The Crisis We're All Facing (with Alexis Hill) | #132

Summary

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Secondhand Therapy #132: "The Crisis We're All Facing" with Alexis Hill

Podcast: Secondhand Therapy
Hosts: Louie Paoletti & Michael Malone
Guest: Alexis Hill (Democratic candidate for Governor of Nevada)
Date: June 1, 2026

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Overview

This episode dives deep into the intersection of Nevada politics, mental health, economic inequality, and the disillusionment shaping American democracy today. Louie and Michael are joined by Alexis Hill, currently running for Governor in Nevada, for an open, unscripted, and ad-free conversation. Together they explore Hill’s grassroots campaign, her mental health policy ideas, the influence of corporate money in politics, why so many feel left behind, the struggle to reach disaffected young men, and what it means to lead—and heal—a state in the modern era.

Expect humor and candor throughout as the hosts and Hill reflect on real vulnerabilities, the difficulty of doing the right thing in a broken system, and the urgent need for hope and practical solutions.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Mental Health in Nevada: A State in Crisis

(03:54 - 07:40)

• Mental Health Department Proposal: Hill details her flagship promise to create a state Department of Mental Health, calling out Nevada’s “number one suicide rate for teens” and extreme lack of resources.
• Washoe County Facility Example: Hill shares the success of rehabilitating a shuttered mental health facility to open 92 beds for youth. “The moment we open it in ‘27, it’ll be full.”
• Why No State Leadership?: Nevada’s low-tax model leaves everyday people overburdened, while corporations and gaming pay little.

“We don’t tax anything else. We have the lowest gaming tax in the United States. We don’t properly tax mining. We are bringing in major corporations who are not paying their fair shares. So when we don’t have a broad base of modernization to ensure that we can pay for basic services, then we don’t take care of our people. And you see that every day.”
— Alexis Hill (05:39)

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2. Corporate Loopholes, Taxes, and Amazon’s Tactics

(06:22 - 07:40)

• Hill exposes how companies like Amazon skirt infrastructure taxes by using EVs, not for environmental reasons but to dodge gas taxes funding local roads.

“Jeff Bezos isn’t like, I love the environment. He’s like, how can I make sure that every community I go into I don’t have to pay my fair share?”
— Alexis Hill (07:06)

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3. Personal Cost: The Weight of Advocacy

(07:45 - 09:12)

• Hill discusses how her work affects her own mental health and how she manages the anxiety and responsibility (physical exercise, connection with her children, especially her foster daughter).
• The hosts draw the parallel struggles in America’s foster system, and Hill underscores how underfunded systems push families apart.

“We could do so much better for these kids who are left behind in our state and we don’t fund that system. And it’s a travesty what we do for those kids as well.”
— Alexis Hill (08:20)

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4. Hopelessness in a Larger System

(09:30 - 12:06)

• The conversation turns global and existential: “How do you handle the weight of issues bigger than Nevada?”
• Hill finds hope in the actions of other state governors and the power of local leadership, even as federal dysfunction grows.

“We can both fight Trump and also invest in Nevadans at the same time and have economic prosperity.”
— Alexis Hill (11:54)

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5. Reaching Young Men & the “Manosphere”

(12:06 - 19:08)

• Hill and the hosts discuss the difficulty the Democratic party has reaching young men, who feel drawn to anti-establishment, populist figures like Trump or social media “alpha” influencers.
• The group confronts ideas of masculinity and why so many men feel unseen or left behind, leading them to figures like Andrew Tate.

“There’s so many young men who feel unheard and they’re feeling heard by the wrong people…that’s who they’re feeling heard by. And so…they’re not interested in listening to—do you think that policy from Harris…”
— Co-host 1 (15:19)

• Hill reframes this as a yearning for the American Dream—“and it’s really hard to get that right now. Like, buying a house…am I being left behind in this economy? I need someone who’s going to promise me that they can do something for me, even if it’s voting for an authoritarian regime that will take down democracy. If you can make my life more affordable…maybe that’s worth it.” (17:52)

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6. Disillusionment with the Democratic Party

(20:13 - 22:30)

• The hosts voice their alienation from the Democratic party, the feeling of a “huge tent” that paradoxically leaves out those who don’t “check every single box.”
• Hill acknowledges flaws in the closed primary system and the party’s difficulty embracing dissent or complexity.

“Oh, no, that’s not good. Because we are supposed to have this huge tent…We love canceling people.”
— Alexis Hill (21:59)

• A nuanced discussion of “cancel culture” follows. Everyone agrees culture may be shifting away from punitive rejection and toward more patient education.

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7. Populism, Dialogue, and Economic Issues

(23:34 - 27:53)

• Hill stresses the importance of showing up everywhere, including on conservative media, and finding “economic justice” as an area of possible cross-aisle unity.
• Book recommendation: Poverty, by America by Matthew Desmond.
• Hill advocates focusing campaigns on anti-poverty, living wage, and real family support—solutions that “are hard to disagree with even for conservatives.”

“I think that the boogeyman to align on right now is billionaires and corporations. Let’s tax them.”
— Alexis Hill (26:19)

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8. Childcare Crisis, Poverty, and Foster Care

(27:53 - 30:11)

• The lack of affordable childcare is a major driver of family instability and foster care caseloads.
• Example: In Nevada, only foster parents get state help with childcare, leaving low-income families “off a never-moving waiting list.”

“A lot of the issue…is poverty and not having enough money to put your kid in childcare…why we’re not doing more upstream investment for people…and then instead we love to invest in the jails and hospitals and foster care system…it makes no sense to me.”
— Alexis Hill (29:33)

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9. Rent Caps & Housing Instability

(30:13 - 31:16)

• Hill supports temporary rent caps to avoid mass homelessness, particularly for seniors and disabled residents. Opposition argues it discourages landlords from maintenance, but Hill points to 7,000+ unhoused in Las Vegas as evidence of the urgency.

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10. Social Media Backlash, Sexism, and Hope for the Future

(31:29 - 35:10)

• Hill discusses public backlash, especially personal criticism toward her and her family “because you’re a female.”
• She expresses hope: the very visibility of this nastiness is progress, since it means more women and people of color are running.

“The reason that you’re seeing so much nastiness on social media about women who are running for office is because more women are running for office. And then soon it’s going to be this normal thing.”
— Alexis Hill (33:03)

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11. Generational Change & Shifting Narratives

(34:39 - 36:03)

• The group shares stories of older generations resisting female candidates—for example, Hill’s grandfather discouraging her aunt from voting.
• Yet, there’s hope: “Those old traditions are dying with the people that held them.” (Co-host 1, 34:54)

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12. Party Labels vs. Real Solutions

(36:02 - 40:21)

• Illuminating discussion about how to bring people across party lines: “The labels shouldn’t matter anymore… especially because there’s only two choices.” (Co-host 1, 39:21)
• Hill challenges the “easy primary” approach, warning that it makes it harder to win general elections and connect with nonpartisan voters.

