Talking Downey
175 episodes listed below
Downey’s civic life, up close.
Talking Downey with Mayor Mario Guerra is a locally rooted civic conversation about what is changing, celebrated, argued over, and remembered in Downey. Episodes move from credit union leadership and city murals to cafes, chamber events, Catholic service, and the city’s space legacy.
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Talking Downey with Mayor Mario Guerra is a civic show built around one city’s daily texture. It is local in the strongest sense. Episodes spend real time with Downey businesses, public spaces, nonprofit projects, faith traditions, and the people who keep those pieces moving. The Columbia Memorial Space Center is a recurring anchor. Its work with children, science education, the Challenger Center, and the planned Inspiration Building becomes a way to talk about Downey’s identity as a forward-looking community. Public art gets the same close attention. A downtown mural is not just scenery; it becomes a conversation about history, local artists, city funding, the shuttle Columbia, and what a city chooses to show about itself. Business episodes are equally grounded. At One 12 Caffe, Sarah and Sam describe coffee, pastries, freshness, family support, and the practical confidence that comes after a first year in business. Natalie’s field segments add movement and warmth, especially at the Downey Chamber of Commerce event focused on powerful women, vendors, bakery owners, event rentals, and encouragement for new entrepreneurs. Nader Moghaddam’s appearances connect Financial Partners Credit Union to civic sponsorship, credit union leadership, and the Columbia Memorial Space Center. The show also makes room for faith, with a Lent and Holy Week episode explaining Catholic deacon service through Mario Guerra’s own public and religious experience. It can be celebratory. It can also be blunt. In the episode responding to comments, online criticism becomes part of the civic record, handled with a mix of humor, irritation, and boundary-setting. The pacing is conversational, sometimes sprawling, and often driven by interviews rather than tight narration. That looseness is part of the appeal. The show gives listeners a sense of being close to ribbon cuttings, community rooms, cafes, and board projects before they become finished civic stories. It is best for people who care about Downey, but it also works for anyone interested in how a city explains itself from the inside.
Made for: For listeners who care about Downey’s businesses, public projects, faith life, city history, and civic arguments. It especially suits people who prefer neighbor-level conversation over polished regional news.
What sets it apart: The show connects city government, local business, philanthropy, aerospace history, public art, and personal service without treating them as separate worlds. Its strength is the lived-in specificity of Downey names, places, events, and institutions.
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Based on 5 episodes we listened to · September 2026
Talking Downey makes local government legible by connecting council decisions, civic institutions and community businesses to changes residents can see.
Mario Guerra brings municipal politics down to the scale of council votes, downtown projects and the people running local institutions. His conversation with councilwoman Claudia Frometa gives competing views on immigration enforcement room to develop, while his account of a new…
Downey gets a front-row seat, and Mario Guerra saves you one beside the city regulars.
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Short reviews from the PlayNext desk, based on the episodes we processed.
A warm local cafe story about young founders, family backing, and steady growth.
Inside One 12 Cafe follows Natalie with Sarah and Sam as they trace a cafe that began with a high-school idea, support from Sarah's parents, and a lucky opening next to the Olive restaurant.
A downtown mural becomes a practical, local case for public art and civic pride.
The segment stays close to the ground: a downtown mural, the people who helped get it up, and the plain fact that public art still needs money and local buy-in.
A Downey-rooted conversation about leadership, service, and a credit union built over 21 years.
Talking Downey turns a local civic reunion into a plainspoken credit-union story. Mayor Mario Guerra and Nader trade memories about Downey, the Columbia Memorial Space Center, and Financial Partners Credit Union, and the piece is strongest when it stays close to that shared…
A chamber event becomes a straightforward look at women building businesses in public.
The episode follows a Downey Chamber of Commerce gathering with a plainspoken eye on local small-business life. There is setup, networking, vendors, and a steady stream of women introducing what they do.
A local immigration debate that turns national tension into city-level responsibility.
