Pacific Time: West Coast What-Ifs

What if everything we’ve been told about the economy — about housing, inflation, and government debt — was upside down?

What if the problem isn’t that we’re spending too much, but that we’re letting the wrong people decide what we can spend on?

What if you feel rich when you leave the West Coast and poor when you live in or visit one of our big cities like LA, SF, or Seattle?

In this episode of Pacific Time, host Greg Amrofell talks with David “Goldy” Goldstein, a sharp-tongued political strategist at Civic Ventures, co-founder of the legendary blog HorsesAss.org, and co-host of the Pitchfork Economics podcast with billionaire provocateur Nick Hanauer.

Goldy pulls back the curtain on America’s economic myths—how fear of debt and obsession with austerity keep us from solving the real problems. He argues that public options aren’t just safety nets for the poor, but infrastructure for prosperity that give everyone stability and the opportunity to thrive.

Together, Greg and Goldy explore how fiscal sovereignty and economic imagination could transform life on the West Coast, and why it’s time for the public to assert their power and for states to act on behalf of their people, not just the most affluent interest groups.

Highlights

• Why “fiscal responsibility” has become political cowardice
• How economic illiteracy drives housing scarcity and bad public policy
• The case for “public options” in housing, healthcare, and education—not as charity, but as a foundation for many people in many circumstances
• Why West Coast prosperity depends on new conceptions of the economy that account for power

Guest Bio

David Goldstein, known widely as Goldy, is a senior fellow at Civic Ventures, a Seattle-based public policy incubator dedicated to progressive economic reform. A former satirist and founder of HorsesAss.org, Goldy became one of the West Coast's sharpest voices for tax fairness and economic justice. He co-hosts Pitchfork Economics with Nick Hanauer, where he translates complex economic theory into bold, practical ideas for shared prosperity.

Related Resources

• Civic Ventures
• Pitchfork Economics Podcast
• HorsesAss.org
• Deconstructing Housing : Democracy Journal, David Goldstein, Spring 2025

Related Episodes

• 35 What If Public Banks Based Here Bought Us Resilience? With Marco Rossi
• 11 What if Silicon Valley and Democracy Got Back Together? With Margaret O'Mara
• 03 What If The West Coast Reclaimed Its Federal Taxes? With Julie Dingley
  
  

A Spicy Question: What if economic independence began with the courage to invest in ourselves—yes, to protect the poor, and also to stabilize the middle and boost the ambitious?

Join the conversation: Pacific Time is making good trouble asking questions about the future of the West Coast on Substack; YouTube; BlueSky, Instagram, and Facebook. Like, subscribe, share and, most importantly, share your comment on the spicy question above. 

Listen: Pacific Time Podcast is on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Pocketcast, Podbean, and many other platforms. Follow, share, and leave a review.

Thank You To:

• Guest: David Goldstein
• Intro: Jasmin Weaver via a fascinating night at The Block Table
• Producer: Tim Wohlberg
• Family & Friends: For cheering on the podcast and fun milestones (parents weekend, senior night, and the dates that got this chapter started) 
• Pearl Jam, Fugees & Dave Matthews Band for providing my soundtrack to this week’s production process

What if banking our own money on the West Coast could help us fund housing, infrastructure, and small business growth? And what if it bought us greater financial freedom from Wall Street and Washington, D.C.? 

In this episode of Pacific Time, host Greg Amrofell talks with Marco Rossi, a public banking advocate and legislative strategist with Washingtonians for Public Banking. Together, they explore how state- and city-owned public banks could equip us to address our own challenges and insulate us from the financial shenanigans of Mega Banks and mis-guided politicians.

Rossi explains how the Washington Public Bank bill could anchor a new model of regional resilience—one where public finance serves the public good. He connects the dots between financial sovereignty, local democracy, and the broader movement to establish public banking systems across the U.S.

From North Dakota’s century-old state bank, to the link between China’s public banking system and breakneck development, the conversation shows how public control of capital could stabilize local economies, strengthen autonomy, and prepare the West Coast for shocks—economic, political, and environmental. Laws are already on the books in California and Washington. Now’s the time for a concerted push by elected officials, business leaders, and concerned citizens, for whom federal cuts and government shutdowns illustrate the fragility of our national financial system.

