Utah News

One week after the controversy developed, the NWSL has addressed its decision to continue the Utah Royals’ game against Angel City FC on May 9 following an on-field medical scare involving a player.

In the 74th minute, 20-year-old Angel City FC defender Savy King collapsed on the field in Los Angeles. The game was paused while King received medical attention.

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King was eventually placed on a stretcher and taken to California Hospital Medical Center.

Players on both teams were visibly shaken, but the game continued in the 85th minute after King left the field and 12 minutes of stoppage time were added.

Royals midfielder Alex Loera led both teams in a prayer on behalf of King, a former teammate, following the game.

Liberal arts programs are taking the brunt of cuts at Utah’s two southern universities as the schools work to comply with a legislative mandate to reduce their budgets by millions of dollars.

Faculty had largely expected — and feared— that those programs would be the first to go. But the latest cuts announced at Cedar City-based Southern Utah University and Utah Tech University in St. George significantly reduce humanities and social science offerings for Utah’s public university students geographically, leaving fewer options south of Orem.

The reductions, overall, have been pushed by state leaders who say they want to see more efficiency and less “administrative bloat” in the state’s eight public colleges and universities. This year, lawmakers slashed $60.5 million across the board from institution budgets.

The demand under HB265 is that they reduce majors or programs that have few graduates and lead to lower paying jobs; professors have said those market-based metrics naturally disadvantage the liberal arts.

Lawmakers ensured a university could eventually get its share of any cuts back — but only if it proves it’s reinvested in high-wage jobs that the state needs.

Both SUU and Utah Tech released their proposals earlier this month. SUU’s share of the cut is $3.2 million, and Utah Tech must come up with $2.6 million.

For its plan, SUU is eliminating 24 academic programs. Of the four majors and two minors among those for undergraduates, all are in the liberal arts. That includes art history, French and philosophy.

The university is home to the long-running Utah Shakespeare Festival, which draws summer crowds to several campus shows at the Beverley Taylor Sorenson Center for the Arts.

Utah Tech University is cutting majors for students who want to become educators in Spanish and theater, as well as a theater directing emphasis. It’s also eliminating its standalone College of Arts, merging those programs into other departments at the school.

Utah Tech had considered slashing its full Spanish and American Sign Language majors, too, but said in a release that it chose not to “based on feedback” from faculty.

“Please know that this has been a rigorous and thoughtful process,” the school said in a letter to campus on May 13. “We considered a wide range of factors — enrollment data, program costs, open positions, workforce demand and your valuable input.”

Both universities will also eliminate staff and faculty positions — as other institutions have announced — to meet their designated reduction amounts.

The state’s schools have been pressed to quickly draft their plans. The first version of their plans was due to the Utah Board of Higher Education this month, with a formal presentation to follow in June. Final approval from the Legislature will come in August and September.

Here is a breakdown of SUU and Utah Tech’s plans:

SUU’s proposed cuts

SUU says it looked at every possible metric — using both university and state data — before making determinations. The programs it is eliminating are:

• Athletic training, master’s

• Arts administration, master’s (only the in-person option; the online version will remain available.)

• Art history, bachelor’s

• French, bachelor’s

• Philosophy, bachelor’s

• French education, bachelor’s

• Ethnic studies, minor

• Women and gender studies, minor

• Criminal justice, associate degree

• Equine studies, associate degree

• Legal studies, associate degree

• Agriculture with a focus in livestock farm management, associate degree

• General technology associate degrees for business, construction technology, culinary arts management, integrated health sciences and livestock management

It’s also cutting emphases for several of its programs, including hospitality and tourism with its master of business administration and the piano performance emphasis for music. Two certificates will be terminated, too.

“Our responsibility is to ensure that our degrees remain relevant and powerful tools for our graduates, opening doors to meaningful work, service and impact in a rapidly evolving economy,” the school said in a statement.

All schools will have three years under the law to teach out the programs so students currently enrolled can finish their degrees.