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13. Refusal to Debate, Corporate Influence, and Accountability

(41:28 - 44:23)

• Hill’s main opponent, Attorney General Aaron Ford, is criticized for refusing debates and accepting corporate/foreign money. Both the Democratic party and Republican challengers have dodged accountability.
• Hill argues for transparency and “standing side by side” to discuss real issues.

“It’s not okay to, in my opinion, run for office and not participate. Like, that’s a problem. And I really worry about what that means.”
— Alexis Hill (42:19)

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14. Corporate Subsidies, Data Centers & Water Use

(46:00 - 54:07)

• Nevada gives huge tax breaks to data centers (and other corporations) at enormous cost to local communities—$500 million not paid for services such as healthcare and education.
• Hill lays out a plan: end tax abatements for data centers, enforce clean energy portfolio standards, ban evaporative cooling (wasting water), and empower local governments to regulate these facilities.

“Maybe we should subsidize our schools or other, you know, mental health, not data centers.”
— Alexis Hill (47:18)

• Southern Nevada Water Authority is praised as a world leader, but outmoded agricultural use still “sends Nevada’s water to China” via alfalfa crops.

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15. Hard Choices: Tax Code Modernization

(54:07 - 56:51)

• If Hill could snap her fingers and change one thing, it would be a modern, well-distributed state tax code, ending the era of Nevada’s “hope-the-visitor-pays” model and getting every industry (not working people) to finally pay a fair share.
• She admits: “It’s going to be a fight…and there’s so many special interests and so much money tied in with keeping things the same.”

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Notable Quotes & Moments

• “If you cap the rent, the landlord can’t improve the property…and we’ve seen like slums happen because of rent control in other communities. But we have so many homeless people…seniors who can’t afford their rent anymore…we’re like, go to the street. Crazy.”
  — Alexis Hill (30:13)

• “Oh, my gosh. So. But I feel like by the end, we were agreeing. I said…why are we othering people? This is crazy. This is the…in America, but certainly in Nevada. That’s why I love Nevada. Nevada…it’s like, I don’t care. Do what you’re gonna do. We’re here to make money. We’re here to, you know, live, like, ha. Live that dream. Don’t mess with me. I’m not gonna mess with you. You do whatever you need to do. I’m gonna do what I need to do. That’s what I love about this state.”
  — Alexis Hill (25:23)

• “We love to eat our own. We love to eat our own.”
  — Co-host 1 (44:00)

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Timestamps for Notable Segments

• 03:54 Mental health crisis and Hill’s policy vision
• 07:06 Corporate tax avoidance and Amazon EV tactics
• 08:20 Impact on Hill’s own mental health and foster care perspective
• 11:54 Fighting Trumpism vs. investing locally
• 15:19 Why young men feel heard by toxic influencers
• 17:52 The lost promise of the American Dream
• 21:59 “We love canceling people”—on party purity and the left
• 25:23 Why economic populism could unite right and left
• 29:33 Childcare, poverty, and the foster system’s failures
• 33:03 Sexism in politics but optimism for the next generation
• 39:21 Party labels vs. practical solutions
• 42:19 “It’s not okay” to avoid debates—on candidate accountability
• 47:18 Why subsidize corporations, not essential services?
• 54:36 The uphill battle for tax modernization

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Tone & Style

• Candid, irreverent, and honest: The hosts and Hill don’t shy away from calling out both political parties, corporate interests, and toxic masculinity. There’s warmth, laughter, and shared exasperation.
• Hopeful but clear-eyed: Hill is optimistic about change, especially among young and diverse Nevadans, but is honest about entrenched powers and the struggle to bring real reform.
• Transparency & Inclusion: The show underscores the power of showing up—whether in conservative talk radio or among disaffected voters—and the importance of meeting people where they are.

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Final Thoughts

This episode captures the thorny, often disheartening, yet ultimately hopeful intersection of politics, mental health, inequality, and everyday life. Alexis Hill models vulnerability and authenticity as both a candidate and a mother. The hosts probe issues most politicians avoid: the personal toll of the work, how to “fix men,” and why so many feel politically homeless. Listeners, especially young Nevadans and those disillusioned by the two-party system, will find both validation of their frustrations and a call to pragmatic action—and maybe, just maybe, a reason to hope.

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For full context and more moments, listen to the full ad-free episode at Secondhand Therapy’s Patreon.

Transcript

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[Co-host 1]

Secondhand Therapy is presented by Pony Bear Studios. For ad free episodes, head on over to patreon.com secondhand therapy pod hello my

[Co-host 2]

little bear cubs and welcome back to another episode of Secondhand Therapy. We need to remind you that we are not therapists, we are not experts. This is not a substitute for therapy, and this is not professional advice in any way. None of that really matters today because we're talking about politics. That's right, we have a guest in studio.

[Alexis Hill]

However,

[Co-host 2]

because this is a political episode, this is going to be the one and only ad free episode that you're going to get. There will be no, we're not going to be taking ad breaks where we read. There's not going to be any typical radio style commercials. It's going to be an ad free thing because we don't want to present one. We don't want any bias. We don't want anything that we're just giving somebody a platform that we believe in. Yeah, we do still have our sponsors. If you would like to support the podcast, you can do so via BetterHelp site, psychic source or Southern New Hampshire University. All the links are below. I will tell you we have Alexis Hill in studio today. She is a Democratic candidate for governor in our state of Nevada.

[Co-host 1]

That's right, baby.

[Co-host 2]

She's one of the big two names on the ballot. She is widely considered an underdog because she does not accept APAC money. She does not accept corporate money. And her main competitor, who is currently, I believe, the attorney general of Nevada, Aaron Ford. Aaron Ford does accept those things and just went to Israel and goes to Israel and all of those things and refuses to debate her.

[Co-host 1]

Also true.

[Co-host 2]

So just has his big piles of money and is being like, hey, good luck. Yeah, she would eat him alive. Anyway, Alexis Hills in studio. We're going to talk about state of the country, state of the world, how it's affecting what she wants to do here in Nevada.

[Co-host 1]

Also how it's affecting mental health.

[Co-host 2]

Yeah. And touch along a lot of mental health along the way. So if you're in Nevada and you're hearing this. Go vote. Yeah, go vote. Ideally for Alexis. Yeah. But go vote. It's important.

[Co-host 1]

If you're not Nevada, stick around. We talk about a lot of things.

[Co-host 2]

Yeah, yeah, it's. We. We already. She. She just left. We're doing the intro afterward. Uh, it's a really, really good, interesting conversation. Um, she did not show up. With a team. She didn't show up. She doesn't have a publicist here. Nothing like that. Yeah, she didn't give us topics that to talk about, to not talk about. She just was open to sit and have a conversation with us.

[Co-host 1]

Yeah.

[Co-host 2]

And that's what happened. So I enjoyed it. Stick around. I think you'll really enjoy it. It's very interesting. No ads. Please Support the podcast patreon.com Secondhand Therapy Pod merch available secondhand therapy pod.com vasectomyfarms.com if you would like to support women's reproductive rights. Thank you for being here. Enjoy the only ad free episode you will ever get. Hello, my little bear cubs.