Highlights

• Why public banking is the missing pillar of West Coast resilience
• How Washington’s proposed public bank could redirect billions in taxpayer funds into local housing, energy, and infrastructure
• What the Bank of North Dakota and European public banks can teach us
• How state financial sovereignty strengthens political autonomy
• Why local investment builds stability—and what happens when it’s outsourced to Wall Street
• How public banks can partner with community credit unions, tribes, and cities to fund shared priorities

Guest Bio

Marco Rosaire Rossi is a strategist and community organizer with Washingtonians for Public Banking, working to create Washington State’s first public bank. His advocacy focuses on how public financial institutions can advance economic democracy, fund sustainability projects, and protect communities from volatile private capital cycles.

Marco also collaborates with national efforts through the Public Banking Institute, the Coalition for a National Infrastructure Bank, and the American Monetary Institute, helping connect state and federal reform movements toward a more accountable financial system.

Related Resources

• Washingtonians for Public Banking - Website, Substack, Instagram, BlueSky, YouTube
• Public Banking Institute
• Coalition for a National Infrastructure Bank —
• Z Magazine: Florida’s Conservative CFO Proposes a State-Owned Public Bank
• Ellen Brown: Web of Debt Substack; The Public Bank Solution on Amazon
• Bank of North Dakota

Related Episodes

• 34 What If Tiny Homes Are a Big Part of Our Housing Solution? With Zack Giffin
• 31 Could A West Coast Carbon Market Build Us An Even Bigger Economy? With Reuven Carlyle
• 23 Refresh the American Brand, West Coast First? With Michael Megalli
• 07 A West Coast Wake-up Call as the US Scrambles the World Order? With John Zysman

A spicy question: Why wouldn’t West Coast state governments, local governments, and area businesses choose their local public bank? (I’m struggling to find reasons other than inertia and trust purchased via advertising)

Join the conversation: Pacific Time is making good trouble asking questions about the future of the West Coast on Substack; YouTube; BlueSky, Instagram, and Facebook. Like, subscribe, share and, most importantly, share your comment on the spicy question above. 

Listen: Pacific Time Podcast is on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Pocketcast, Podbean, and many other platforms. Follow, share, and leave a review.

Thank you to:

• Guest: Marco Rosaire Rossi
• Intro: Ellen Brown (via Nomi Prins)
• Producers: Tim Wohlberg, Valerie McTavish
• Family & friends: For nodding and smiling as I enthuse (again?!) about liberating policy innovation

What if the solution to America’s housing crisis isn’t just about building more, but smaller — smarter homes that restore freedom, affordability, and balance?

Zack Giffin — professional skier, builder, and co-host of Tiny House Nation — joins Pacific Time to explain how 400 square feet could help fix housing affordability, mental health, and climate resilience across the West Coast.

At a time when America faces a shortage of 4–5 million homes, we also have more square footage per person than ever before. Zack Giffin believes this paradox reveals a deeper truth: our housing crisis isn’t just about supply, it’s about efficiency.

From his early days as a ski bum living out of a rebuilt RV to hosting Tiny House Nation on Netflix, Giffin has become one of the most thoughtful voices in the movement for small-scale living. He argues that “tiny homes” aren’t about sacrifice — they’re about moderation, dignity, and freedom. In this episode, he and Greg explore how wheels, design, and policy innovation could open the door to new forms of ownership, family care, and sustainable living.

Giffin also discusses the obstacles standing in the way: outdated building codes, zoning restrictions, and the slow-moving bureaucracy of national standards. But he’s hopeful that West Coast states can lead — creating gentle density, new pathways to ownership, and a cultural shift toward living better with less.

Highlights

• How we have the biggest homes per person we’ve ever had — and yet a massive housing shortage.
• Why tiny homes are about moderation, not sacrifice — scaling down excess while keeping what’s essential.
• How outdated building and zoning codes make it easier to build a McMansion than a modest home.
• Why California is quietly leading a national rethink of what “home” means.
• How wheels could unlock affordable, movable ownership — and a new kind of social safety net.

