Pacific Time: The "What if...?" of West Coast Independence

21 What If We Could Get Wildfire Under Control? With Hilary Franz

What if wildfire isn’t just a natural disaster, but a test of how well we govern prevention, preparation, response, and recovery? In this episode, Greg talks with Hilary Franz, former Washington Lands Commissioner about governing through climate chaos, building unlikely coalitions, and why states like Washington can’t afford to wait for federal leadership when it comes to protecting lives, land, and the future. As big and intractable as climate issues can seem, Hilary’s story is hopeful. When the climate crisis hits home, progress is possible when state and local leaders can take charge and look past politics, to address shared problems. From reimagining forest management to partnering with tribes, timber towns, and tech leaders, Franz shares what it takes to lead boldly—and collaboratively—when every season is fire season. This is a story about practical climate action, political courage, and what it might look like for the West Coast to lean into big challenges it can see coming.In this episode, we cover:How wildfire strategy in Washington shifted from reactive to proactiveWhy climate denial isn’t the biggest obstacle anymore—climate delay isThe political and practical costs of federal inactionWhat it means to build coalitions with tribes, timber workers, and tech CEOsWhy state sovereignty matters in an age of climate instabilityWhat a West Coast climate alliance could actually look likeHow Hilary Franz’s background in conservation law—and figure skating—shaped her leadershipAbout Our Guest:Hilary Franz served as Washington’s Commissioner of Public Lands from 2017–2025, leading the state’s wildfire prevention, forest management, and climate resilience efforts. A former conservation attorney, she is known for bipartisan coalition-building, hands-on leadership in crisis, and her early days as a competitive figure skater.Other resources20-Year Forest Health Strategic Plan: Central and Eastern Washington | WA - DNRNational Interagency Fire CenterRelated Episodes:Ep 20: Could Duct Tape Save Our Public Lands? With Gwyn HowatEp 10: What If Blue Cities Got It Together? With Sandeep KaushikEp 08: Leave America and Discover Ecotopia? (Solo) Ep 02: How Can the West Coast Redesign Itself? With Mickey McManus Join the Conversation by offering your take on this spicy question: What would it take for the West Coast to lead on climate like our lives depend on it?💬 Participate in active, civil conversations with your neighbors on the West Coast who are asking ‘What if…?’  Come to the community center for Pacific Time at Substack.Follow:📲 Pacific Time is making good trouble asking questions about the future of the West Coast on BlueSky, Instagram, and FacebookListen:🎧 Pacific Time Podcast is on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and many other platforms. Please follow, share, and leave a review.Thanks to:"Indie for Indie" Sponsor: Share It MusicFeatured Share It Artist: Queen Anne (and their non-profit partner Malaria Consortium US)Producer: Tim Wohlberg

20 Could Duct Tape Save Our Public Lands? With Gwyn Howat

Mount Baker is the snowiest ski mountains in the world. It’s also one of the most beloved—and independent—places in the Pacific Northwest. But this episode isn’t about winter sports. It’s about leadership, stewardship, and what it means to bottle the magic that comes from building community in a wondrous landscape. Stuff to bear in mind as Congress got close to selling off vast swaths of public land.Before she was the CEO of Mt. Baker Ski Area, Gwyn Howat was shoveling snow, taping bindings, and riding storms at one of the wildest places on the West Coast. In this wide-ranging conversation, Gwyn reflects on over 30 years of stewardship, community-building, and leadership at one of the last independently owned ski areas in North America. We talk about joy, grief, gender equity in outdoor leadership, prizes of indigenous art and duct tape trophies, and the idea that the mountains—and their caretakers—are part of a sacred commons.Mt. Baker’s culture is famous among skiers and snowboarders, but there’s a deeper story here: one about staying independent in an industry dominated by conglomerates, and one about designing experiences that center people, place, and purpose over profit.Whether you're a snowboarder, a public lands advocate, or just someone wondering what good leadership feels like—this episode has something for you.Highlights:Why Mt. Baker embraced snowboarding before it was cool—and never sold outWhat duct tape trophies say about the values of a placeHow Gwyn made decisions as a CEO that balanced community, ecology, and economicsWhat it means to be a for-profit business on public land—and a steward of a commonsThe future of leadership succession at independent recreation areasThe story of the Legendary Banked Slalom, the longest-running snowboarding event in the worldWhy Gwyn still visits the beginner run when the weight of a complicated job on the mountain feels heavyGuest Bio:Gwyn Howat served as CEO of Mt. Baker Ski Area for over a decade and has worked in nearly every role at the mountain—from lift ops to leadership. A lifelong skier, Gwyn has helped shape one of the most iconic and community-rooted recreation areas in North America. She is also one of the first women to lead a ski area in the U.S. Known for her deep love of the outdoors, her fierce commitment to community, and her belief in designing for joy, Gwyn is now entering a new chapter—one that may involve salt water as much as snow, and meditation as much as being in the mountains.Resources & References:Mt. Baker Ski AreaLegendary Banked SlalomU.S. Forest Service - Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National ForestRelated Episodes:18 What If We Treated Health Like a System? With Abie Flaxman14 Could Ambitious Civic Projects Jolt Us Back to Trusting Government? With Nolan Lienhart08  Leave America and Discover Ecotopia? (Solo)Join the movement:💬  Participate in active, civil conversations with your neighbors on the West Coast who are asking ‘What if…?’  Come to the community center for Pacific Time at Substack.Follow:📲 Pacific Time is making good trouble asking questions about the future of the West Coast on BlueSky, Instagram, and FacebookListen:🎧 Pacific Time Podcast is on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and many other platforms. Follow, share, and leave a review.Thanks to:Gwyn Howat for taking time to talk during a Hawaiian resetSpirit Rock for a deep dive into meditation and introducing me to my dear friend GwynTim Wohlfarth for a quick turn on productionJim Humes for first opening my eyes to Mount Baker