[Co-host 1]

And welcome back. Hand therapy.

[Co-host 2]

And we know that if elected, you have a plan to actually enact a department of Mental health.

[Alexis Hill]

Yes.

[Co-host 2]

What does that look like? What does it do? How do you do it?

[Alexis Hill]

Well, we in this state have not invested in mental health. And you can see that with homeless folks on the street. You can see it with people who are in crisis. We have the number one suicide rate for teens in the United States and Nevada. And so it's really putting energy and focus and money towards supporting people when they need either a counselor or a therapist or a psychologist and making sure that we have those resources in the state. And also I think that there's a real opportunity to see what we have as far as resources and where the gaps are. And the state needs to step in. What we've done in Washoe county is we purchased a large mental, behavioral and mental health facility that was shut down, and we are rehabbing it. And we'll have 92 beds for kids ages 4 to 22. And we know that the moment we open it in 27, it'll be full. And we are going to be a Medicaid provider and ensure that anyone can have access to this. But we need this all throughout the state. And so it takes resources and it takes actually the state to lead on this issue instead of county by county struggling to put it together. And that's something that I think that the state needs to take a lead on. And part of the reason why I'm running, because the State isn't supporting any of these efforts.

[Co-host 1]

Yeah, that's what I was going to ask is why don't we have those things now?

[Alexis Hill]

Great question. Yeah. Well, you were telling me you, you moved here because we're a low tax state. And I agree with you, I love that about Nevada. But even being low tax state, you and I pay a disproportionate amount of taxes for just being working people. High gas tax, high sales tax, high vehicle registration tax. But we don't tax anything else. We have the lowest gaming tax in the United States. We don't properly tax mining. We are bringing in major corporations who are not paying their fair shares. So when we don't have a broad base of modernization to ensure that we can pay for basic services, then we don't take care of our people. And you see that every day.

[Co-host 1]

Yeah.

[Co-host 2]

It's also interesting, you and I got in touch at. I went to a roundtable that you had and my girl was telling me

[Alexis Hill]

about

[Co-host 2]

who's a New York City mayor.

[Alexis Hill]

Mandani.

[Co-host 2]

Mandani. How he successfully sued Amazon for they let their trucks idle while they deliver packages. And you had mentioned one of the taxes we do have here is gas tax. And that rang to me that every Amazon vehicle I see is electric and how, just how good these corporations are at skirting tax. Yeah, I've never thought of like all the loopholes that are there. It's very upsetting.

[Alexis Hill]

There's loopholes for days. So those are heavy vehicles driving around in your neighborhoods, not paying to rehabilitate the streets, which is what gas tax goes towards, is towards making road improvements. So Amazon doesn't pay an EV tax and neither do any other corporations that use, you know, EVs and EV vehicles. And they're not doing it because they love the environment. Jeff Bezos isn't like, I love the environment. He's like, how can I make sure that every community I go into I don't have to pay my fair share? That's how he's so rich.

[Co-host 2]

Yeah, he's a real sucker, to be honest with you.

[Co-host 1]

When you're talking about these issues, these heavier issues like mental health and unhoused people and suicide rates and stuff, how does that affect you going home? Like, what do you take home? What, what weighs you down? Or how do you leave that at the office?

[Alexis Hill]

Oh my gosh. That's a really nice question to ask about my mental health. Honestly, I love working out. I need to do something physical with my body just to get the anxiety because I have a Fair amount of that going on because I want to perform and I want to do what's best. And I'm like, really tied up with that. And so if I don't get outside and, you know, touch the grass, as the kids say, then I'm in trouble. Also, I. What my, my kids honestly put things in perspective. I have a four year old and a two year old and I get to talk to them on FaceTime when I'm traveling to run for governor. And that's really rewarding. And I'm like, okay, I'm doing it for these k. And my 2 year old is a foster daughter and she really puts things in perspective because I'm like, we could do so much better for these kids who are left behind in our state and we don't fund that system. And it's a travesty what we do for those kids as well. And so it actually helps with the drive to remember, okay, there's real people that support me and are supporting this. And I'm doing this for like the micro and the macro of making Nevada better, you know?

[Co-host 2]

Yeah. It reminds me of the conversation we had with David. We had a guest on David Sicilo and he came up in the foster system in New Mexico. And it seems. Yeah, it seems to be a countrywide thing that the foster system is just so not focused on kids.

[Alexis Hill]

No.

[Co-host 2]

It's really heartbreaking. I wanted to piggyback off your question because we talk in the House all the time about ICE and Palestine and police corruption and all these things. And like, I know how much it weighs on me.

[Alexis Hill]

Yeah.

[Co-host 2]

And my partner and Michael, like, being in politics and manning a campaign, how do you deal with the weight of issues that are bigger than Nevada?

[Alexis Hill]

Yeah.

[Co-host 2]

Like, how do you handle that?

[Alexis Hill]

Wait, I know. Because it's like, we can't control what Trump does. We can't control that Congress isn't doing shit. We can't control that we're in a, like several wars that are not good for America or our economy and certainly just not good for our community members who are going out and fighting them and dying in them. So I agree it's heavy, but what gives me hope is that I'm seeing governors all around the country who are actually really working for their communities and standing up to Trump and doing what's right for their states. And I'm like, we could do the same thing in Nevada. And our current governor is just like, whatever you want. Trump essentially giving the keys to the state of. You know why we have so many people that have disappeared in this state. And yes, there we're not seeing, you know, ice armed on the strip, certainly, but we're seeing that we have collaboration with the metro of arresting people and making them disappear when they really should be trying to keep our community safe. So I think that making. Seeing that there's real difference that a governor can make gives me hope. If I wasn't running, I'd feel honestly worse because I'm like, then you have an even less control and potentially you're getting people in office who talk a good game but don't really want to do anything. And I'm sick of that. That's why people are, like, disconnected with politics and why democracy is in trouble, because they're not seeing that the government's working for them anymore. And we've got to do that. We've got to. We can both fight Trump and also invest in Nevadans at the same time and have economic prosperity.

[Co-host 1]

Yeah, I'm seeing a lot of people kind of leave the. The Trump train a little bit more and more. But how do you convince the more conservative or traditional voters to. Or how do you change those minds that are the people that are die hard or whatever?

[Alexis Hill]

Yes. I mean, you probably aren't going to change a lot of them because there's people who. It's almost evangelical. It's like a religion, the religion of Trump and occult. Yeah. I mean, he's. He's got something on people. I don't get it. You know, But I gotta tell. I want to ask y'. All, like, I knocked on so many doors for Harris, and I also was running for office myself, so I'd be like, hey, running to run for reelection as your county commissioner. And it was mainly young men, so men that looked like y', all, who would come to the door and they'd be like, okay, they'd be fine with my flyer. And I felt like, okay, they may vote for me. And these are nonpartisans. And then I'm like, hey, I'm also here on behalf of the Harris campaign. I'd love if we could talk about who you think you're going to vote for for president. Do you have any questions? And, like, shut down. And so I thought, oh, my God, these guys could be voting for me and for Donald Trump. And what is that? What is that? Like, what is that disconnect? And where are they connecting with him? And also, maybe they're connecting with me on local issues, but we are diametrically, Trump and I on policy opposed. Right.