Guest Bio

Zack Giffin is a professional skier, builder, and co-host of Tiny House Nation on Netflix. Over six seasons and 80+ episodes, he helped design and construct some of the most creative small-scale homes ever built, inspiring millions to reimagine the American Dream. Giffin’s advocacy for housing innovation has influenced state and national discussions on building codes, affordability, and sustainable design. His latest project, Tiny House Revisited on YouTube, continues his mission to show that living smaller can mean living better.

Related Resources

• Tiny House Nation (Netflix) – The hit series where Zack and John Weisbarth design and build tiny dream homes across America.
• Tiny House Revival – Season 1 Trailer - YouTube – Zack’s latest show exploring updates to iconic builds and new small-space solutions.
• American Tiny House Association (ATHA) – A national nonprofit advocating for legal, safe, and affordable tiny housing.
• International Code Council (ICC): Appendix Q — Tiny Houses – The first official recognition of tiny homes in U.S. residential building code.
• Fresno, CA Tiny Home Ordinance – The pioneering policy that legalized tiny homes on wheels as backyard dwellings.
• Zack Giffin Tears it Up at Mt. Baker Ski Area - Before he built Tiny Homes, Zack was a (Serious) Skier

Related Episodes

• 32 Protect The Mountain by Going to The Hill? Gwyn Howat Returns with a DC Field Report
• 14 Could Bolder Plans Re-Build Our Confidence in Government? With Nolan Lienhart
• 02 How Can the West Coast Re-design Itself? With Mickey McManus

Thanks to...

• Guest: Zack Giffin
• Intro: Gwyn Howat
• Producers: Tim Wohlberg & Valerie McTavish

Civil rights aren’t abstractions—they’re lived every day in families, schools, prisons, churches, and courtrooms. Protecting the rights of any minority protects everyone’s rights. So attacks on trans rights have your attention? What if the West Coast held the line on protecting the LGBTQ community—and led the way?

In this episode, Greg Amrofell talks with Shannon Minter, Legal Director of the National Center for LGBTQ Rights, about what it means to defend democracy at its most personal level. From marriage equality to transgender rights, Minter has spent decades on the legal frontlines, fighting both in court and in culture to ensure that freedom applies to everyone.

He discusses how civil rights battles expose the soul of a nation, how legal progress coexists with backlash, and why the West Coast—often derided as “too liberal”—can resist manipulative bullies while inviting more people to step past fear to embrace common humanity. Minter argues that compassion and inclusion are neither luxuries nor cudgels; they’re prerequisites for a functioning republic.

This episode reminds us that sovereignty is personal and political, and that making the case for anyone’s freedom necessitates standing for everyone’s freedom – particularly the people who are most marginalized.

In this episode, we cover:

• Why trans rights are a bellwether for the health of democracy
• The quiet courage of families and teachers affirming inclusion
• How to protect civil rights amid renewed federal hostility
• Why personal sovereignty and civil rights are two sides of the same coin
• “Freedom means everyone gets to be themselves—and still belong.”

About Our Guest
Shannon Minter is the Legal Director of the National Center for LGBTQ Rights, one of the most influential civil rights advocates in the United States. He has argued landmark cases before the California Supreme Court and been part of several critical US Supreme Court cases. Shannon has shaped national policy on transgender and LGBTQ equality.

Resources

• National Center for LGBTQ Rights
• Supreme Court seems doubtful of limits on conversion therapy : NPR
• Born Perfect: NCLR program to end conversion therapy
• “Transgender service members warn SCOTUS of ‘Un-American’ purge if Trump ban is reinstated,” The Advocate
• A decade after Obergefell, LGBTQ+ rights remain under threat 
• ‘Dangerous’: How a Top Civil Rights Attorney Describes Attack on Trans Health Care | KQED
  
  

Related Episodes

• 29 How to Build a Firewall Against Hate? With Heidi Beirich
• 16 For Asylum, Against Ambush: Will the West Coast Be a Sanctuary for America’s Soul? 
• 15 What if Connection Was A Civic Responsibility? With Aaron Hurst
  
  

Join the conversation: How have you helped change someone’s mind about a civil rights issue impacting any minority group?