Downey's immigration debate stays grounded in city politics, with Claudia Fermata spelling out the local view in direct language. The strongest moments come when the discussion moves past policy labels and into what the fight means for families, neighborhoods, and the basic duty…
Business leaders, market lessons, real operating stories.
Leadership thinking under real pressure.
Calmer leadership, clearer teams, stronger trust.
Practical leadership coaching for visible career growth.
This episode features an interview with Nader Moghaddam, CEO of Financial Partners Credit Union and chairman of the Columbia Memorial Space Center board, discussing the center's impact on children and future expansion plans.
Nicole is in the middle of the setup when the gathering starts to take shape.
Mayor Mario Guerra welcomes Financial Partners Credit Union CEO Nader Moghadam to Talking Downey.
Natalie visits 112 Cafe.
Mayor Mario Guerra talks through the new downtown Downey mural and the dedication around it.
Former mayor Mario Guerra responds to viewer comments on his podcast, addressing both positive feedback and negative criticism while sharing insights from community interactions.
Former mayor and Catholic deacon Mario Guerra, joined by his wife Ann, discusses the role of a deacon in the Catholic Church and prepares listeners for the Lenten and Easter seasons.
Former Mayor Mario Guerra discusses the importance of the local newspaper, the Downey Patriot, and highlights recent stories including ICE agents in town and a new football coach.
Former mayor Mario Guerra discusses Downey's space history and the Columbia Memorial Space Center's role in STEM education.
Former mayor Mario Guerra discusses a controversial ICE raid on gardeners in Downey, expressing concerns about profiling and the shift from targeting only serious criminals.
Council member Horacio Ortiz discusses balancing city council duties with personal and work responsibilities.
Former mayor Mario Guerra interviews Stonewood Mall's general manager about the mall's history, new businesses, and future plans.
Mayor Hector Sosa discusses the recent State of the City address and upcoming developments in Downey.
A father interviews his son about being diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at age 12, sharing their personal story of faith and strength during Type 1 Diabetes Awareness Month.
Mayor Mario Guerra discusses the redevelopment of the Downey YMCA with project leaders Dan Powell and Mauricio Nunez.
Former Downey mayor Mario Guerra and Cerritos College trustee Zurich Lewis discuss California politics, including a recent Board of Supervisors vote on ICE enforcement.
This episode features an interview with Roxanne Hodge, chairwoman of the Los Angeles Republican Party, discussing California's political crises including Proposition 50, housing issues, and local government decisions like the recent emergency declaration in Los Angeles County.
Former mayor Mario Guerra interviews JROTC leaders from Warren High School about their program.
Former mayor Mario Guerra interviews Downey Police Chief Scott Lochner about his career and the importance of internal candidates for police leadership.
Former mayor Mario Guerra interviews the new president of the Downey Chamber of Commerce about local leadership and community initiatives.
Mayor Hector Sosa interviews therapist Ronnie Fernandez about men's mental health and his therapy practice.
Tori Gomez interviews Eric Pierce about his journey from Whittier to Downey through his work at the Downey Patriot newspaper.
Mario Guerra welcomes Claudia Fermata back to Talking Downey and opens by circling back to a Tuesday night council meeting in the city.
Mayor Mario Guerra and an attorney discuss community resources and legal rights following a prayer vigil in Downey.
Former Downey Mayor Mario Guerra discusses a controversial redistricting letter sent to the city, alleging violations of the California Voter Rights Act.
Former mayor Mario Guerra shares the personal story behind his memoir, reflecting on his immigrant journey and the loss of his family members.
Former mayor Mario Guerra shares his personal story of receiving and preparing to attend an invitation to the White House celebration for the 2024 World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers.
A deacon and his wife discuss the meaning and events of Holy Week in the Catholic faith.
Former mayor Mario Guerra recounts the city of Downey's attempt to attract Tesla's manufacturing plant in 2009.
Former mayor Mario Guerra and co-host Zurich Lewis discuss Congressman Robert Garcia's controversial insult of Elon Musk and broader political dynamics.