[Co-host 1]

Yeah.

[Alexis Hill]

So. But also there's this populist streak of people who want elected officials who will stand up against establishment right now. And Trump did that. He's standing up against the establishment of Republicans and created his own following, his own thing. He's like, recreated the Republican Party. And in many ways, I'm standing up against, not against, but I'm standing up for change for the Democratic Party and pushing the Democratic Party to do better and to better represent people. And so in many ways, my message is more populist in nature. And so potentially that's the draw, too, of, I want to put Nevadans first. Like, what does Trump say? I want to put America first. Like, yeah, potentially there's like some sort of correlation of people who feel connected by, okay, this person's going to fight for me. And they think that about Trump as well. But it's. I'm. I mean, you tell me you've got young men that are followers, like, what do you think that they see in Trump?

[Co-host 2]

Man, that is such a good question.

[Alexis Hill]

You don't have to answer it. I mean, I don't know what the answer is.

[Co-host 2]

I don't either.

[Co-host 1]

Yeah, yeah.

[Co-host 2]

I don't know. I don't know what the answer is. That's also, to your point, probably why we have a 70 female following.

[Alexis Hill]

Yeah,

[Co-host 1]

yeah, I think. I think a lot of the Trump voters are just in that manosphere kind of thing and, like, kind of in that, again, very traditional or alpha mentality. And they see him as a strong man because he.

[Co-host 2]

He shits his pants.

[Co-host 1]

I know, but he also bullies people while he's his pants and they', like, yeah, that's a man. And so, unfortunately, I think what we have to do is fight this idea of what being a man is before we can take down this idea of, you know, why they're voting for somebody like that. There's so many young men who feel unheard and they're feeling heard by the wrong people. They're feeling heard by Joe Rogan and other people in. In the manosphere, or not even Rogan, but even worse than Rogan.

[Alexis Hill]

Right.

[Co-host 2]

He's gotten pretty bad.

[Co-host 1]

Yeah. I'm talking like those influencers that Andrew Tate. Yeah, like those guys, like, that's who they're feeling heard by. And so when they're, you know, they're not interested in listening to. Do you think that policy from Harris.

[Co-host 2]

Do you think that they're feeling heard by those people? Or do you feel. Or do you think that they feel like those people are giving them a voice?

[Co-host 1]

I think Maybe not heard, maybe seen. I think a lot of those guys see a guy like Andrew Tate and they go, I want to be that. I mean, I watched that. That manosphere documentary that just came out with Louis. Whatever his name is, the British guy.

[Alexis Hill]

He's really good.

[Co-host 1]

It's incredible.

[Co-host 2]

Okay.

[Co-host 1]

But that was the feedback from when he was interviewing people that were, like, listening and, like, following all these podcasts in the manosphere. That was what they were saying is like, this guy teaches me how to be a man. I want to be him. I want to make money. I want to, you know, this and that. And so that's what they're gaining from that, is they feel like being seen.

[Co-host 2]

Bankrupt pedophiles.

[Alexis Hill]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. They really are.

[Co-host 1]

But they don't know that because they see the camera. All they see is what's on camera. They're scrolling, and they're seeing a guy count money in front of his Lamborghini and say, I can help you do this.

[Alexis Hill]

Right.

[Co-host 2]

Okay. So how do we make men smarter? How do we do that?

[Co-host 1]

How do we fix men?

[Alexis Hill]

I mean, here's the thing. I think people are craving. And I was asked, was on a podcast, believe it or not, earlier this morning, and I was asked, what do you think the American dream is? And I think people are craving the American dream, and it's really hard to get that right now. Like, buying a house.

[Co-host 2]

Yeah.

[Alexis Hill]

Is. Feels so. And as a young person, it's like, am I going to be able to do that? And I feel like. And I. I'm not. I'm not a man. I. But I'm wondering if men are like, am I being left behind in this economy? I need someone who's gonna promise me that they can do something for me, even if it's voting for an authoritarian regime that will take down democracy. If you can make my life more affordable and you can promise me the American dream, and that's kind of the fake promise of Trump, is make America great again. Okay. Like, for whom? And when was America so great? So America's like, constant evolution. Right? So I think that that can be very alluring, and especially if you don't have a strong male presence and you feel like, oh, what is my future? How am I going to even make it? I think that that potentially that kind of message, and that's why we need to do better for working people, because I think working people are like, well, he promised that, and even though he may not allow us to hold elections, you know.

[Co-host 2]

Yeah.

[Alexis Hill]

Then maybe it's worth it, because I'm still going to make it. And so I think that that's, that's concerning and something that we, we should take seriously because, yeah, I think the Democratic Party is the best party for the people, but we are losing, like, membership. We are losing elections. We'll see what happens in this blue wave that they're predicting that we'll have. And I mean, I hope that that is what happens. But I think especially in Las Vegas, we've got working people here who are struggling. Like I talk to people and I'm sure you have friends, three jobs, sometimes just to make rent here. And so I think figuring out a way to create opportunity and that showing that opportunity can be created by Democrats is going to be our biggest challenge. If we do, we, we win. And we do accomplish that blue wave to make sure, like a Trump 3.0 or whatever, whoever. J.D. vance, whatever doesn't happen.

[Co-host 1]

Yeah.

[Alexis Hill]

We gotta deliver for people, make their lives better, you know, regardless the party.

[Co-host 2]

Yeah.

[Co-host 1]

Yeah.

[Co-host 2]

I mean, well, the Democrats have kind of lost me, honestly.

[Alexis Hill]

Yeah, I know.

[Co-host 2]

It's, it's such, it's a real bummer. Yeah.

[Alexis Hill]

Is it. Are you a nonpartisan right now?

[Co-host 2]

I was and then I registered. I reg. I updated to a Democrat so you

[Alexis Hill]

could vote in the primary. Yeah.

[Co-host 2]

Yeah.

[Alexis Hill]

Which is a crazy, crazy, messed up system that Republicans and Democrats have not wanted to change. They want to keep the primaries closed so they can control them.

[Co-host 1]

Yeah.

[Co-host 2]

And what you, you're. I don't know if it's your knock, but I, No, I don't. I try to stay off the Internet mostly. He's.

[Alexis Hill]

That's hilarious for what you do.

[Co-host 2]

It's unreal. Yeah. Don't even get me started. But he's, he's pretty in into social media, so he kind of tells me things. The knock on the Democratic Party is, correct me if I'm wrong, is that essentially Republicans, they'll like, they'll play dirty, they'll do all the things. And then the Democratic response is always like, we don't sink to their level. Let them do it. And then they're just kicking the out of us.

[Co-host 1]

Yeah, it's that. And it's also like kind of what you were talking about earlier where it's so hard to even be a Democrat or a liberal because you have to check every single box where it's so easy to be a Republican or a conservative. You just have to agree on one issue. You're like, do you like guns? Sure do.