Share your take wherever you follow or send me your thoughts, questions, comments and constructive suggestions to [email protected].

Follow: Pacific Time is making good trouble asking questions about the future of the West Coast on Substack; YouTube; BlueSky, Instagram, and Facebook. Join the conversation and share it with your neighbors and friends on the West Coast.

Listen: Pacific Time Podcast is on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Pocketcast, Podbean, and many other platforms. Follow, share, and leave a review.

Thank you to:

• Guest: Shannon Minter
• Producers: Tim Wohlberg, Valerie McTavish

Mountains and democracy have something in common: they don’t manage themselves.

In this episode, Greg talks again with Pacific Time pal Gwyn Howat, longtime leader of Mount Baker Ski Area and advocate for public lands, fresh off a trip to Washington, D.C. Gwyn met with members of Congress and leaders of the U.S. Forest Service to speak up for the future of the commons — the mountains, forests, and public spaces that shape life on the West Coast.

Her trip came amid massive cuts to federal agencies that oversee national forests — proposals to slash jobs, consolidate regional offices, and even sell off public lands. Gwyn’s clear-eyed perspective offers both warning and hope: warning about the hollowing out of government, and hope in the resilience of dedicated public servants and everyday advocates.

Together, Greg and Gwyn discuss:

• The fragility of federal agencies — and why we still need good people in them
• The role of private enterprise on public lands, and the promise of social purpose corporations
• How recreation now contributes more to the U.S. Forest Service than timber
• The bipartisan common ground she found in Congress — a shared love of the outdoors – that may point the way to compromises in many areas
• What it means to steward democracy itself, not just mountains
• A citizen’s call to action: writing Congress works

This episode continues the Pacific Time theme of West Coast autonomy — not in rebellion, but in responsibility. As the federal government withdraws, West Coasters may need to step forward: to protect public lands, fund stewardship, and remind Washington, D.C. what it means to serve the greater good in the long run.

Highlights

• “Things are fragile right now… but that means all possibilities exist.”
• “Outdoor recreation now contributes more to the Forest Service than timber.”
• “A walk in the woods, a swim in the ocean — everyone agrees those things do us good.”
• “Forests exist because people fought for them. Democracies do, too.”

Guest Bio

Gwyn Howat is the former CEO of Mt. Baker Ski Area and a lifelong advocate for responsible recreation and stewardship of public lands. She has spent more than 35 years shaping Mount Baker’s culture as a family-run operation deeply tied to community and conservation. She just brought that perspective to Washington, D.C., meeting with Congress and the U.S. Forest Service to advocate for the future of public lands and the people who care for them. Gwyn’s next chapter is now taking shape – she continues to focus on supporting independent ski areas, and increasingly to guiding people experiencing trauma into mindfulness, seeing the good, and rich experiences in nature.

Join the Conversation
Where are the places that you flourish that have become fragile? And what would you say in a letter to your Member of Congress to convey what’s so special about that place? Follow, share, and chime in…

• YouTube
• Instagram
  
  

Related Resources

• The USDA Forest Service–The First Century
• “Gifford Pinchot: The Father of Forestry,” National Parks Service
• “The USDA Wants to Close Every Forest Service Regional Office with Reorganization Plan,” Bikepacking.com
• “Social Purpose Corporations: What, Why, How,” Summit Law Group
• “Colorado lawmakers revive SHRED Act in Congress for the third time,” The Aspen Times, Feb 7, 2025
• “Seligman’s PERMA+ Model Explained: A Theory of Wellbeing,” PositivePsychology.com, Feb 24, 2017
• Mount Baker Ski Area
  
  

Related Episodes

• 20 Could Duct Tape Save Our Public Lands? With Gwyn Howat (Part 1)
• 19 Could Roman Ruins Inspire West Coast Offense?
• 05 What if Nature Defined Our Borders in the Cascadia Bioregion? With Yogi Uriah
  
  

Thanks to…

• Guest: Gwyn Howat (Again!)
• USFS Rangers and Administrators
• Gifford Pinchot for so accurately portraying the public lands balancing act
• Producers: Tim Wohlberg, Valerie McTavish

How about some good news from the West Coast, where we're building momentum to address climate change on our own?