19 Could Roman Ruins Inspire West Coast Offense? (Solo)

What if Rome wasn’t just ancient history—but a blueprint for how empires corrode? In this hard-hitting solo episode, Pacific Time host Greg Amrofell records from Italy, tracing chilling parallels between the fall of the Roman Republic and the unraveling of American democracy. As Trump federalizes the National Guard, threatens war with Iran, deploys ICE raids, and criminalizes dissent, Greg calls on the West Coast—and its allies—to go on constitutional offense.We revisit the original rebellion of 1776, reflect on HBO’s John Adams, and examine how authoritarianism gains ground through chaos, distraction, and cruelty masked as strength. From invoking the Posse Comitatus Act to launching a West Coast Congress, this episode lays out a tactical and legal playbook for states to reclaim their power, uphold the Constitution, and fight back—before it's too late.Highlights:Rome’s collapse as a warning for the U.S.—and why "SPQR" still mattersWatching John Adams on the plane and re-reading the Declaration of IndependenceTrump’s provocations: arresting a senator, deploying Marines, undermining due processWar with Iran as a cover story for escalating domestic authoritarianismTen bold state-level actions to provoke court fights and assert sovereigntyPraising Newsom and the West Coast AGs for resisting federal overreachLegal framework: 10th Amendment, Posse Comitatus, Insurrection Act, and the 25thCall for a West Coast Congress to coordinate climate, civil rights, and economic defenseICE obstruction laws: extreme taxes, quartering bans, liability expansionsReimagining National Guard units as State Constitutional Defense ForcesReclaiming the American flag from authoritarian co-optationA rallying cry for police, veterans, judges, and public servants to honor their oathsSuggested Resources:Julius Caesar - Entire Play | Folger Shakespeare LibraryJulius Caesar - Oregon Shakespeare Festival (Running through Oct 2025; See Director's Notes)Full Text of the Declaration of Independence (U.S. National Archives)John Adams (HBO) The Posse Comitatus Act (18 U.S. Code § 1385) (Brennan Center)CA Governor Gavin Newsom: Democracy at a CrossroadsRelated Episodes:08 Leave America and Discover Ecotopia? (Solo)01 Reclaiming Democracy: The Case for West Coast Independence (Solo)Join the movement: 💬  Participate in active, civil conversations with your neighbors on the West Coast who are asking ‘What if…?’  Come to the community center for Pacific Time at Substack.Follow:📲 Pacific Time is making good trouble asking questions about the future of the West Coast on BlueSky, Instagram, and FacebookListen:🎧 Pacific Time Podcast is on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and many other platforms. Follow, share, and leave a review.