[Co-host 2]

Great.

[Co-host 1]

Come on in. Where like, if you're like, I'm a Democrat. I was like, well, where do you stand on this? Where do you stand on this? Where do you stand if you miss one of those? They're like, you're not a Democrat. You're not a liberal. Like, you're not enough.

[Alexis Hill]

Oh, no, that's not good. Because we are supposed to have this huge tent.

[Co-host 1]

Right.

[Alexis Hill]

Which allows everyone to.

[Co-host 1]

It feels like it's flopped.

[Alexis Hill]

Right.

[Co-host 1]

Yeah, yeah. Republicans are just like, do you like, Jesus or guns? Come on over.

[Co-host 2]

Yeah.

[Alexis Hill]

We'll work out the details later. Yeah, yeah.

[Co-host 2]

You'd be like, well, I'm. I actually really am pro. Like, I support abortion.

[Alexis Hill]

Yeah.

[Co-host 2]

Like, okay, we'll just get. Bring your gun. We'll try to change your mind. Yeah, yeah, that is a good point. Yeah.

[Co-host 1]

You have to check every box in order to be on. On the right side.

[Alexis Hill]

Just let me help.

[Co-host 1]

I just want to help.

[Alexis Hill]

Yeah, we love canceling people.

[Co-host 1]

Yeah.

[Co-host 2]

Oh, yes, we do.

[Alexis Hill]

And, hey, I think that when people say things that are racist or sexist, like, we gotta tell them, and. Yeah, tell them why. But have you ever, like, hung out with an old, older person? Like, they don't even know that they're being that way in many ways. So it's an education less of, like, you're canceled.

[Co-host 2]

Yeah.

[Alexis Hill]

But I think that hopefully. There seems to be kind of a backlash on the cancel culture.

[Co-host 1]

It doesn't seem to be real anymore. I mean, you see so many people getting canceled, and then two years later, they're on tour and you're like, right. Oh, I thought you were not allowed to be on the Internet anymore. Like, yeah, I'm doing stadiums now.

[Alexis Hill]

Right.

[Co-host 1]

Okay, cool.

[Alexis Hill]

Like, Louis ck.

[Co-host 1]

Yeah.

[Alexis Hill]

He's coming here, I think. Or is here.

[Co-host 1]

Of course he is.

[Alexis Hill]

Yeah.

[Co-host 2]

I mean.

[Co-host 1]

I mean, if he's gonna go anywhere.

[Alexis Hill]

Yeah, exactly.

[Co-host 1]

Put him on the street.

[Alexis Hill]

Yeah.

[Co-host 1]

Well, speaking of, like, have social media influences and, like, all that stuff. And you said you did a podcast earlier, and you're clearly in a studio now, and we're talking about male voters, especially. Like, do you think that actually moves the needle? Like, when Trump goes on? You know, I'm just using him as an example. Like, he's on Rogan or he's on Theo or whatever. Do you think that actually moves the needle or it's just noise?

[Alexis Hill]

It moves the needle.

[Co-host 1]

Yeah.

[Alexis Hill]

You have to make yourself accessible. You have to be in every space.

[Co-host 2]

Yeah.

[Alexis Hill]

As a politician, you cannot, like, come into spaces and say, here are the questions. You can ask me. I'm here for 10 minutes, and I'll see you later. We. I think people want to know intimately the people who are running their communities, understandably. Like, they want to understand them. And even though Trump says horrific things all the time on these podcasts, people are like, he's real. You know? And so as part of this campaign, and certainly when I've run before, but obviously on, like, way lower scale, I've never said no to a media opportunity because I'm like, I want to get to know people. I went on this very conservative talk radio show in Vegas a few weeks ago. Oh, my gosh. It was so intense. And they were saying really horrible things about trans people. Like, off the bat, like, right as they, like, got into it with me, I'm like, oh, my gosh. So. But I feel like by the end, we were agreeing. I said. They said, well, why are you Democrat? I'm like, I care about people. And he. The guy who was interviewing me was like, yeah, I was homeless as a kid. And I agree the Democrats are good at that, and we should do better. I'm like, are we agreeing on something? Oh, my God, we're agreeing on something.

[Co-host 2]

Yeah.

[Alexis Hill]

And he even backed off on. I was like, I had two trans folks in my family, and, like, why are we othering people? This is crazy. This is the in. In America, but certainly in Nevada. That's why I love Nevada. Nevada. It's like, I don't care. Do what you're gonna do. We're here to make money. We're here to, you know, live, like, ha. Live that dream. Don't mess with me. I'm not gonna mess with you. You do whatever you need to do. I'm gonna do what I need to do. That's what I love about this state. And when we started talking in that way, I was, like, feeling kind of, like, optimistic. Like, maybe we can talk to each other, you know, and not have to say, oh, you don't check this box. Therefore, you're excluded from the party. Instead of, like, can we just align on. I mean, I think that the boogeyman to align on right now is billionaires and corporations. Let's tax them. Like, I think, oh, my God.

[Co-host 2]

Yes.

[Alexis Hill]

On economic issues. And there's a book, Poverty by America. Oh, my gosh. Matthew Desmond is his name. Who wrote it? And he talks at the end how he went to a rally, and it was people asking for better wages. And there were Trump people in the rally, and there were very liberal people like me in the rally. And he's like, america needs to remember that we are Aligned on this issue of equality, of making sure everyone has access to that dream and that no one can just take it for themselves. And so we could run on anti poverty policies, I think. And maybe that's not as sexy enough. You need to help me with the marketing on it.

[Co-host 2]

But yeah, we'll look at that.

[Alexis Hill]

Yeah, look into it. But talking about how we have an opportunity to really ensure that everyone has opportunity in the state and in the country and running on that, I think. And that's what love him or hate, hate him. Mandani did. He's like free public transit, free child care and rent caps and groceries that you can access. I don't know, a few other things. But like, mainly these were the, their economic issues that.

[Co-host 2]

Yeah. If you disagree with it, don't live here.

[Alexis Hill]

Right.

[Co-host 2]

Like, this is an every everybody issues. Yeah, I see. Yeah. Sorry.

[Alexis Hill]

So, no, I think that you're right. That's where it's, it's hard to disagree with that. And even like, more conservative folks are paying for child care in Nevada and they're paying over 10 of their income on child care. They, if they can find it and like close to college tuition rates to put your kid in childcare in Nevada, because we have so few childcare facilities and we don't have a government support of it. And my foster daughter, for example, the state supports our child care, so they pay for her daycare, which is amazing because that would be a big expense for us. We're already paying for our other daughter's childcare. And it's, it's good. It's an incentive for a foster family to be like, okay, that's one more thing I don't have to pay for. But there also is a list for need in the state that the state has of, you know, people who should be able to qualify for childcare because they're low income. The list doesn't move. You can't, you can't get a child care subsidy unless you're a foster parent in the state because we don't have any money for that. And so when we talk about like, and this is just one issue, but it just is emblematic of the problem. We talk about how we want to keep families together and how we have a foster care crisis. We have too many kids in care and not enough foster families to take care of them. And they should be staying with their families and then we make it impossible for them to stay with their families because it's a lot of the issue. Yes, there's substance abuse and there's some other things that we the. That families need to work on. But poverty and not having enough money to put your kid in childcare is a major problem. So why we're not doing more upstream investment for people and then instead we love to invest in the jails and the hospitals and the foster care system. You know, when it's breaking people, it makes no sense to me.