That’s the question Greg poses to Reuven Carlyle, former Washington State Senator and architect of the state’s cap-and-invest law and an advisor to legislators doing the same in California. Carlyle explains why pricing pollution isn’t just about reducing carbon—it’s about building a stronger, cleaner economy for the West Coast.

Together, we explore what happens when states take control of their future, from harmonizing carbon markets to reinvesting billions of dollars into clean energy, transportation, and communities. Carlyle also lifts the curtain on the messy, hopeful work of governing: building coalitions with tribes, labor, environmentalists, and even business leaders.

In this episode, we cover:

• Why the West Coast can’t wait for federal climate leadership
• How cap-and-invest turns pollution into prosperity
• What harmonized carbon markets could mean for California and Washington (maybe Oregon too?)
• Lessons from coalition-building across unlikely allies
• Why governing—done well—is still possible

About Our Guest
Reuven Carlyle served 14 years in the Washington Legislature and was the lead architect of the Climate Commitment Act, one of the nation’s most ambitious cap-and-invest programs. He’s a longtime advocate for carbon pricing, climate leadership, and economic innovation on the West Coast. He is a founder and Executive Vice President of Earth Finance.

Resources

• WA Climate Commitment Act Overview – Washington’s cap-and-invest law explained
• California Cap-and-Trade Program – background on the California model
• United Nations Climate Change: The Paris Agreement
• Carbon Pricing Leadership Coalition – global network advancing carbon pricing policies
• Earth Finance - Reuven’s company

Related Episodes

• 24 Will the Coast Take on Climate Leadership? With Molly Peterson
• 21 What If We Could Get Wildfire Under Control? With Hilary Franz
• 20 Could Duct Tape Save Our Public Lands? With Gwyn Howat
  
  

Join the conversation: After coffee, here's a question: If a carbon market can help us fund our own work to address climate change, what other ways can you think to raise money to address a specific West Coast challenge or opportunity? 

Share your take wherever you follow or send me your thoughts, questions, comments and constructive suggestions to [email protected].

Follow: Pacific Time is making good trouble asking questions about the future of the West Coast on Substack, YouTube, BlueSky, Instagram, and Facebook. Join the conversation and share it with your neighbors and friends on the West Coast.

Listen: Pacific Time Podcast is on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Pocketcast, Podbean, and many other platforms. Follow, share, and leave a review.

Thank you to:

• Guest: Reuven Carlyle
• Intro: Sandeep Kaushik
• Producers: Tim Wohlberg, Valerie McTavish

Trump says Portland needs “cleaning up.” What if Portland is actually a model of democracy in action—messy, loud, and making progress?

If Donald Trump and his MAGA minions don’t want to be called fascists, here’s a thought: stop acting like them. Instead of threatening West Coast cities with troops, raids, and funding cuts, a real leader might look at how places like Portland are tackling their own problems—head-on, locally, and democratically. A great leader might even ask, “How can I help?”

In this episode, Greg talks with Kari Chisholm, a veteran Oregon political strategist, about what Portland actually looks like beyond Trump’s caricatures. From cleaning up its streets with compassion to making the government more representative, Portland is moving forward—loudly, imperfectly, and authentically.

Together, Greg and Kari take on the myth of Portland as a “failed city,” expose the cynical national attacks meant to delegitimize urban progress, and ask: what if the West Coast leaned into its independent streak and set its own democratic example for the nation?

In this episode, we cover:

• Why Portland’s reputation as a protest city is misunderstood—and why protest is part of democracy
• How local leaders are tackling homelessness and ICE abuses despite federal hostility
• What MAGA attacks on “blue cities” reveal about authoritarian impulses in Washington, D.C.
• Why speed and clarity matter when the Trump administration is “moving fast and breaking things”
• What Portland’s choices say about the broader West Coast’s capacity for autonomy

About Our Guest:
Kari Chisholm is an Oregon-based political consultant and strategist. As the founder of Mandate Media, he has worked on campaigns across the Pacific Northwest and nationally for more than two decades. He is also the publisher of BlueOregon and a sharp observer of how West Coast politics both clash with and influence national trends.

