Episodes
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44% of all renters in Virginia pay more than 30% of their income in rent and the average rent in the US has gone up 19% since 2019. So what is Virginia doing about it? What’s the role of state government in affordable housing policy? The Democrat-controlled General Assembly and the Republican Youngkin administration have managed to pass some affordable housing legislation over the past 3 years. Has affordable housing become a bipartisan issue in Virginia? To answer these questions, I have a couple experts on the podcast, Christie Marra is the Director of Housing Advocacy for the Virginia Poverty Law Center and Overton McGehee, Executive Director of Habitat for Humanity Virginia. Read more:December 2021 “Affordable Housing in Virginia” Report by the Virginia Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commissionhttps://jlarc.virginia.gov/landing-2021-affordable-housing-in-virginia.asp
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More than 4 million people voted in Virginia and on this episode we break down those results from the top of the ticket down to the upcoming General Assembly special elections. We also discuss the controversial purge of voters days before the election, other voting access issues and the end of gerrymandering in Virginia. Our guests are Nathan Moore, former host of Bold Dominion and local and state government nerd. He’s joined by Michael Pope, a journalist who’s been covering Virginia and Virginia politics for over 15 years and the host of Virginia politics podcast, Pod Virginia. Never heard of Pod Virginia? Check it out!https://podvirginia.com/ This episode was recorded on Thursday, November 7, 2024.
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Check out Virginia Outdoor Adventures! https://virginiaoutdooradventures.com/
US Senator Tim Kaine has covered 1,222 miles of Virginia’s trails, rivers and scenic roadways as part of what he calls “The Virginia Triathlon.” The Virginia Triathlon is a challenge to hike the Appalachian trail from the northern border of Virginia to the southern border, to cycle the length of the Blue Ridge Parkway and Skyline Drive and to paddle the James River from it’s origin at Clifton Forge all the way to the Chesapeake Bay. Hear about his journey and how his outdoor endeavors have informed his career in politics and public service on this episode of Virginia Outdoor Adventures. Episode Notes
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This week we’re talking about roads. How they’re built, how new projects are proposed and funded, and how they’re maintained. Michael Barnes, Director of Planning for Albemarle County breaks down these questions and helps us better understand the considerations of transportation planning.
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Solar has been getting a lot of attention in the past couple years and counties across Virginia have been passing stringent regulations on new solar developments. This week we spoke with Dr. Lee Daniels, Professor Emeritus of Land Rehabilitation and Dr. Ryan D. Stewart, Professor of Soil Physics & Hydrology, both at Virginia Tech about the effects of solar farms on the land and soil. And in the second half of the episode, Nathan Moore is back to talk about some other solar farm considerations. Read the white paper: Soil-Site Management Protocols & Best Management Practices (BMPs) for Utility Scale Solar Site (USS) Development and Management in Virginia https://www.deq.virginia.gov/home/showpublisheddocument/24050/638531957239470000
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In 2020, Virginia started on a path to incrementally increase the minimum wage to $15 per hour by 2026. But this year the governor vetoed the annual increase. In this episode, we talk with Levi Goren, Director of Research & Education Policy at the Commonwealth Institute, about what the minimum wage is, how it is related to inflation, and who is impacted by its stagnation. Read Levi’s article: https://thecommonwealthinstitute.org/research/12-is-not-enough-virginia-policymakers-must-act-on-the-minimum-wage/
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A lot of Virginians take the time every day to sort and clean their recyclable materials. Maybe you even think about whether a material is recyclable before you buy it. But what happens after you put your bottles, cans, and boxes out by the curb? This episode, Phil McKalips, Director of Solid Waste for the Rivanna Solid Waste Authority, and Lauren Cutlip, board member for the Virginia Recycling Association, take us on a journey through the afterlife of our trash. Learn more about VA recycling: https://www.deq.virginia.gov/our-programs/land-waste/recycling/recycling-data/recycling-rate-report#:~:text=The%20calendar%20year%202022%20Virginia,required%20to%20report%20for%202022
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This week we’re talking about school boards. While many folks will associate their school board with local decisions about infrastructure or teacher salaries, many Virginia school boards have been forums for highly politicized debates and decisions about issues like book bans or transgender rights. Today we are joined by Breanna Diaz from the ACLU of Virginia to talk about what issues they’re hearing at School Board meetings across the state and what they mean for students, parents, and teachers.
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Food is just more expensive than it was a few years ago. The rate of inflation for food has leveled off in 2024, but we’re still adjusting to the price increases we saw in 2022 and 2023. So in this episode, we look into food assistance programs like SNAP, WIC and food banks: how they work, how they’re funded, and how they’re coping with rising food prices. Our guests are Monica Kelly, Public Benefits Outreach Manager and Les Sinclair, Communications and PR Manager from the Blue Ridge Area Food Bank. Access Food Assistance: https://www.brafb.org/find-help/ https://www.dss.virginia.gov/benefit/food.cgi Learn More and Sign up for Virginia Sun Bucks: https://virginiasunbucks.com/ Check out the Blue Ridge Area Food Bank’s Blog: https://www.brafb.org/blog-chew-on-this/
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Episode Notes
In the face of ever-worsening climate change, it takes more than paper straws and recycling to make a dent in our carbon emissions--it takes policy on a national, state, and local scale. So what does local climate action look like? How do cities and counties set policy in the realm of housing, transportation, and energy to reduce carbon emissions and prepare their communities for a changing climate?