[Co-host 1]

Yeah, there's no money in the preemptive.

[Alexis Hill]

Right.

[Co-host 1]

It's always in the, in the post. You know, it's like, yeah, if we could get these people not to do drugs, not to do these things, then we would need money for the jails

[Alexis Hill]

and the other things.

[Co-host 1]

But we don't want to put money towards the preemptive stuff.

[Alexis Hill]

No.

[Co-host 1]

Yeah, yeah.

[Alexis Hill]

That's like. I've, I've had some debates with folks who understandably are worried about what rent caps, because this is something I'm running on will do for landlords. And like, if you cap the rent, the landlord can't improve the property. And I hear that. And we've seen like slums happen because of rent control in other communities, but we have so many homeless people. I think it's like 7,000 at least that they have documented in Las Vegas. 7,000. That's a, that's a community.

[Co-host 2]

Yeah, that's a lot.

[Alexis Hill]

That's like a small town in Nevada, essentially. And a lot of this is seniors who can't afford their rent anymore, have no one and no one to help them, and are disabled. And we're like, go to the street. Crazy.

[Co-host 2]

Yeah.

[Alexis Hill]

And it's like, I think we can temporarily cap rent while we find a way to stabilize rent in our state so that we don't have to pay for people dying on the street.

[Co-host 1]

So when you, I mean, I'm sure you get criticism all the time and I don't know how update you, how much you upkeep on your social media and things like that. I'm sure your team does or whatever. But like, how do you deal with backlash or feedback or negative things that, that, you know, live in the comment sections.

[Alexis Hill]

My husband just wrote an op ed saying my. I'm staying at home with my two daughters so my wife can beat Lombardo. And last night I was like doom scrolling after this event that it was a great event that we had. And then of course I have to get on Instagram and doom scroll and I see the article pop up in all these comments and like, you know, love and hate on it. I'm like, I have to get off of this, like, I can't see what people are saying, like, sexist stuff about my husband staying at home and, you know, all that kind of stuff. But, yeah, it's not a healthy system, but you got to be in it. I don't know. It's the way we're con. We're. It's the way we're talking to each other. It's a way a lot of people talk to each other. So you can't get fully out of it either. And it does help you understand what people are thinking. I don't know. It's a tough environment.

[Co-host 2]

Do you. I think I know the answer to this. Do you find that yourself? You get more comments, not about your accomplishments in office or your policies, but more about your looks or your family because you're a female.

[Alexis Hill]

Oh, yeah.

[Co-host 2]

Yeah.

[Alexis Hill]

But also, what's so cool is that I feel, like, great hope about it, too, because the reason that you're seeing so much nastiness on social media about women who are running for office is because more women are running for office. And then soon it's going to be this normal thing. Like, my mom, she worked for the tourism bureau for a short amount of time. She did marketing and sales when I was growing up. And they would pass around Playboys in the sales meetings. I think that's where I.

[Co-host 2]

At the White House, baby.

[Alexis Hill]

Hey. I know exactly. Oh, my God, you're so right. But I don't know. I feel like a lot of hope because women aren't standing for that shit anymore.

[Co-host 2]

Yeah.

[Alexis Hill]

And also more women are in spaces and people of color are in spaces and, you know, and it's forcing everyone to really. I mean, like, young people, like Tori, who's here, like, who's on my. An organizer on the team. Like, I have so much hope being with young people because I'm like, they're not as worried about identity politics in the same way we seem to obsess about it. And that is like. I'm like, we can do it. But even talking to young people on my campaign, they're like, we've never had a female governor in Nevada. I'm like, I know. Crazy.

[Co-host 2]

Yeah.

[Alexis Hill]

Like, California's never had a female governor either.

[Co-host 2]

Really?

[Alexis Hill]

Yeah.

[Co-host 2]

Oh, shit.

[Alexis Hill]

So they're not any fancier than us. Don't let them tell you that.

[Co-host 1]

Yeah. I think some of that stuff is just kind of like old traditions that are breaking and dying with the people that held them. So, like, your grandpa's not gonna vote.

[Alexis Hill]

Yeah.

[Co-host 1]

For a woman or whatever. You know what I Mean, but, like, his grandson might.

[Alexis Hill]

Yeah.

[Co-host 1]

Because he doesn't have those same beliefs or he wasn't taught, you know, the same things that he was about women. I think the narrative of women and people of color and all these things has changed so much that. Yeah. We don't. Yeah. Those old traditions are dying with the people that held them.

[Alexis Hill]

Exactly. I remember my grandpa told my aunt, because my aunt changed parties when Trump ran and was like, I can't be a Republican anymore. And she told my grandpa, I'm voting for Hillary. I'll be back. And my grandpa's like, are you sure you need to vote? So horrible. Horrible. But you're so. You were actually talking about my grandpa, R.I.P. but, yes, a different generation. But that's, like, where the paranoia is of young men being.

[Co-host 1]

Yeah.

[Alexis Hill]

Captivated by the strong man.

[Co-host 1]

Well, you're seeing. There is a little hope there. You're seeing a shift happen. Who's the. Nick Fuentes?

[Alexis Hill]

Yeah.

[Co-host 1]

He's in the manosphere and all that stuff.

[Co-host 2]

I don't know. I know the name. I don't know.

[Co-host 1]

Yeah, but even he's coming around to.

[Co-host 2]

Sounds like he's five foot three.

[Co-host 1]

He is. But even he's coming around now to this idea that, like, Trump is not the guy and he's been lied to and that he is angry about what's happening and he's coming around. The policies and things that he's talking about now are, whether he knows it or not or he's doing it on purpose or not, are Democratic and liberal ideas. And so I heard something the other day was really interesting, which was, I'm not agreeing with them, they're agreeing with us. And I like that a lot because there were moments where I'll see a clip of, like, Candace Owens or somewhere like, Tucker Carlson, where I'm like, hey, they're making a good point, and they're talking about the same things I'm talking about right now. And I'm like, am I agreeing with Candace Owens? Like, no, she's agreeing with you.

[Alexis Hill]

Yeah.

[Co-host 1]

And I like that where there is space for that is happening, because I think the worst thing that we could do is still dog them or torment them or treat them bad. And it's like, hey, come on over. Yeah, please, please come on over. You have a huge following. You have a voice.

[Alexis Hill]

You.

[Co-host 1]

You have people that feel seen and heard from you. Like, and you're talking about the same liberal or Democratic ideas that we are in the change that we're trying to make. So, like, come on over.

[Co-host 2]

I Think we could punish them a little bit?

[Co-host 1]

I mean. Yeah.

[Co-host 2]

Before they come on over.