Resources & References:

• Swift Public Affairs - Kari’s consulting shop
• Portland Transition: Geographic Districts
• “Portland Says ICE Violated Agreement with City 25 Times by Holding Detainees Too Long,”
• Portland Blueprint to End Unsheltered Homelessness
• “Oregon Law Rolling Back Drug Decriminalization”
  
  

Related Episodes:

• 29 How to Build a Firewall Against Hate? With Heidi Beirich
• 14 Could Ambitious Civic Projects Jolt Us Back to Trusting Government? With Nolan Lienhart
• 10 What If Blue Cities Got It Together? With Sandeep Kaushik

Join the conversation: Walking your dog through Portland to the food trucks or brewery, you catch a glimpse of Mt. Hood, would you say Portland – or other colorful parts of the West Coast – is in need of clean-up or full of character? What if we embraced our role as a providing ground for democracy with updating the ways we govern our own cities, counties, and towns? 

Share your take wherever you follow or send me your thoughts, questions, comments and constructive suggestions to [email protected].

Follow: Pacific Time is making good trouble asking questions about the future of the West Coast on Substack; YouTube; BlueSky, Instagram, and Facebook. Join the conversation and share it with your neighbors and friends on the West Coast.

Listen: Pacific Time Podcast is on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Pocketcast, Podbean, and many other platforms. Follow, share, and leave a review.

Thank you to:

• Guest: Kari Chisholm (and to Sandeep Kaushik for the intro)
• Producers: Tim Wohlberg, Valerie McTavish
• Family & friends who have hosted me many times in Portland (yes, even Timbers fans)

Political violence is rising, ICE is profiling, hate is mainstreaming. What if we on the West Coast have to fight extremism and the return of civil discourse on our own?

This summer has been a chilling reminder of how fragile our democracy feels: assassinations of Minnesota lawmakers, the murder of a conservative commentator, a mass shooting at a Minneapolis church, and continued racial profiling by ICE. None of these were directed by organized extremist groups, but they unfolded in an America where hate has been normalized and weaponized. Ugh, just writing that makes

In this episode, Greg talks with Heidi Beirich, co-founder of the Global Project Against Hate and Extremism and longtime tracker of white nationalist and far-right movements. From her home base on the West Coast, Heidi explains how extremist ideas have gone mainstream, why the internet is today’s unregulated propaganda machine, and what states like ours must do to defend democracy if the federal government continues to look the other way -- or fan the flames of division.

This is a story about extremism, resilience, and the possibility of building a firewall against hate before it’s too late.

Highlights:

• Why political violence is rising—even beyond extremist groups
• The internet as today’s propaganda machine
• How hate groups are recruiting youth through “active clubs”
• What ICE racial profiling reveals about institutional extremism
• Why West Coast states must lead when Washington won’t
• How to defend multiracial democracy in an age of hate

About Our Guest

Heidi Beirich is Co-Founder and Chief Strategy Officer of the Global Project Against Hate and Extremism. For two decades she worked at the Southern Poverty Law Center, where she built one of the most respected research programs on extremist groups. Today, she focuses on tracking transnational hate networks and advising governments, tech companies, and communities on countering extremism.

Other Resources

• Global Project Against Hate and Extremism: globalextremism.org
• SPLC Hatewatch: splcenter.org/hatewatch
• 10 Political Violence Experts on What Comes Next for America - POLITICO
  
  

Related Episodes

• 28 A Summer of Sovereignty: From Raids to Resilience? (Solo)
• 25 Can Better Ballots Beat Bad Maps? With Ashley Brown
• 10 What If Blue Cities Got It Together? With Sandeep Kaushik
  
  

Join the Conversation
What would it take for the West Coast to truly build a firewall against hate? What are the simple steps you could take today to build community and compassion as a bulwark against hate? Join the discussion at...

