City Cast Denver

Ballots are arriving ahead of the November 4 election, and Denverites are weighing Mayor Mike Johnston’s big proposal of the year — the “Vibrant Denver” bond. It would represent almost $1 billion in new debt to fund infrastructure projects across the city, but will voters see a future of possibilities? Or will they swayed by the mayor’s growing chorus of critics? Host Bree Davies and producer Paul Karolyi sit down with Mayor Johnston to talk about the recent outrage over his extension of Flock surveillance contracts, his handling of the budget, and why he bought the Denver Pavilions mall on 16th Street.

Paul referenced our interview with Fire Department Chief Desmond Fulton, “⁠Why Firefighters Are Getting Raises When the City Is Doing Layoffs⁠.” The mayor said that his proposed budgets for the fire and police departments were “mostly flat, but ⁠according to Axios Denver⁠ the mayor’s proposed police budget for 2026 is up 2% to $281 million and ⁠according to our reporting⁠ his proposed fire budget is up about 1%, or $1.2 million, to $158,081,466. The mayor mentioned a police officer ⁠who was shot ⁠protecting a migrant shelter. 

Per Paul’s question about the criteria the mayor gave to Flock for any contract extension, the mayor’s office shared ⁠this press release⁠ because the contract itself is still being reviewed by the city’s attorneys. 

What do you think about the mayor’s defense of his contracts with Flock? Text or leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: 720-500-5418

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News broke last week that NBA Hall of Famer and “King of Park Hill” Chauncey Billups was allegedly involved in a multi-million dollar mafia-run poker scheme and potentially sharing insider information on NBA games that he was coaching.  Host Bree Davies and producer Paul Karolyi dig into the downfall of this hometown hero and if it could change the way Denverites feel about sports betting. Then, they discuss Wynkoop’s car-free trial period and hear from listeners about the STAR program, gubernatorial frontrunner and Senator Michael Bennet, and shooting police drones out of the sky. 

Bree mentioned a piece from The Athletic about Chauncey Billups and our past interview with Carleigh Sailon, a clinician who helped launch Denver’s STAR Program. We also talked about our Monday interview with Senator Michael Bennet.

If Denver was a house, Union Station would be the living room. But what would be the mudroom? Or the bathroom? Or the backyard? We want to hear from you! Text or leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: 720-500-5418

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If you enjoyed the interview with Dr. Eric Dorninger from Blue Sky CBD, learn more here. Use promo code CITY CAST DENVER to receive 30% off.

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Sen. Michael Bennet got fired up when he questioned HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy about vaccines recently. Turns out, he also gets fired up talking about the cost of living with us. Colorado’s senior senator returns to the podcast today as the leading candidate to replace Jared Polis as governor. Host Bree Davies and producer Paul Karolyi talk to Bennet about how his approach to housing density would differ from Polis’, whether or not he supports retaliatory congressional redistricting to send more Democrats to DC, and if he would have signed three big bills Polis vetoed — rideshare sexual assault, the Workers Protection Act, and banning rent algorithms. 

Paul recently spoke with Governor Jared Polis about housing affordability. We also referenced attorney general and gubernatorial candidate Phil Weiser’s latest interview with Kyle Clark on 9News, in which he discussed retaliatory redistricting. 

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What do you think? Text or leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: 720-500-5418

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In a shocking and ironic revelation, CBS revealed this week that the Denver Post owes the City of Denver around $2 million in unpaid rent on its lease in the Denver Post building at Colfax and Broadway. So, how will that affect the mayor’s budget negotiations and the $200 million shortfall the city is dealing with? Then, unnamed business owners told the Denver Gazette that bicycle activists had been terrorizing them both in person and online, but who are these anonymous voices? Host Bree Davies and producer Paul Karolyi are joined by politics and green chile correspondent Justine Sandoval to dig into the City of Denver’s landlord headache, more bicycle drama, Flock surveillance, and wins and fails of the week. 

Bree talked about her interview with Clerk and Recorder Paul López, DoBetterDNVR’s post about Harm Reduction Action Center, and the Buntport Theater. Paul mentioned the Chauncey Billups’ indictment and photographer Drew Kartos’ reflections on the ‘No Kings’ viral moment. Justine discussed the latest drama with Raíces Brewing and the Broncos epic win. 

What do want us to ask Mayor Johnston? We’re sitting down with Mayor Mike soon and we want to hear what questions you have for him!  Text or leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: 720-500-5418

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The rise of generative AI is reshaping our culture in many ways, but it’s also reshaping our city. Here in Denver, a company called CoreSite has already built two data centers to serve the AI industry, and they are currently constructing a giant, third one in Elyria-Swansea — one of the city’s most polluted neighborhoods. So what kind of a neighbor will this new CoreSite data center be? CPR climate reporter Sam Brasch joins host Bree Davies to discuss everything you need to know about the data centers popping up down the block. 

