for the position in District 3 on the Olympia School Board.
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#131: Gil Lamont and Emily Leddige (School Board)
Erika Lari from OSD4All rejoins the podcast to talk with Gil Lamont and Emily Leddige, who are facing off for the position in District 5 on the Olympia School Board.
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#129: Reparations and Olympia
Olympia’s history is deeper and more connected to the larger American story than many people realize. From the city’s founding to its role in shaping regional and national events, Olympia carries with it legacies that are still being reckoned with today. In this episode, we sit down with Mayor...
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#127: Primary Results Review
We welcomed Erika Lari from OSD4All and Rob Richards, political consultant, to walk through the results of the 2025 August Primary. While we talked a little bit about non-Olympia stuff, we focused our discussion on Olympia-centric races. Olympia Time: Five initial lessons from the August Primary...
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#124: Parking or housing, pick one.
Host emeritus and city council-member Dani Madrone rejoins the podcast for a discussion about housing, parking, parking minimums and how we’re going to turn empty parking lots on the Westside into a thriving, walkable, community. Maybe someday.
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#122.1: Mea Culpa, Renee Fullerton
In the Olympia School District primary ballot rundown episode last weekend we incorrectly described Renee Fullerton’s position on school vouchers. So, we’re running her entire answer the voucher question at the OSD4All Forum now so you have a chance to hear from her.
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#122: Olympia School District primary rundown
Note: In this episode, we incorrectly described Renee Fullerton’s position on school vouchers. So, we’re running her entire answer the voucher question at the OSD4All Forum now so you have a chance to hear from her. We are in your feeds early as we hand the mics over to the crew at OSD4All as…
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Bonus: OSD4All Candidate Forum (July 12, 2025)
This is not a regular episode of The Olympia Standard, this is a bonus episode! We’re sharing the audio from yesterday’s Olympia School Board candidate forum from OSD4All. We will be back in our feed in a few days with a more traditional ballot rundown episode, also featuring some folks from...
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#118: Olympia ’57 and the Arts Walk we always needed
In this episode of The Olympia Stanard, we reflect on how Arts Walk has quietly become the festival Lakefair was always meant to be, a celebration of place, people, and downtown Olympia. We explore the origins of Lakefair in 1957, its car-centric context, and how downtown’s evolution has made…
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#117: What happened to Tumwater
The most enduring local history myth is that Tumwater’s downtown was destroyed by Interstate 5. Also, thanks for listening. After a month or so of successful interviews, this will be the first of a few episodes where I largely read you something. I’ll be back in mid-July with more interviews!
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#116: Rep. Lisa Parshley and Sine Die
Join us for our annual “Sine Die” episode as we sit down with Representative Lisa Parshley, a freshman legislator for the 22nd Legislative District and former Olympia City Council member, to discuss her whirlwind first legislative session. Rep. Parshley shares her insights on the transition from...
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#115: Aaron Van Tuyl, the best local news podcast and local journalism
In this episode, we break our own rules and leave the county. We talk to one of the voices behind the best local news podcast in the country to ask them their secrets. Aaron Van Tuyl joins us to talk about the Centralia News Dump and what makes local journalism work.
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#114: Jim Cooper and the next city council
This week, we dive into the heart of Olympia politics with a special guest: Jim Cooper, who is retiring after 14 impactful years on the Olympia City Council. We chat about his proudest achievements, the evolution of the council, the ongoing debate around minimum wage and worker rights, and what...
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#113: Reading “Exile Ourselves”
This week, I read an essay called “Exile Ourselves” I wrote last fall. It talks about how our current approach to housing and crime overlaps with our regional history.
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#112: What to do with Olympia’s court
Dirk Marler is a longtime advocate for unifying Washington’s fragmented court system. As a Yakima County District Court judge from 1988 to 2003, Marler experienced firsthand the confusion caused by the state’s patchwork of local courts. Later, as head of the court services division at the...
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#111: Don’t think of an Olympia
On this episode, I read my blog post “Don’t think of an Olympia” from Olympia Time, revisiting one of my longest-running gripes: the use of “Olympia” as a lazy shorthand for state government. I explore why this rhetorical habit is more than just annoying, it shapes how people think about power,...
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#110: Gil Carbone and the City of Tomorrow
In this episode of The Olympia Standard, we reflect on the life and impact of Gil Carbone. He was a key but often overlooked figure in Olympia’s history. Gil helped lead the transformation from a commission-style government to the council-manager system Olympia has today and served on the city...
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#109: Public Comment 101
In this episode of The Olympia Standard, we dive into the city’s now-dormant effort to revise its Memorandum of Understanding with neighborhood associations and explore how representative those groups really are. We bring academic and personal insights into why public participation in local...
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#108: Out of town corporate single family home ownership
I take a look back at a couple of blog posts I’ve written in the last couple of years about corporate home ownership in Thurston County and include some updates for this year. This is a pretty short episode where I read you back some prewritten material. If you’re really into this topic, I…
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#107: Season 2 Episode 1 (thanks for hanging in there)
Hey! If you’re reading these show notes, I want to thank you a ton! We both got through 2024! And you in particular didn’t cull this podcast from your feed. This is a restart episode, so I take some time to explain what happened over the last year and what the plan is going forward. I also read…
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#106: Sine Die with Sam Hunt
We are joined by Senator Sam Hunt to review the legislative session just past and talk about what Olympia got from Olympia. We also delve into his political history and the history of our community as we look back on his year’s of service.
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#105: Do we want to close Madison and McKenny schools?
We have been slow rolling through a very large discussion on school closures since last summer. We sit down with three different community members on how we got here, where we’ve been before and what we need to do now. Guests: Maria Flores, Olympia School Board Kelcy Schaffer, OSD4ALL Russ…
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#104: New City Council member Robert Vanderpool
Robert Vanderpool just started his job on the Olympia City Council. So, to get to know Olympia’s new policy-maker, we asked him some questions about himself, about where he’s coming from and what he’s been up to since joining the council. And about Baltimore and about why you shouldn’t like the...
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#103: The Multifamily Tax Exemption and You
We conducted a couple of interviews about how the Multifamily Tax Exemption (MFTE) impacts the city in terms of growth, housing affordability and finances. We sat down with Darian Lightfoot from the city in the first segment to go over recent changes in Olympia’s MFTE. In our second segment, with...
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#102: Jess Tourtellotte-Palumbo (with Howard Rosenfeld)
Today we hear from Jess Tourtellotte-Palumbo, a candidate for Olympia School board. Interviewing Jess is Howard Rosenfeld, an old friend of the podcast who is stepping in this season to do at least one candidate interview. Jess and Howard talk about her background, the recent history of the…
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#101: We’re Doing It Live!
We brought back host emeritus (and newly crowned friend of the podcast and I suppose city council member) Dani Madrone! We were also joined by Olympia city council member Dontae Payne! Jemmy was there and he got on mic! It was wild! And guess who else was there? So many of you! Thanks so much for...
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#100: What is Olympia doing about homelessness?
In the primary part of this episode, we visit with Darian Lightfoot, who is leading the City of Olympia’s response to the homelessness crisis. She talks about the One Olympia plan, the city’s 2020 blueprint to respond to homelessness. We also get into housing preservation, renter protections and...
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does The Olympia Standard have?
The Olympia Standard currently has 164 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is The Olympia Standard about?
A podcast about politics in Olympia, WA
How often does The Olympia Standard release new episodes?
The Olympia Standard publishes regularly with 164 episodes available. Check the episode list for the typical release schedule.
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The Olympia Standard is created and hosted by The Olympia Standard.
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