SUU will also consolidate its College of Engineering and Computational Sciences into its College of Natural Sciences. That will bring together all math and science programs under one roof. But it will also mean cutting two faculty positions.

Overall, the school is eliminating 25.35 positions. A school spokesperson said that’s being done through a combination of retirements, merging positions and resignations.

A total of $1.2 million in savings will come from eliminating 6.5 administrative positions among those, including a vice president role in the university president’s office. There are 13.6 faculty position eliminations and 5.25 for staff; an advising role is also being cut, as well as a staff member in the school’s disability center.

Those account for most of the savings that SUU has to come up with, with reductions in professors mostly aligning with the discontinued programs.

The school, though, hopes it can reinvest in 23 new positions, with time, if it earns its share of the cuts back. Those plans, overall, focus on expanding psychology, nursing, business and engineering programs. All have been highlighted by state leaders as areas of study where they would like to see more learning opportunities.

What Utah Tech plans to cut

Utah Tech University is cutting 16 academic programs. Those are:

• Spanish with an emphasis in education, bachelor’s

• Theater with an emphasis in education, bachelor’s

• Theater with an emphasis in directing, bachelor’s

• Population health with an emphasis in long-term care, bachelor’s

• Applied and computational math with an emphasis in scientific computing, bachelor’s

• Criminal justice with an emphasis in digital defense and security, bachelor’s

• Information technology with an emphasis in cybersecurity, bachelor’s

• Professional studies, bachelor’s

• Earth and environmental science associate degrees with emphases in environmental science and geoscience

• Digital defense and security, minor

• Long-term care administration, minor

• Emergency medical technician and advanced EMT, certificates; those will be transitioned to Dixie Technical College

• Modeling and simulation, certificate

• Cryptography I and II, certificates

The school said in a letter to the campus community from Provost Michael Lacourse and Vice President Paul Morris that most of eliminated programs are taught by adjunct faculty.

“As a result, once funds are fully reallocated, the percentage of full-time faculty will increase,” they wrote. “We remain committed to ensuring students can complete their degrees in their current majors with no disruption.”

Until then, though, the school is reducing staff, faculty and administrative positions to save about $700,000. Utah Tech did not provide specific numbers for those reductions. It did note, though, that it will include cutting one administrative position in athletics and another in the president’s office. The cuts to the Spanish and theater education majors will each mean eliminating one faculty member.

The university is merging its College of Arts into its existing humanities and social sciences departments, which will also eliminate a dean and five administrative support positions, the school said. That will save $615,000.

And Utah Tech is reducing its marketing budget, plus ending a standing software contract.

Like SUU, it plans to reinvest in business, engineering, psychology and health sciences, as well as some in digital media arts. The proposal, it said, will continue to evolve.

“As you know, Utah Tech has long operated efficiently with limited resources,” the administration’s letter said. “Our intention is that these changes will strengthen the University and enhance our ability to serve students and the community.”

When the Deseret News recently caught up with two-time World Series starter/former mission president Jeremy Guthrie, his former club, the Kansas City Royals, had just signed 45-year-old journeyman pitcher Rich Hill to a minor league contract.

Guthrie and Hill are about the same age.

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So, fair question, is the 15-year pro baseball veteran poised for his own Rich Hill-like return to the mound?

“Nope, I’m not — as much as I wish I still had enough life in my arm to be signed,” he deadpanned.

Guthrie may be “unsigned” and on the front end of middle age, but he’s kept trim enough to easily blend in with the youngsters in any baseball dugout.

And he may never outgrow the electric charge he still feels whenever he steps atop the pitcher’s mound and sizes up guys standing in the batter’s box, 60 feet and 6 inches away.

“I still pitch to kids — whether it’s in high school or Little League, or to my son — and I still try to get them out,” he said.

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“That’s what I enjoy doing. I enjoy throwing a baseball — and making a person swing at it and miss.”

