The Olympia Standard

Latest Episodes:

#160: Timberland Regional Library Levy Sep 05, 2026

Show notes

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.

#159: 2026 Primary Election Review Aug 22, 2026

Show notes

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.

#158: How Does Lakefair Fit in Olympia? Aug 08, 2026

Show notes

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?

#157: Live with Sofie Landis, Sam Miller and Olympia’s Kid Mayor Jul 25, 2026

Show notes

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!

#156: The 2026/27 Olympia School District budget Jul 11, 2026

Show notes

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.

#155: O-POP and the New Olympia Jun 27, 2026

Show notes

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 organization.

#154: Crisis at the Library Jun 13, 2026

Show notes

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 administrators stoke public outrage

The Deep History and Structural Mismatch of Timberland Regional Library

The Timberland Regional Library doesn’t face a stand-off, it faces some sort of evolution

#153: 2026 Primary Election Ballot Rundown May 30, 2026

Show notes

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

#152: Pride Storytelling May 16, 2026

Show notes

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 scheduled for June 2026, the project actively shares these diverse stories and will release its complete archive later this year.

#151: Evergreen Pool and the Future of Aquatics May 02, 2026

Show notes

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.

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