18 What if West Coast Healthcare Got Focused? With Abie Flaxman

What if we let the data guide West Coast healthcare? Could we better address our mental health and addiction crisis? In this episode, data scientist Abie Flaxman breaks down the top health issues for working-age adults on the West Coast—and why our health systems keep missing the mark.You might think cancer or heart disease top the charts. But in Washington, Oregon, and California, the leading killers of working-age adults are drug overdose and suicide. In this revealing episode, Greg Amrofell talks with Dr. Abie Flaxman—one of the architects of the Global Burden of Disease—about what’s really harming West Coast health. From despair-driven deaths to broken public health infrastructure, the episode explores what data reveals, what state leaders can do, and why we can’t count on federal help. It's not just a health crisis. It's a crisis of policy, prevention, and purpose.HighlightsWhy drug overdoses and suicides top the charts for working-age West CoastersHow public health data from IHME can guide smarter state policiesThe hidden burden of Alzheimer's in Washington and CaliforniaWhy the Affordable Care Act mattered—and why it wasn't enoughHow state-level healthcare experiments can lead national reformWhat happens when the federal government guts public health budgetsWhy universities may need to take matters into their own hands to defend scienceGuest Bio:​Dr. Abraham D. Flaxman is an Associate Professor of Global Health and Health Metrics Sciences at the University of Washington's Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME). He specializes in developing computational methods to measure health metrics and evaluate health interventions. Dr. Flaxman earned his BS in Mathematics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and his PhD in Algorithms, Combinatorics, and Optimization from Carnegie Mellon University. Resources & References:Global Burden of Disease (GBD)GBD Compare | Institute for Health Metrics and EvaluationGBD US County Level EstimatesSeattle scientists fight back against Trump cuts, disinformation | The Seattle TimesRelated episodes:Ep 06: If American Healthcare is Broken, What Can the West Coast Do? With Mike HanlonEp 17: What if Higher Ed Started Over Again on the West Coast? With Dan GreensteinEp 14: What If We Designed Cities for Joy? With Nolan LienhartJoin the movement: 💬  Participate in active, civil conversations with your neighbors on the West Coast who are asking ‘What if…?’  Come to the community center for Pacific Time at Substack.Follow:📲 Pacific Time is making good trouble asking questions about the future of the West Coast on BlueSky, Instagram, and FacebookListen:🎧 Pacific Time Podcast is on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and many other platforms. Follow, share, and leave a review.

17 What if Higher Ed Started Over on the West Coast? With Dan Greenstein

Is college still the best investment we can make in our future—or a broken promise on borrowed time?In this episode of Pacific Time, Greg speaks with Dan Greenstein, former Chancellor of Pennsylvania’s state university system and a seasoned voice in U.S. higher education. From ballooning student debt to declining public trust, Greenstein unpacks the long arc of American higher ed—from its postwar heyday to its current crisis of confidence.We explore how federal disinvestment, demographic shifts, and partisan distrust have collided to upend a once-revered institution—and what it will take to rebuild value and values in the college experience while facing down existential threats from the Trump administration. For West Coast families, students, and civic leaders, the stakes couldn’t be higher. If we want higher education to serve all of us again, we may need to start reimagining it from the ground up.HighlightsThe long boom—and sudden bust—of U.S. higher edWhy 40% of students never finish college—and what that meansThe $1.7 trillion elephant in the room: student debtHow culture wars are eroding public trust in universitiesWhat red states are getting wrong—and right—about collegeThe hidden role of public colleges in saving lives and communitiesWhat a West Coast–led higher ed renaissance could look likeGuest BioDan Greenstein is the former Chancellor of the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education, overseeing 14 public universities. He’s a historian by training, the former head of Higher Ed at the Gates Foundation, a senior leader in the University of California system, and a long-time champion of public colleges and universities. Greenstein has written and spoken widely about higher ed reform, institutional accountability, and rebuilding public trust in a polarized America.Suggested ResourcesGallup Study of Public Trust in Higher EdInside Higher Ed: Various Approaches to Measuring ROI in Higher EdDan Greenstein BlogDan Greenstein on LinkedInRelated Pacific Time EpisodesEp 13: What If National Service Jump Started the West Coast Workforce? With Nicole TrimbleEp 09: A West Coast Wake-up Call as the US Scrambles the World Order? With John ZysmanEp 02: How Can the West Coast Redesign Itself? With Mickey McManusJoin the movement:Participate in active, civil conversations with your neighbors on the West Coast who are asking ‘What if…?’ For example, what would make higher ed better worth the price? If you could subscribe to higher education throughout your adult life, what would you have studied and what would you want to study? Subscribe (for free) and let’s discuss on Substack.Follow:Pacific Time is making good trouble asking questions about the future of the West Coast on BlueSky, Instagram, and FacebookListen:Pacific Time Podcast is on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and many other platforms. Follow, share, and leave a review.Thanks to:Our Sponsor: Share It MusicOur Featured Music Guest from Share It: San GabrielProducer: Tim Wohlfarth