And plenty of very well-paid people have stood in the batter’s box and swung-and-missed at Guthrie’s pitches. He fanned over 1,000 hitters over the course of a long major league career, highlighted by two starts for the Royals in the 2014 World Series.

‘JGuts’ and President Guthrie: Baseball and missionary memories

Baseball fans in Kansas City and in the other towns where Jeremy Guthrie plied his pitching trade still know him, affectionately, as “JGuts.”

But for hundreds of young men and young women who served in the Texas Houston South Mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 2018 to 2021, he will forever be “President Guthrie.”

There are not many obvious comparisons between facing elite hitters such as Alex Rodriguez or Ichiro Suzuki and serving as the spiritual leader to scores of young missionaries. But Guthrie misses both unforgettable phases of his life.

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In baseball: “I just miss playing the game.”

“Baseball’s what I enjoyed doing as a kid. I ended up playing professionally because I liked playing baseball. So anytime a new season begins, or I see the players on the field, what I miss the most is actually just playing.”

And what does the former mission president miss about full-time mission life?

“That’s easy to answer,” said Guthrie, without pausing. “I just miss that carefree ability to really focus on one thing, and one thing only, and that is: What can I do today to bless and help another person?”

“And how can I demonstrate the love of Christ in my actions and in my words to help that person see Jesus in a new way?”

Serving the elders and sisters of the Texas Houston South Mission

Latter-day Saints called to preside over missions for their church are typically in their 50s or 60s. Some are in their 40s.

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Guthrie was still in his 30s when he and his wife, Jenny, were called to be mission leaders in Houston in 2018.

He was just a year removed from making his final start in a Major League Baseball game while competing for the Washington Nationals.

Being called to preside over a mission of men and women who were likely about the same age as some of his rookie teammates from just a year earlier “was very surprising and humbling,” he said.

Yes, there were advantages to being a 30-something mission president. The Guthries had plenty of physical energy and “emotional zest” for connecting with the missionaries “and striving to help invite them to come unto Christ.”

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But on the flip side, the young Guthries felt the emotional weight of the calling.

“Our oldest daughter, at the time, was just 14 years old,” recalled Guthrie. “So we had never parented or raised a teenager ourselves — and now we were arriving in Houston with 165 (similarly-aged) young men and women who were waiting for our leadership and our love to help them on their own personal journeys.”

But despite feelings of inadequacies, the Guthries moved forward and got to work. “We learned to rely upon the Lord and his grace to strengthen us — and to help us do things that really we weren’t qualified or capable of doing on our own.”

Guthrie’s mission in Houston marked his second full-time mission. As a young man, he put his baseball career on hold to serve a mission in Spain — learning a language he later utilized throughout his sports career and his subsequent ecclesiastical duties.

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The principles he learned on the mission — as both a young elder and a mission president — anchor Guthrie’s day-to-day life as a husband, a father and now as a businessman.

“I have a better understanding of the principle of agency — choosing for ourselves and learning through our experiences,” he said.

“That’s a principle and a doctrine that I’m still trying to grasp. … Trying to better understand the love that our Heavenly Father has for us and the great plan that he had for us to allow us to come to earth to learn and choose for ourselves.”

Spanish and ‘el idioma’ of baseball

Today’s Major League Baseball rosters are filled with players from Latin American countries.

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So it’s no surprise that the foreign language “Elder Guthrie” acquired on his mission to Spain allowed him to bond with countless teammates by speaking in their native tongue.

“I could engage with teammates in our (Spanish) conversations … which naturally lent itself to deeper relationships and a better understanding and support for my teammates,” remembered Guthrie.

“I felt like I could understand those from a different culture a little bit better because I understood more of what was going on in their lives and where they had come from.”

And, yes, it was always an unexpected, sometimes comical surprise when Latin American players discovered that their Japanese American teammate from Oregon could “habla el idioma.”

A lifelong sneakerhead

Folks acquainted with Jeremy Guthrie know of his devotion to his faith and family. They know all about his World Series starts, his 2015 World Series ring and his long MLB pitching career with multiple squads.

