Imperfect Paradise

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Cultura y sociedad

Imperfect Paradise is LAist's weekly on-demand news magazine show that pulls back the curtain and dives deeper into the biggest and most consequential SoCal stories of the week from our newsroom. New episodes drop every Friday. Support for this podcast is made possible by Gordon and Dona Crawford, who believe that quality journalism makes Los Angeles a better place to live.

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Who gets due process? Inside the fight over immigration bond hearings at Adelanto

Immigration bond denials have jumped sharply under the second Trump administration — nowhere more than at the Adelanto ICE detention center in Southern California. On this week's Imperfect Paradise: LAist's Jared Bennett follows the case of a 70-year-old L.A. street vendor held at Adelanto for six months, what it took for his family to get him released, and what immigration advocates say is behind the shift in bond denials. Read Jared’s reporting on LAist.com. Grow your business–no matter what stage you’re in. Sign up for a one-dollar-per-month trial period at SHOPIFY.COM/paradise Support for this podcast is made possible by Gordon and Dona Crawford, who believe that quality journalism makes Los Angeles a better place to live. Support LAist Today: https://laist.com/join
17 jul

More dads are taking parental leave than moms. Here's why.

For the first time ever, more fathers than mothers applied for Paid Family Leave to bond with their newborn child in California. LAist’s Elly Yu dives into the reasons behind this growing trend and talks with three men about their role as fathers. Read Elly’s reporting on paid family leave on LAist.com. Grow your business–no matter what stage you’re in. Sign up for a one-dollar-per-month trial period at SHOPIFY.COM/paradise Support for this podcast is made possible by Gordon and Dona Crawford, who believe that quality journalism makes Los Angeles a better place to live. Support LAist Today: https://laist.com/join
10 jul

Has World Cup fever translated into a boost for LA businesses?

Hosting the World Cup was supposed to be an economic boost for Los Angeles, but what effect has it really had on local businesses? LAist reporter Destiny Torres examines this question through one historic tourist destination in Los Angeles: Olvera Street. Read Destiny’s reporting on Olvera Street at LAist.com. Grow your business–no matter what stage you’re in. Sign up for a one-dollar-per-month trial period at SHOPIFY.COM/paradise Support for this podcast is made possible by Gordon and Dona Crawford, who believe that quality journalism makes Los Angeles a better place to live. Support LAist Today: https://laist.com/join
3 jul

Can this museum rebrand AI art?

Los Angeles has a new museum: Dataland –- the world’s first museum completely devoted to AI-generated art. In a time of high anxiety around the impact of AI on jobs, the environment and human creativity, can Dataland change the conversation around human-AI collaboration? LAist All Things Considered Host Julia Paskin takes us inside Dataland. Read Julia’s essay on Dataland at LAist.com. Grow your business–no matter what stage you’re in. Sign up for a one-dollar-per-month trial period at SHOPIFY.COM/paradise Support for this podcast is made possible by Gordon and Dona Crawford, who believe that quality journalism makes Los Angeles a better place to live. Support LAist Today: https://laist.com/join
26 jun

On the ground for LA's historic ICE protests (Redux)

This episode originally aired on June 13, 2025. ICE raids began last Friday across Southern California. People have been detained and there have been confrontations between protesters and law enforcement. What exactly went down and where does Los Angeles go from here? We hear from family members of people detained by ICE and talk with LAist Civics and Democracy Correspondent Frank Stoltze about the unprecedented week that Angelenos just experienced. Also we take a look at the history of this moment -- and why it's significant that it's all happening in LA. Grow your business–no matter what stage you’re in. Sign up for a one-dollar-per-month trial period at SHOPIFY.COM/paradise Support for this podcast is made possible by Gordon and Dona Crawford, who believe that quality journalism makes Los Angeles a better place to live. Support LAist Today: https://laist.com/join
19 jun

War, politics, and sports collide as Iran competes in LA for the World Cup

The Iran national soccer team competed in its first match at the 2026 World Cup in Los Angeles – after months of uncertainty over whether they’d play amid the US war on Iran. It's the first time in the tournament’s history that a host nation has gone to war with a participating nation. In our final installment of our World Cup series, LAist reporter Libby Rainey looks at the Iranian team’s precarious path to LA, the role politics has played in the largest and longest World Cup in FIFA history, and the issues the team and LA's large Iranian diaspora continues to navigate. Check out more of Libby’s reporting and LAist’s World Cup guide at LAist.com/WorldCup Grow your business–no matter what stage you’re in. Sign up for a one-dollar-per-month trial period at SHOPIFY.COM/paradise Support for this podcast is made possible by Gordon and Dona Crawford, who believe that quality journalism makes Los Angeles a better place to live. Support LAist Today: https://laist.com/join
12 jun