To answer that question, we talked to Bill Eger, Chief Climate Policy Officer for Arlington County, Virginia. He leads Arlington’s Office of Climate Coordination and Policy, whose mission is to "amplify, coordinate, and add capacity to the County’s ongoing responses to the climate crisis."
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Episode Notes
We’ve all heard of machine politics. Tammany Hall. Boss Tweed. Right in the heart of New York City, the Gilded Age, an era synonymous with corruption in America’s history. But Virginia has its own slice of machine-politics history: under the control of Harry Byrd, Sr., the Byrd Machine controlled the state government for the better part of fifty years.
Who was Harry Byrd? How did he gain total control of the government? And what are the lasting impacts we feel today? To answer these questions, we're joined by friend of the show Michael Pope, author of The Byrd Machine in Virginia: The Rise and Fall of a Conservative Political Organization.
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Episode Notes
The 2023 primary results are in...and they're pretty interesting. Many incumbents held onto their seats, but some challengers won key victories--Democratic Senators Joe Morrissey and Chap Petersen were defeated by Lashrecse Aird and newcomer Saddam Salim, while Republican Senator Amanda Chase lost to Glen Sturtevant. If you're looking for a narrative to explain what happened, you'll probably find it somewhere in the results.
And all of this comes against the backdrop of a huge shift in the General Assembly. New district lines, tons of retirements, and all one hundred and forty seats up for re-election in a few months. So what should we take away from this week’s results, and what should we look forward to in the November general election?
To break it all down, we're joined by journalist Michael Pope and Democratic strategist Thomas Bowman. They're friends of the show and the hosts of Pod Virginia, a fellow podcast breaking down Virginia politics.
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Episode Notes
The United States saw over 44,300 deaths from guns in 2022. And as the last year has made painfully clear, Virginia is not immune. Our state has been rocked by the horrific shootings in Charlottesville, Chesapeake, and Newport News. But even so, almost no meaningful gun safety legislation passed the General Assembly in the 2023 session. House Bill 2387 established tax credits for people who purchase gun safety devices, but that was about it. That’s a departure from 2020 and 2021, when Democrats in the House and Senate passed a bevy of legislation aimed at reducing gun violence. Yet while those were important changes, there’s still a long way to go. So, what do Virginia’s gun laws look like now? And what can be done to end gun violence in the state? To help answer those questions, we talk to Andrew Goddard, Legislative Director at the Virginia Center for Public Safety, and Brian Moran, who served as Virginia Secretary of Public Safety from 2014 to 2022.
To learn more, check out the Virginia Center for Public Safety's Research Resources.
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Episode Notes
Whether coming for school, work, or to escape bad situations at home, immigrants are a vital part of Virginia’s culture and economy. So today we’re digging into the opportunities and the obstacles facing immigrants and refugees in the state.First, we talk with Freddy Mejia, Deputy Director of Policy at the Commonwealth Institute. His work covers state-level policies that affect marginalized groups in Virginia. He walks us through who’s immigrating to Virginia, and how they fit into the larger tapestry of the state. Then, we talk with Harriet Kuhr, Executive Director of the International Rescue Committee in Virginia, about what refugee resettlement looks like on the ground.
Learn more about how immigration status can affect access to health coverage in Virginia
Find out how you can volunteer with the International Rescue Committee, or learn more about their Charlottesville or Richmond offices.
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Episode Notes
As the Bold Dominion team works on an upcoming episode, here's one from the vaults -- a Bold Dominion classic covering the perennially important, yet frequently misunderstood, Dillon Rule. This episode originally aired in February 2021.
Virginia politicians like to talk about freedom and local control. So why are local governments sometimes prohibited from addressing local challenges?The reason is called the Dillon Rule.If you’re a political news junkie, you’ve probably come across this, but most Virginians stare at me blankly when I mention it.Basically, the Dillon Rule says that local governments only have powers that are explicitly granted by the General Assembly. (As opposed to “home rule,” where local governments are free to make any policy that isn’t prohibited by state law.)How does this affect our local governments and our state as a whole?To answer that question, we talk to Richard Schragger, the Parre Bowen Professor of Law at the University of Virginia School of Law and the author of City Power: Urban Governance in a Global Age. We also talk to Andreas Addison, a member of the Richmond City Council and a lecturer at the Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy at the University of Virginia, who has dealt with the Dillon Rule as part of his legislative experience.
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Episode Notes
This week, we tackle criminal justice and incarceration in Virginia from two angles: for one, what injustices are criminal justice reform advocates trying to fix? For two, how can we help incarcerated people stay out of prisons and live better lives?