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They also likely know that Guthrie’s a hard-core sneakerhead.

He may be a father, a retired pro athlete and a beloved mission leader — but he’s also got a passion for all things “kicks.”

He remembers being a kid and lacing-up his first pair of “Sky Jordan 1s” — the youth version of the Air Jordan 1. “What started my love and affinity for Nike — as well as for Michael Jordan — was wearing that shoe.”

Guthrie’s sneaker fever only grew during his athletic career. It continues to this day.

“It’s natural to recognize that the right shoe, in the right moment, can actually enhance your attitude and your energy for what you’re doing — and that leads to better performances,” he said. “There’s a lot of truth to it. It’s not just rhetoric.”

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At various times during his baseball career, Guthrie designed his own cleats.

Now he’s several years removed from pro baseball, but his connection to sneakers — and specifically cleats — continues today.

In 2015, Guthrie was an investor in Custom Cleats, a company that converts sneakers into cleats — allowing baseball, football, soccer and softball players and other athletes at all levels to better express themselves and, well, have more fun competing.

After returning from his mission in Houston, he assumed co-ownership of Custom Cleats.

“We are fortunate enough to work with thousands of athletes from all over the world — including a number of Major League players that use our service for their own careers,” said Guthrie.

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“That’s one way that I stay close to baseball is by working for baseball players and softball players — and really athletes of all sports that need cleats.”

Big league baseball in Utah: ‘A no-brainer’

A multisport athlete at Oregon’s Ashland High School, Guthrie played at Brigham Young University before finishing his college baseball career at Stanford.

He’s maintained close ties to Utah.

His son, Hudson, is an athlete at Pleasant Grove High School. And Guthrie’s a staunch supporter of bringing a Major League Baseball franchise to the Beehive State.

“Utah is a state that loves their sports — loves to participate in sports and loves to support sports,” he said.

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“The Jazz are a perfect example of that, as well as the soccer team, and now hockey. This is just a community that loves to be out, as families and individuals, watching sporting events and having that be a part of their community.”

A big league baseball team in Utah, he insists, “is a no-brainer.”

Guthrie added that well-established, Utah-loving community leaders such as the Miller family are essential to MLB’s future in the state.

The Millers, he said, “are an altruistic family that has done so much good for the Salt Lake City community, and beyond.”

Additionally, said Guthrie, the Millers have already proven their bona fides as a sports franchise ownership group.

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“They had one of the best teams in the NBA for an extended period of time in a smaller market,” he said, referencing the Miller Jazz years.

“They were always competitive. They always put a great team on the court. They’ve shown the ability to run a franchise well and compete — even if the amount of money didn’t mirror that of some of the other larger franchises that are known for heavy spending.”

The crowd of Trixie Mattel‘s Saturday performance at The Complex were treated to a surprise when a local billboard icon showed up on the screen.

Paige Askerlund captured the moment on her phone: Among the bright visuals, a Julia Reagan billboard twirled on the screen as local drag queen Mia Barbin strutted around the stage.

Mateo Segade, Mattel’s DJ partner, opened up the show alongside Barbin before Mattel came on, Askerlund said.

The TikTok video below shows the billboard displayed during the show. Viewer discretion is advised.

“[Segade] had a bunch of visuals on the screen behind him, and it was a lot of just funny references, LGBTQ history and popular LGBTQ movies, just like clips from that,” Askerlund said. “And then suddenly the Julia Reagan billboard popped up, and everybody in the crowd went crazy.”

Most Utahns are accustomed to see the famous Reagan billboards outside entertainment venues.

Reagan is the late matriarch to the Reagan billboard company. Over the last year, variations of tribute billboards for her have popped up around the Beehive State — a way for her late husband, William Reagan, to pay tribute to her, according to Fox13. The billboards span across to the country.

Reagan died nearly a year ago in June 2024. Her husband has since filed a wrongful death lawsuit against The University of Utah’s hospitals and clinics.

