The Olympia Standard

What has changed in the sheriff and commissioner race since August? What can we expect after the ballot turn in deadline next week? These questions and more will be answered by our expert panel of Daniel Garcia, Robin Vazquez and Jeff DeLuca as they preview the November General Election.

Daniel and Jeff sit down with county assessor candidates Lynda Zeman and JJ Olson to talk about the role of the office and their visions for leading it.

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.

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.

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, assessor, commissioner, and clerk) alongside key legislative contests.

Everyone has an opinion about Lakefair, and we drive directly into that every summer discussion. We talk with former and current business owners downtown and with Neil Turner, who ran Lakefair this year. What is the point of Lakefair, what was it intended to be? Can Lakefair be better for our city?

We returned to the porch at 3 Magnets this summer to do our now traditional (3 out of 4 years!) Live Show. We welcomed Sofie Landis of Sofie’s Scoops, Sam Miller and Harriet Rambo, who served as Mayor for the Day earlier this year. We talked about the state of downtown, how Sam translates the real state of our city into comedy and we did a quiz show!

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.

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 O-POP’s founders and are now looking back at a decade of history as they move on from the organizat...

This week, we bring you two interviews. The first with two trustees of the Timberland Regional Library and the president of the Timberland union. We discuss the financial crisis the district found its way into earlier this year and how the district can get out. Background: Regional library cuts 25% of staff in South Sound layoffs. Here’s what to know Gloves off baby!’: Messages between two top TRL...

Daniel sits down with former city councilmember and county commission candidate Jim Cooper to talk through who will be on your ballot in August.

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 oral histories, public events, and community exhibits, including an upcoming expanded exhibit sc...

What is the future of aquatic sports in Olympia and beyond if the Evergreen Pool is closed. We sit down with swim-team boosters this week to walk through the risks of losing the region’s largest public pool and how we can sustain athletic facilities into the future.

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.

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 McKenny schools?

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 generation leading the Council of Neighborhood Associations and their evolving approach to civic engagemen...

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.

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: https://osd4all.org/district-guide/

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.

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!

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 on school funding, please see episode 105: Do We Need to Close Schools?

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.

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.

Not that we expect Justin Stang to exit civic life, but Daniel sat down with him following the election to reflect on how it went for him and the future of Olympia.

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.