• Substack
• YouTube
• BlueSky
• Instagram
• Facebook

Listen on Spotify or Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Please follow, share, and leave a review.

Thanks To…

• Guest: Heidi Beirich 
• Inspiration: The Southern Poverty Law Center for sending me teaching tools about racism when I was a novice teacher in rural South Africa
• Producers: Tim Wohlberg & Valerie McTavish

This summer, West Coast sovereignty wasn’t a theory—it was tested. 

From ICE raids in Los Angeles, and Marines on California streets, to attacks on our flagship universities, and shakedowns of tech stalwarts, Washington D.C. came hard for our region. But West Coasters fought back—with mass protests, citizen surveillance, social media jabs, ballot initiatives, and new policies that neither submit to democratic decline nor accept caricatures of our challenges. 

In this solo episode, Greg Amrofell looks back on the summer of 2025—a season when the West Coast felt the sharp edge of federal overreach. With questions from listeners punctuating a look back at key issues from Memorial Day past Labor Day, Greg explores what happened, how leaders and citizens responded, and what it all means for West Coast sovereignty.

The question: Are we ready to move from resistance to resilience?

Highlights

• Raids & Repression: ICE raids in Los Angeles and the deployment of Marines sparked outrage and solidarity across the region.
• Democracy on the Line: Texas redistricting—and California’s tit-for-tat response—show why election design is now a sovereignty issue.
• Universities Under Siege: West Coast higher ed faced fines and federal interference, even as it remained a global hub of research and talent.
• Economic Pressure: The summer saw nationalization of Intel and federal limits on Nvidia’s China business—shaking confidence in innovation and global trade.
• Public Health & Rights: Attacks on gender-affirming care, trans athletes, and reproductive rights forced states to consider their own protective frameworks.
• Bright Spots: Mass demonstrations, strong state policies on climate and housing, and new sovereignty-driven proposals showed the West Coast can lead.
• The Takeaway: Sovereignty is not a slogan. It’s a responsibility—and the West Coast must decide if it’s ready to seize it, or continuing hoping for the best in elections 2-4 years away.

About the Host
Greg Amrofell is the creator and host of Pacific Time, the podcast that asks bold “what if” questions about the West Coast. His approach draws on a career in tech and consulting in which he often had the chance to relax constraints, consider present challenges and opportunities, on the way to designing future possibilities. In podcast conversations that range from city design to public health, redistricting to climate resilience, Greg invites leaders, thinkers, and everyday West Coast citizens to imagine the future an autonomous West Coast would create if we could start from a blank slate.

Suggested Resources

• Supreme Court lifts restrictions on ‘roving’ ICE raids in Los Angeles, Politico, Sept 8, 2025
• “Gavin Newsom’s redistricting plan is on its way to voters. What you need to know,” CalMatters, Aug 21, 2025
• “Trump seeks $1-billion fine against UCLA. Newsome says ‘we’ll sue” calling it extortion, Aug 8, LA Times
  
  

Related Episodes

• Ep 25: Can Better Ballots Beat Bad Maps? With Ashley Brown
• Ep 19: Could Roman Ruins Inspire West Coast Offense?
• Ep 08: Leave America and Discover Ecotopia?
• Ep 01: Reclaiming Democracy: The Case for West Coast Independence

Join the conversation: For the West Coast, what’s the best case and the worst case between now and the new year? 

Share your take wherever you follow or send me your thoughts, questions, comments and constructive suggestions to [email protected].

Follow: Pacific Time is making good trouble asking questions about the future of the West Coast on Substack; YouTube; BlueSky, Instagram, and Facebook. Join the conversation and share it with your neighbors and friends on the West Coast.

Listen: Pacific Time Podcast is on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Pocketcast, Podbean, and many other platforms. Follow, share, and leave a review.

Thank you to:

• Listeners and past guests who submitted questions
• My family and friends helping me keep perspective when paying attention to dark news gets heavy
• Hard-working reporters who have been on the front lines seeking truth startling events on the West Coast: CalMatters, LAist, LA Times, MSNBC, San Diego Union Tribune, The Oregonian, Seattle Times, The Stranger, Portland Mercury, and NYTimes
• South Park, The Daily Show, and Gavin Newsom’s social media team – for serving up clever laughs with withering political satire
• People getting out to protest, patrol, and post
• Producers: Tim Wohlberg, Valerie McTavish

What if the fastest-growing sport in America could also be its most democratic?