Askerlund said the billboard stayed on screen for 30 seconds, but neither Segade, Mattel or Barbin explained why they decided to add it.

Mattel is an American drag queen who is a veteran of “RuPaul’s Drag Race.” Her Saturday performance in Salt Lake City was a part of her “Solid Pink Disco: Blonde Edition” tour — a live DJ show.

A representative for Mattel declined to comment for this story.

The NWSL has admitted that the Angel City vs. Utah Royals game should not have continued following Savy King’s on-field collapse.

A league spokesperson confirmed to The Athletic that it had come to that conclusion following a review of its protocols and “listening to feedback from our stakeholders.”

King received on-field medical attention after collapsing around the 74th minute of the game at BMO Stadium last Friday. The match was stopped for around 16 minutes before resuming, with King taken off the field on a cart and transported to California Hospital Medical Center. Angel City said Wednesday that King had undergone successful surgery to address a heart abnormality at at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, describing her prognosis as “excellent.”

“Having reviewed our protocols and how they were implemented, and in listening to feedback from our stakeholders, the Angel City vs Utah game last Friday night should not have continued,” an NWSL spokesperson said Friday. “The health and well being of the entire NWSL community remains our top priority, and in any similar situation going forward the game should and would be abandoned.”

Utah head coach Jimmy Coenraets told reporters after the game that he was not sure the game should have continued after King’s collapse. The NWSL Players Association later said the match should have been abandoned.

“These moments demand humanity, sound judgment and restraint,” the Players Association said in its statement. “Any medical emergency that requires the administration of life-saving care should bring play to an end. The match should not have continued.

“Our members are elite, world-class competitors who have proven they can perform under unimaginable conditions. That does not mean they should have to.”

The NWSL said Wednesday it was reviewing how it deals with serious medical incidents on the field. As reported earlier this week, the league has the final say when it comes to playing on following major incidents — whether medical, weather-related, or anything else — according to internal policies seen by The Athletic. Beyond that, league commissioner Jessica Berman has the final say in overruling any protocol to make a decision.

Angel City was ahead 1-0 when the incident happened and won the match 2-0. After full-time, the two teams gathered in a circle and Utah defender Alex Loera, a teammate of King’s at Bay FC in 2024, appeared to lead them in a prayer.

“On behalf of our entire family, along with Savy, we have been so moved by the love and support from Angel City players, staff, fans, and community, as well as soccer fans across the country,” King’s family wrote in a statement released by the team Tuesday. “We are blessed to share Savy is recovering well, and we are looking forward to having her home with us soon.”

(Jessica Alcheh/Imagn Images)

Just a season ago, Utah Hockey Club was a brand-new team trying to fit into its new Utah environment and transition away from its former identity in Arizona.

Come the 2025–26 season, change will come again, as Utah Hockey Club will no longer suit up under that name, making way for its new identity: the Utah Mammoth.

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Anything beats the old Utah Hockey Club puck logo from the team’s first season, and the aggressive Mammoth logo is already seen as a major upgrade.

But now that Utah has a real logo for the foreseeable future, it also faces added scrutiny, especially since it’ll be compared to 31 other NHL teams.

So in this article, Utah’s new logo will be evaluated based on three categories: Creativity, Originality, and Historical Impact. Each category will receive a letter grade, followed by an overall final grade.

Without further ado, let’s get started.

For starters, the ‘Mountain Mammoth’ does a nice job of incorporating the current colors of the team’s uniforms while maintaining a more serious and intimidating design with the actual mammoth.

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Credit is due to the design team for adding creative details to the logo as well.

Instead of simply focusing on the mammoth itself, the design cleverly includes the shape of Utah’s mountains at the top of its head, the Utah state outline as its ear, and a U-shaped tusk that ties in nicely with the team’s ‘U’ letter logo.