To answer the first question, we spoke with Rob Poggenklass, interim executive director of Justice Forward Virginia about the causes of mass incarceration and the ways that legal and societal hurdles create injustice in the law.
For the second, we spoke with John Donnelly, Vice President for Instruction and Student Services at Piedmont Virginia Community College. He runs the Higher Education in Prison program, which provides a college-level education to students behind bars, allowing them to earn a college degree while incarcerated.
To learn more:
Justice Forward VirginiaPVCC HIgher Education in Prison ProgramCollege Behind Bars | PBSThis podcast is powered by Pinecast.
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Episode Notes
Here on the podcast, we like to keep tabs on Dominion Energy. As the largest of only 2 publicly regulated utilities in the state, Dominion is a monopoly. The caveat is that it’s a state regulated monopoly, meaning its rates and profits are monitored by a regulatory agency called the State Corporation Commission. But the SCC’s power has eroded the past few decades, thanks to a variety of bills that have been pretty soft on Dominion.
This year’s General Assembly changed that trend. In the final days of the session, the General Assembly passed sweeping legislation on Dominion. Among other things, it changes how profit margins are set and strengthens SCC oversight. That can mean pretty big things for both Dominion, and for ratepayers like us. To step us through the new legislation and its impact, we talk to Charlie Paullin, energy and environment reporter for the Virginia Mercury.
But, that’s just the latest news — and energy policy is measured more in decades than in years. One big inflection point happened back in 2020, with the Virginia Clean Economy Act. The law set a variety of energy standards, including that our energy providers be 100% renewable by 2050. But setting the standards and meeting them are two different things. So we talked to Kim Jemaine, policy director at Advanced Energy United, about the opportunities and challenges of the Clean Economy Act.
This episode is special in other ways as well. This marks the last episode of Nathan Moore as the host of Bold Dominion. Today, Nathan hands off the baton to a new host, Aaryan Balu. You’ve heard his voice before… he was Bold Dominion’s first Assistant Producer, going back more than three years. Welcome back, Aaryan!
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Episode Notes
Maine does it. Alaska does it. And since 2021, Virginia can do it too, in certain city and county elections. It’s ranked choice voting, which works exactly how it sounds: voters rank their favorite candidates in order. If no candidate wins over 50% of the vote, it triggers an instant run off election. The last place candidate’s votes are transferred to the voters’ second preference. And so on, until someone wins the majority.
Proponents see it as a way to diversify candidate fields, even reduce polarization. It means that the ultimate winner will have a broader base of support, or at least more than 50% of the vote. And it also gives 3rd party candidates more of a fighting chance.
For the past few years, ranked choice voting has been used in Republican party caucuses in Virginia. And this June, Arlington County will be the first Virginia locality to use it, in their county board primaries. If all goes well, Arlington may stand as an example for other cities and counties across the state.
Sitting down with us today is Elizabeth Melson, president of FairVote Virginia, and Sally Hudson, who represents Charlottesville and Albemarle County in the House of Delegates.
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Episode Notes
The 2023 General Assembly session drew to a close last Saturday. And with divided majorities in the General Assembly, it was a little underwhelming. Despite a year of big, hot topic issues, little was accomplished on abortion rights, gun control, or even setting up a market for cannabis. So after six weeks, we find ourselves more or less back where we started. To understand the perspective from inside the GA, we talk with Senator Barbara Favola, who represents parts of northern Virginia.
Things aren’t entirely over yet… lawmakers are still considering amendments to the state's two-year budget. The House and Senate have very different ideas of what to do with Virginia’s significant budget surplus. House Republicans want to give that surplus back to taxpayers through a billion dollars in tax cuts. On the other hand, Senate Democrats want to use the money to boost social programs that have been under-funded for many years. Particularly public schools. Here to walk us through this is Laura Goren, Director of Research and Education Policy at The Commonwealth Institute.
Check out more information on Virginia’s budget process and how the two proposals compare on The Commonwealth Institute’s website
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Episode Notes
In Virginia, incarceration is expensive. In prison and jails across the state, inmates have to pay to communicate with family members. They also have to pay for extra food, clothing, and sanitary products in the prison commissary. And with the highest prison wages only 45¢ per hour, the burden of paying these fees often falls on inmates’ families.
Last year, Virginia’s General Assembly organized a work group to study fees inside state prisons. They delivered a 50 page report, called “Reduction or Elimination of Costs and Fees Charged to Inmates in State Correctional Facilities.” Among other things, the report called for the elimination of fees for emails, video chats, and phone calls. It also called for the elimination of up-charges at prison commissaries and an increase in how much the state spends on prisoner meals.
In this year’s Assembly session, lawmakers introduced some bills to implement these changes, in both state prisons and local jails. However, both bills failed in the Republican-majority House of Delegates.
To help us dig deeper, we talk with Irene Shin, who represents the 86th District in the House of Delegates, and Fran Bolin, the Executive Director of Assisting Families of Inmates.
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