What do you think about data centers being build in Denver? Text or leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: 720-500-5418

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While many progressives ⁠have⁠ ⁠been⁠ ⁠upset⁠ with Governor Jared Polis lately, a new national political movement is looking to him for leadership. Inspired by “Abundance” by Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson, this new strain of liberal politics is focused on cutting red tape, building housing density and transit, and reducing barriers to new technology. So is Polis the perfect posterchild for the Abundance Agenda? And is that what Coloradans want out of their governor? A new group called ⁠Abundance Network⁠ recently invited producer Paul Karolyi to moderate a fireside chat with the governor about housing, transit, energy, and his plans for his final legislative session in January. 

What do you think about Governor Jared Polis right now? What has he done well? Where has he gone astray? Text or leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: 720-500-5418‬

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Denverites have been protesting Trump all year, but no demonstrations have been bigger than the ‘No Kings’ rallies in June and this past weekend. So what does that say about the local fight against Trump? Host Bree Davies and Producer Paul Karolyi are talking about some Giants fans who went viral for the wrong reasons, and everything else they saw and heard at ‘No Kings’ — plus, we take some great listener questions and talk about our experience doing four hours on KNUS conservative talk radio, debating issues and fielding calls from people who called us “snowflakes” and worse. 

Check out the whole four hours on The Jeff & Bill Show’s YouTube page. Bree talked about Costco’s inflatable slides. Paul cited Colorado Community Media’s Englewood election coverage and discussed the last few years of debate over density in Englewood. Ben Todd from Full Afterburner Calzones linked to this Jon Stewart video. 

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There are only two weeks left until election day! It may not be the most important one of our lifetimes, but Denverites have some really important decisions ahead that will shape the future of our city. At a packed City Cast Denver Neighbors-only live recording last Thursday, host Bree Davies and producer Paul Karolyi were joined by Westword editor Patty Calhoun and our capitol insider Deep Singh Badheshwest a to discuss the biggest issues on our ballots, from the economics of the flavored tobacco ban to the Vibrant Denver bond. Plus, plenty of predictions, gossip, and insider info. 

For more background on the Department of Excise and License’s proposed name change, here’s the website they prepared to explain. Paul mentioned our episode with two vape shop owners advocating against the flavored tobacco ban. 

What do you think about these issues? Do you have a passionate case to make for any of them, one way or another? We’d love to hear it! Text or leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: 720-500-5418‬

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Should law enforcement employ drones to respond to 911 calls? DPD has already signed a free-trial contract with Flock, but how these drones will actually be used isn’t clear. Then, even as restaurants say they are struggling to stay open amid rising costs, labor issues, and concerns about crime, one calzone shop owner on South Broadway has chosen to drastically lower his prices. Producers Paul Karolyi and Olivia Jewell Love are joined by Denverite reporter Kyle Harris to talk about automating law enforcement and a very iconoclastic calzone maker, plus their wins and fails of the week. 

Tomorrow, call in to our guest-hosting stint on The Jeff & Bill Show. Bree & Paul are on KNUS from 6am to 10am in the morning of Friday the 17th. Call (303) 696-1971 and give us your name and neighborhood!

Paul talked about the mayor’s latest affordable housing proposal downtown, Beyonce, and Chef Jose Avila’s new spot, Malinche Audio Bar. Olivia mentioned Fox31 meteorologist Kylie Bearse’s stalking case, Evergreen shooting survivor Matthew Silverstone, and some of Gov. Polis’ recent social media posts. Kyle discussed the Pentagon’s new press rules.

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What do you think about Denver employing police drones? Text or leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: 720-500-5418

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A big fight over housing density has been brewing in Littleton for years, and with voters set to decide the fate of Mayor Kyle Schlachter’s “missing middle” housing reforms early next month, the debate is getting nasty! A rival mayoral candidate, Patrick Driscoll, was recently caught on a Ring camera swiping Schlachter’s campaign materials. So, what’s got Littleton so heated? We’re revisiting a conversation host Bree Davies had with Mayor Schlachter earlier this year about where this push for density in Denver’s south suburbs came from and why some of his constituents are so upset. 

Housing density is certainly a major issue in Littleton’s mayoral election, but it’s specifically at issue in Ballot Question 3A. If that passes, the city charter would lock in historic zoning rules. That question was placed on the ballot by a citizen-led group called Rooted in Littleton, which Mayor Schlachter discusses in this episode at length. 

This episode originally aired on June 25, 2025. 

What do you think about the housing fight in Littleton? Text or leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: 720-500-5418

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