While the tusk isn’t as immediately recognizable as some other letter-based logos—like Calgary’s flaming ‘C’ or the semi-hidden ‘V’ in the Vegas’ Golden Knight logo—just incorporating a ‘U’ at all is a step above, as most NHL logos tend to commit to either a letter or a mascot, not both.

While the added details in Utah’s logo are certainly fun, it’s hard to forget how bold and creative the old Arizona Coyotes logo was. Though the serious-looking mammoth fits this mascot better, it’s difficult to compete with the uniquely artistic design of the Coyote.

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The full-body depiction of the coyote gives it an edge, breaking from the modern trend of overly simplistic and polished logos. Its chaotic color palette and distinction as one of only two full-body logos in the league—alongside the Pittsburgh Penguins—make it particularly memorable.

Still, the Utah Mammoth logo is a strong start and adds another interesting design to the NHL’s already impressive collection. It also is much better than the Coyotes alternative red coyote head logo.

Paired with a strong uniform, Utah Mammoth stands out well, but it’s still tough to top Arizona’s previous design.

Besides the Alabama Crimson Tide having an iconic elephant mascot in “Big Al”, there is hardly any major sports team that has anything comparable to Utah Mammoth.

‘Ice Age Rivalry’ Is A Perfect Name For Utah vs. Nashville Game Remember the movie Ice Age?

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Though some fans may still wish Utah had chosen the Outlaws, that name is much less original among major sports franchises, with teams like the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Pittsburgh Pirates having similar themes.

Utah never officially released any logo designs for the Outlaws, with only an unconfirmed leak offering an idea of what the logo might have looked like. In contrast, the ‘Mountain Mammoth’ is certainly more creative.

Compared to other NHL teams, Mammoth feels like a distinctive name, with the only connection being its ‘Ice Age’ link to the Nashville Predators.

But even with that prehistoric connection, it still feels unique. It doesn’t quite earn an A+ since Utah’s first logo choice, the Yetis, would have been even more original, but the Mammoth is a really strong alternative.

This is certainly a tricky task for a new team, as much of the history behind a logo develops over time in the league. That’s what makes logos like the Detroit Red Wings and Boston Bruins so impactful, along with their well-received designs.

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But credit must be given to the team for finding a Mammoth connection to Utah, given that actual Mammoth fossils have been found in the state.

So for that alone, Utah gets a boost in its grade for having an actual historical tie. But when people think of Utah, it’s more well known for the Mormon Pioneers, its unique landscapes, and even notorious outlaws like Butch Cassidy.

The main reason the logo receives the grade it does is simply because of its new look. The historical impact of a logo is about more than just the context behind the team’s name, it’s also about the logo’s impact within the NHL.

Utah Mammoth Is Here: Instant Review Of New Name, Logos And Jerseys The Utah Mammoth have arrived.

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When teams like the Winnipeg Jets or Minnesota Wild were established in the 2000s, their logos carried more impact because both cities had previously lost teams—to Dallas in Minnesota’s case, and, interestingly, Arizona in Winnipeg’s.

So while other teams have been reestablished or undergone new names, there still is important NHL history that helps strengthen their logos.

Similarly, NHL teams like the Montreal Canadiens and Boston Bruins may have simple letter-based logos, but their century-old history gives those logos incredible weight.

For Utah, the new logo currently holds historical significance mainly tied to the state itself, rather than the NHL. Compared to its old Arizona Coyotes logo, it has less historical depth in its actual, as the Coyotes’ logo incorporated distinctive Native American-style art.

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But Utah Mammoth also is shedding light on some Utah history that many people may not be aware of with its new name.

Utah’s logo is an above-average design. While it lacks the historical depth of other new expansion teams like the Golden Knights and Seattle Kraken, it makes up for it by offering a unique concept and design.

The design is modern but bold, incorporating subtle details rather than opting for a simplistic look.

Although its predecessor is the ‘Kachina Coyote’ design of the old Arizona Coyotes, Utah’s new logo still feels fresh because it pairs well with the icy tundra Utah has.