[Alexis Hill]

Yeah. They can donate to a domestic violence resource center or. Yeah. Resources for foster kids. Yeah, I agree with you.

[Co-host 1]

Yeah, there's gonna be some kind of tax

[Alexis Hill]

for. Yeah. Having to move over to the, the good side. But I hear what you're saying. I did an interview with Amanda Lipman. She has created Run for Something and it, it endorses and supports candidates under 40 who want to run for office. And I was the very first class because I'm 43 now, so I'm out of that. But in 2020 and I was endorsed for, to run for office, I was running against an incumbent Republican and I was like, had no endorsements, no money, and they were there to support me. And it was like this class that I had of, you know, running for office, asking for advice, connecting on social media. It was so cool. And I asked her, I said, because she used to work for Obama, she used to work for Hillary. I said, what, what are you thinking about the Democratic Party right now and what. How we can make more people join the party and remember that this is the party that represents a five day workweek and ensures that kids aren't working in shirtwaist factories and all of those really good things. Medicaid, Medicare, you know, the civil rights movement, et cetera. So she's. And the woman's right to choose. Where do we even stop? There. But she's like, I'm less worried about making sure that people move over to the Democratic Party and just making sure that they vote for candidates that align with us. And I'm like, yes, I have got to change my mindset to try to convert people to something they may not be interested in doing and understand that they just need to. I don't care where you align. Republican, nonpartisan, Libertarian. I mean, there's a million parties in Nevada, you know, as long as you vote for me, because I'm going to take care of you and I care about you. And so I think that that mindset is. You're right. Like, come and join us. You're already doing it. You're doing it.

[Co-host 1]

Yeah. The labels don't. Shouldn't matter anymore, you know, especially because there's only two choices anyways. They don't let anybody else play.

[Co-host 2]

Yeah.

[Co-host 1]

I mean, it's either you're Democrat or Republican and everybody else, they don't want to hear from you.

[Alexis Hill]

But I'll tell you, as a candidate, it is brutal to campaign like forge in a general election when Nonpartisans can participate and we'll see when, let's say when I get elected and I make sure that we reverse that, nonpartisans can't participate in the primaries and we change that system, which will be a great change for our state and making sure that people are not being disenfranchised. But marketing as a candidate to nonpartisans is so hard and more expensive than just talking to Democrats. Understanding, okay, we're, we're aligned. So that's what's. It's. It's expensive because nonpartisans can fall into QAnon and they can fall into. Might as well be a Democrat or a socialist or. You know what I'm saying?

[Co-host 1]

Okay.

[Alexis Hill]

And so finding, like talking to these folks, it's extremely expensive to find them and to talk to them and then actually seeing if they're will they will align with you is hard too. So that's where campaigning and figuring out how we can. One of the questions today was like, what is democracy? Do we have it anymore? And that's like, brutal and heartbreaking in many ways when you really think about it. Yeah, but how we candidates can connect with people that also don't have the money, you know, that don't have the endorsements, don't have the traditional corporate support, who are actually speaking up and speaking out against things that are wrong that should be changed and are going to fight against the status quo. How do you get those people elected? Especially when it's so expensive and hard to understand, like, who are my voters? How do I even find these people? It's really interesting and I think that's going to be a, a difficult landscape down the line.

[Co-host 2]

And that's interesting because I did your. We're in the primary cycle right now, so you're considered an underdog. Yeah, to Aaron. Aaron Ford. That's what I thought. I've been calling him Adam Gary all day.

[Co-host 1]

Like, no, it's Aaron. He's like, adam Gary.

[Co-host 2]

Got it. Adam Gary, I got it. Aaron Ford, I'm gonna tell you right now, like him.

[Alexis Hill]

Yeah.

[Co-host 1]

Now,

[Co-host 2]

I was reading up on a little bit of stuff today, and it seems so unfair. That one, he's done like, education trips to Israel and he has all this kind of funding and all these things and correct me if I'm wrong, refuses to debate you.

[Alexis Hill]

Yeah, yeah.

[Co-host 2]

What. What are we doing?

[Alexis Hill]

He doesn't think he has to. He thinks he's got it in the bag. So let's show him that he's wrong.

[Co-host 2]

Hey, you're a fucking loser, dude.

[Alexis Hill]

It's not okay to, in my opinion, run for office and not participate. Like that's a problem. And I really worry about what that means. So we had several cycles ago in the general election, Steve Sisolak against Adam Laxall. And this is before y' all lived here. But. So Steve Sislak was running as a governor. He was a county commissioner in Clark County. And Adam Laxalt, very well known, family name, Republican, maga. They did not debate each other ever. And I think, like, this whole refusal to debate sets a really bad precedent. And our current sitting governor wouldn't debate any Republicans who were running in the primary when he ran the first time as well. And they called him no Show Joe. Yeah, it didn't really do anything for him because he obviously is our governor. But I do think it's important to demand that candidates stand side by side and address the same question so you can see where they stand on these issues. Some really basic things. Yeah, but the party should be pushing that. Yeah, and the party's not pushing it either, because they just want an easy primary win. But my concern is, I don't think we're remembering that we've got to run against Joe Lombardo.

[Co-host 2]

That's what I was gonna say. An easy primary. One does not equate to a better chance in the official election.

[Alexis Hill]

No.

[Co-host 2]

So fucking Democrats.

[Co-host 1]

That's why we love to eat our own. We love to eat our own.

[Alexis Hill]

And so I think we're always gonna be outspent, especially with this sitting governor, because there's a lot of business interests who don't want to see any change. So one gaming company alone gave him over a million dollars. You can't tell me that they don't have some sway over our current governor.

[Co-host 2]

Yeah, of course.

[Alexis Hill]

And so he's always going to have more money for messaging. The question is, who can organize and who can actually create momentum in the. In the community to create change? Because you can't. Someone is not going to vote against a sitting governor unless they're really seeing a difference in the other candidate and seeing that that candidate is moving towards change. I would argue, and I'm running against Aaron Ford because his economic policies are the same as Governor Lombardo's. No new taxes. Which they think that's like, a great slogan because you guys won't be scared to vote for them. But the problem is that means they're not going to tax corporate entities or billionaires who are literally stealing from Nevadans right now. And they love these subsidies that we give away to data Centers and to, yeah, Walmart and Amazon and Tesla. And it's not helping us, it's actually hurting us because we don't even have enough money to pay for K through 12 education. We, I just was talking to teachers at an event earlier today and they're like, yeah, huge class sizes, no teacher aides, kids have special needs. There's. We're not educating in the classrooms the way that we should. And so we can't even base like do basic things in this state. And so anyone who is running for office and is not talking about increasing revenues is essentially saying we're going to cut.

[Co-host 1]

We're seeing a lot of these new data centers like be just like put upon these communities now with these billionaires funding it and whether there's no vote happening, they're just popping up. Yet they're damaging all these communities because of, you know, resources and water especially. And I imagine that's happening or they want it to happen here in Nevada. How do we stop that? How, what do we do about it? Or is there anything we can do?