Pickleball was born on Bainbridge Island – just across the water from Seattle. It started in 1965 with a wiffle ball, a net, and a few bored kids. Sixty years later, it’s a multi-billion dollar industry, the official state sport of Washington, and the most diverse scene you’ll find on a neighborhood court.

In this episode of Pacific Time, Greg sits down with David Johnson — entrepreneur, consultant, and publisher of The Business of Pickleball — to explore the improbable rise of this goofy garage sport into a global cultural force. Johnson, who grew Pickleball Central from his house into the sport’s largest retailer before selling to private equity, now chronicles the business and community boom reshaping cities and suburbs across the country.

This conversation is about more than paddles and nets. It’s about how West Coast invention, garage entrepreneurship, and neighborly spirit can turn into a national phenomenon — and what it means when sports build bridges where politics can’t.

In this episode, we cover:

• How pickleball grew from Bainbridge Island to the fastest-growing sport in America
• Why COVID, portable nets, and volunteer “ambassadors” fueled its explosion
• The business story: from backyard play to billion-dollar facilities boom
• How tournaments and community courts create unlikely social networks
• The balance between commercialization and the sport’s social roots
• What makes pickleball so uniquely diverse and accessible
• How “we could solve the world’s problems over pickleball”

About Our Guest:
David Johnson is a longtime entrepreneur in the pickleball industry who has played many key roles in popularizing the game. He co-founded and scaled Pickleball Central, the sport’s largest online retailer, before selling it to Dundon Capital. He now publishes The Business of Pickleball, a subscription newsletter chronicling the industry’s growth, and co-founded the International Association of Pickleball and Padel Facilities.

Keywords:

Pickleball, Bainbridge Island, West Coast Sport, Pacific Northwest, Seattle, Garage Startup, Sports Business, Community Building, Civic Life, Recreation, Equity, West Coast Innovation, PacificTimePodcast, Social Connection, Washington State Sport, Pickleball Industry, Pickleball Facilities

Resources & References:

• USA Pickleball (USAP) — The national governing body of pickleball, with rules, resources, and ambassador programs.
  👉 usapickleball.org
• Pickleball Central — Founded by David Johnson and family in Seattle, now the world’s largest pickleball retailer.
  👉 pickleballcentral.com
• The Business of Pickleball — David Johnson’s subscription newsletter tracking the growth and economics of the sport.
  👉 thebusinessofpickleball.com
• History of Pickleball (Bainbridge Island) — Local heritage page about the sport’s quirky origin in 1965.
  👉 biparks.org/history-of-pickleball
• International Pickleball and Padel Facility Association — Johnson’s latest effort to support the booming number of indoor pickleball facilities.
  👉 pickleballpadelfacilities.org
  
  

Related Episodes:

• Ep 20: Could Duct Tape Save Our Public Lands? With Gwyn Howat
• Ep 21: What If We Could Get Wildfire Under Control? With Hilary Franz
• Ep 15: What If Connection Was a Civic Responsibility? With Aaron Hurst
• Ep 14: Could Bolder Plans Re-Build Our Confidence in West Coast Cities? With Nolan Lienhart

Join the conversation: What would you choose—greater autonomy for California, or full independence? Share your take wherever you follow or send me your thoughts, questions, comments and constructive suggestions to [email protected].

Follow: Pacific Time is making good trouble asking questions about the future of the West Coast on Substack; YouTube; BlueSky, Instagram, and Facebook. Join the conversation and share it with your neighbors and friends on the West Coast.

Listen: Pacific Time Podcast is on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Pocketcast, Podbean, and many other platforms. Follow, share, and leave a review.

Thank you to:

• Guest: David Johnson
• Producers: Tim Wohlberg, Valerie McTavish
• Pickleballers at Green Lake Park, Miller Playfield, and Bainbridge Island Founders Courts