Utah Mammoth Mourns Loss of Utah Grizzlies’ Kevin Bruder Before Utah Mammoth existed in Utah, the only source of hockey was with the Utah Grizzlies, the in-state ECHL team and current affiliate of the Colorado Avalanche.  

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Utah also has the advantage of being able to strengthen its brand appeal, as it has yet to announce its mascot or even play a game as the Utah Mammoth.

Overall, a B grade feels fair. It’s certainly an exciting concept that is sure to satisfy the thousands of Utah fans who voted in favor of the Utah Mammoth name.

While it’s probably too soon to call it a top logo in the league due to how new it is, it deserves respect for its unique look.

Time will only tell if this logo grows more popularity. But for now, its certainly a fun development to see happen in real time.

Utah Gov. Spencer Cox said Thursday he is preparing to have “uncomfortable, hard” conversations with cities this year about building more high density housing.

As the closing keynote speaker at Stanford University’s Abundance Agenda policy forum, Cox said the state is ready to use a more hands-on approach after struggling to get cities to make municipal affordable housing plans.

“We tried to do it the nice way, and if you want us to do it the heavy way we’ll do that too,” Cox said. “I’m okay being the bad guy on this one.”

Cox recognized that cities have had a lot to keep up with: during the past two years since Cox launched his initiative to catalyze 35,000 starter homes by 2028 the Legislature has approved at least 15 bills reforming zoning, financing and inspection for affordable homes.

One of the most significant pieces of legislation would make $300 million in public investment funds available to help local lenders offer low-interest loans for developers building affordable homes.

The other reforms specifically mentioned by Cox would allow condominiums to qualify for these low-interest loans and would update litigation protection around condos to decrease insurance costs.

“I’m at the stage where I’m just throwing everything against the wall and seeing if anything sticks and actually makes a difference,” Cox said.

As he has on a number of other occasions, Cox touted Utah’s streak of No. 1 rankings which he said were the result of residents’ ability to reject zero-sum thinking.

But, Cox said, the biggest obstacle to addressing Utah’s housing crisis might be public opinion.

Does high density need better PR?

While Utahns worry about their children not being able to afford to live near them, Cox said, that fear is not always tied to an understanding that affordability follows from increased supply.

Speaking to students, scholars and policy advocates, Cox highlighted a recent appropriation Utah lawmakers made for a public opinion campaign about the importance of high density construction like the Daybreak development in South Jordan.

“Showing some real wins, some places where people love to live where there’s actual density just helps change that narrative,” Cox said. “I think we just need to do better PR when it comes to to building and growth.”

In 2025, the Utah Legislature gave $1 million to Utah Workforce Housing Advocacy, a non-profit trying to raise awareness about affordable housing through its Demand More Supply initiative. A year earlier, the Legislature gave another $1 million to the organization.

Utah Workforce Housing Advocacy was created in 2023 by Craig Weston, a high-end developer; Derek Brown, later elected as Utah attorney general; Matt Lusty, Cox’s campaign manager; and Steve Waldrip, later appointed as Cox’s senior housing adviser, who remains a member of the unpaid board.

“I’ve learned that that we need to do better on the messaging side of this, trying to get the public on our side I think is really important,” Cox said. “Our big focus has been on our kids and grandkids.”

Utah’s founding was based on the positive-sum mindset of pioneers settling an unwelcoming land, Cox said in his opening remarks. In order to maintain the state’s success he said residents will need to prioritize abundance by rejecting “false choices” between growth and quality of life.

Cameron Diehl, the executive director of the Utah League of Cities and Towns, has worked closely with the Legislature in recent years to bring down housing costs while maintaining local control.

On Thursday, Diehl pointed out, the Wasatch Front Regional Council considered five station area plans in Draper, Taylorsville and West Jordan around transit stops, looking to accommodate 15,000 housing units.

“Cities want to see more affordable home ownership opportunities,” Diehl said. “But we plan for housing, we don’t build the housing, and we can’t control the market forces.”