[Alexis Hill]

Yes, right now in the state we incentivize data centers to come here. They get a 75 property tax abatement for anywhere for a decade to 20 years. They get a cool, yeah, yeah, we're subsidizing AI. It's so great. And they get a sales tax abatement as well. They think that over $500 million has not gone to local communities to pay for essential services like healthcare and seniors and young people because of the data centers that we've been incentivizing to come into our state. And it's statutory. So every month the Governor's Office of Economic Development meets and gives away these huge tax abatements, totally unregulated, no transparency, no actual paperwork on how they've helped the economy, no, you know, studies being done by the state. So I know that everyone wants to prohibit and just outlaw data centers. I think that's a little harder than actually regulating them properly, which we could do in this state and setting up our local governments for actually being able to regulate data centers if it's something that they want to do. But right now they're huge energy consumer, they take up. Well, there's talk that we won't meet our portfolio standard by 2030, which is reducing greenhouse gases if we don't properly regulate the energy that data centers use or ask them to find a clean energy source, which we should be doing as a state. Yeah. And so that's my part of my data center proposals. Is ensuring that a. There's more transparency if we, we know what the real impact is of data centers on local communities. And there's actually some data for, for citizens to understand and look at. I want to end the tax abatements by executive order on day one because it's crazy. We should not be subsidizing this use. Maybe we should subsidize our schools or other, you know, mental health, not data centers. And also making sure that they meet that high portfolio standard when they have to bring in clean energy if they're going to operate in the state. And make sure that we hold MV energy accountable for that. And then we allow for data centers outside of Southern Nevada Water Authority to use evaporative cooling to cool the equipment. And we are in a desert. Yeah, this entire state is in a desert. So even if parts of Northern Nevada don't use Colorado river water, they use other water basins. They still have water crisis. There's a water crisis in the state regardless of where you live. And so outlying evaporative cooling will be essential as well. So I think that there's ways that we can, if this is something local communities want to have, and I think we need to have a discussion on whether that's right or not. But we need to properly regulate them. And the state needs to actually support local communities with those regulations. Because right now, when you come in for an application to do a data center in a local community, they're going to call you a warehouse, even though you have totally different impacts to a community. They have high noise levels, high energy use, high water use, properly siting them and making sure that they're in the right locations for communities. All of those things should be essential. And providing the resources for local communities is part of the state's job. Especially because in our state, we are not a home rule state. So what that means is every two years you have to go to the legislature and beg them to give you direction or revenues or the ability to create a law, because we are Dillon's law state. So the legislature gives local governments the power and the authority. So they don't give you the authority. You can't do it. And so the system right now makes it so hard for local governments to really react to new things like this. Airbnbs, data centers, Lyft and, and Uber, all of these kind of, you know, new technologies or new uses of the economy. And how do we properly regulate them? And how do we prot. Protect workers? How do we protect ensuring that there's no wage theft and all of those things. Well, if the state doesn't give us the resources, we can't legally do it as local communities. So there's so many things that we could fix on the state level and really support local communities on. And that's why I'm excited about this job, because that's hard stuff, governing, right? Like getting that stuff done, working with the legislature, working with the industry and seeing how the industry can come to the table and provide options. But that excites me because I'm like, that is actually the job of the governor is to dig in and see how you can help all 17 counties in the state, instead of being like, good luck, I wish you luck.

[Co-host 2]

So when you said areas outside of Southern Nevada use evaporative cooling, that means that southern Nevada, these data centers, have been forced to find a new way to cool.

[Alexis Hill]

Yes.

[Co-host 2]

So they can do it.

[Alexis Hill]

They can do it. Oh, yeah. And Southern Nevada Water Authority, love them or hate them, they are seen in the world as one of the preeminent water authorities in the world. They go and show their technology and the deals that they made. Like, they recently made a deal, I think, with Orange county to help with their salinization because they're going to pull less from the Colorado river, and it will allow the Southern Nevada Water Authority to potentially have additional water. So they're. They're doing incredible things, but the state isn't helping them or supporting them or supporting new technologies or pushing back on upriver users and water users who are using irrigation, flood irrigation to essentially grow crops that they're shipping to China. Our water is going to China through alfalfa and not even food we're eating. So, yeah, that's happening upriver. And so I think that there's real opportunity for the governor also to engage on those issues and support the Water Authority because they've done amazing things. And honestly, people in Las Vegas should be so proud. The per capita water use has been reduced so dramatically. Urban people have a perspective that urban water use is where the problem is. So we shouldn't build anymore. And, hey, I hear that. And I think we need to figure out how to more sustainably grow as a state. But it's the old technologies of ag that are the problems. And we. They're legacy water users, so they're allowed to do whatever the hell that they want, essentially. And while urban communities like Las Vegas are continuing to feel the squeeze and continuing to cut back and continuing to have to ask for sacrifices of community members. And so I think there's real opportunity to have those discussions with other governors of those other states and seeing how there's compromise to be made. Okay with that.

[Co-host 2]

I want to ask you if you could snap your fingers and change one thing, what would it be? Oh my God.

[Alexis Hill]

There's so many things I want to change. I think if I could snap my fingers and make a change, oh man. I want to go through the modernization of the tax code without all the pain. Because that's going to be a brutal discussion on the legislative level.

[Co-host 2]

But meaning worth it.

[Alexis Hill]

Because you're going to have to ask everyone to come to the table. The state of Nevada is in such a crisis and is so broke and so are your local governments that it's not just one industry that can fix this problem. Everyone has to come to the table. And we've seen mining do it before. They've willingly increased their tax burden because they saw that there it could have been worse. And so we've seen industry come to the table. But it's going to be a fight and it's going to be a lot of compromises and it's going to be figuring out the best way to tax wealth. And we know how to do it. It's just going to be hard. And there's so many special interests and so much money tied in with keeping things the same. And so it's going to be a really tough session. And again, our legislative sessions are every two years for 120 days. So that's tough to get that kind of big work done for a reason. Those sessions are short, so no work gets done. So Nevada stays, quote unquote business friendly. So I think that that is, it's, it's a lift. And so many people have told me like, I love all the things you want to do for the state, but how are you going to get it done? I'm like, well, let's worry about one foot in front of another. Like there's so many problems to fix and I'm really eager to get in there and fix them. And it starts with actually making sure we have enough money to pay for things. And in this state, we've always hoped that the visitor would pay or that, you know, the extractive economy of mining will pay. And it's not working for us. It's not working what we're doing. So we've got to figure out how everyone can pay a little bit. Not the working person because again, we pay a disproportionate high amount of taxes as compared to the very wealthy. But it is going to be a tough discussion, but I'm eager to do it. But that would be great. Just modernize our tax code overnight.

[Co-host 2]

Nice.

[Alexis Hill]

Sign me up.

[Co-host 2]

Hello my little bear cub. I just wanted to say thank you so much for listening to this episode. If you like ad free episodes and other bonus content, please head on over to patreon.com secondhand therapypod okay, love you.

[Alexis Hill]

Bye.

[Co-host 2]

And we know that. Grr. Jesus, that's a bear.

[Alexis Hill]

It's not real.

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