From immigrant roots to celebrities, how LA became a soccer city

Los Angeles is hosting eight matches for this year’s FIFA World Cup. Today, LA is home to three professional soccer teams and one of the biggest soccer youth organizations in the nation, but did you know its history with soccer goes back over a century? With the world cup at our doorstep, LAist correspondent Adolfo Guzman-Lopez traces LA’s relationship with soccer, from its celebrity scene to its immigrant roots. Check out more of Adolfo’s reporting and LAist’s World Cup guide at LAist.com/WorldCup Grow your business–no matter what stage you’re in. Sign up for a one-dollar-per-month trial period at SHOPIFY.COM/paradise Support for this podcast is made possible by Gordon and Dona Crawford, who believe that quality journalism makes Los Angeles a better place to live. Support LAist Today: https://laist.com/join
5 jun

The World Cup is more than just soccer. How it’s a flash point for politics, the economy and ICE for host cities like LA

The stakes are high for this year’s FIFA World Cup. For the first time in the tournament's history, 48 national teams will compete across 16 cities. That includes Los Angeles. And despite the sport’s biggest names battling it out on the field, high ticket prices, ICE’s role at the games, and other issues have caused concern among fans. LAist reporter Libby Rainey joins us for an overview of the World Cup and what the historic event will mean for Angelenos and visitors. Check out more of Libby’s reporting and LAist’s World Cup guide at LAist.com/WorldCup Grow your business–no matter what stage you’re in. Sign up for a one-dollar-per-month trial period at SHOPIFY.COM/paradise Support for this podcast is made possible by Gordon and Dona Crawford, who believe that quality journalism makes Los Angeles a better place to live. Support LAist Today: https://laist.com/join

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California Love is a blend of memoir, pop culture analysis and oral history. The newest season, K-Pop Dreaming, is about the rise and history of K-pop in the United States, as told from the point-of-view of the Korean diaspora in Los Angeles. Host Vivian Yoon takes listeners on a journey from K-pop’s origins in Korean trot music and American presence in post-war South Korea to the 1992 LA Uprising and the booming global popularity of K-pop in the present day, all juxtaposed against Yoon’s own coming-of-age as a second generation immigrant in Los Angeles, struggling to fit in and come to terms with her own identity. In the first season Walter Thompson-Hernández was inspired by Tupac and Dr. Dre's "California Love"- a love letter and anthem for a generation. Walter invites listeners to join him in his family home, on horseback through the streets of Compton, and up into the sky to examine belonging.

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Música
Deep in the Mojave Desert, there is a little town with a big name and a bizarre history: California City. For decades, real estate developers have sold a dream here: if you buy land now, you’ll be rich one day. Thousands of people bought this dream. Many were young couples and hard-working immigrants looking to build a better future. But much of the land they bought is nearly worthless. In this new podcast from LAist Studios, host Emily Guerin tells a story of money, power and deception.

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Noticias
How to L.A. aims to drop a little knowledge about ALL the things that affect the people of Los Angeles, whether that’s something that makes our city great (tacos!) or something that we need to work on, like the alarming number of traffic collisions. We serve the curious Angeleno who wants to better connect with our city, discover the new, navigate the confusing and even drive some change along the way. Support for this podcast is made possible by Gordon and Dona Crawford, who believe that quality journalism makes Los Angeles a better place to live. This program is made possible in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a private corporation funded by the American people.

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Noticias diarias
Larry Mantle is the host of LAist 89.3’s AirTalk, the longest-running daily talk show in Southern California — and even though his son Desmond is studying law and pursuing a different career, he shares his dad’s fascination with the world and his drive to understand why things are the way they are. On Passing the Mantle, Larry and Desmond dive into societal trends, share unexpected life experiences that have shaped their values — and reveal stories that neither of them has ever heard before. They will give listeners an honest look at their relationship as father and son and new insight into Larry’s life when he’s not on air.

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Cultura y sociedad
Growing up, I was taught to say that I was “ok” when I really wasn’t. Mental health just wasn’t something that anyone in my family or community talked about or even had access to. Yet pretty much everyone was affected by it. Today, young people of color are disproportionately affected by mental health issues and are not getting the resources they need, and I want to change that. And this is why this podcast exists. Yeah No, I’m Not Ok, my new podcast made in collaboration with LAist Studios, is here to open up the conversation about mental health. Every week we will explore issues that youth face all over the world (addiction, depression, anxiety, suicide, radical self love, and much much more) through conversations with friends, colleagues, activists, artists and health care professionals, all people who have gone through something life-changing and are now healing from it. We want to start a mental health revolution. A movement that can start by talking about how we feel. One where we’re not ashamed of our own human experience. What will feel like simple conversations among friends will really become a complex narrative of what is happening right now, especially to young people of color. With a real and emotional sound and few easy answers, Yeah No, I’m Not Ok will hopefully become a critical show in a critical time, a place for you to bring your complicated feelings and spend time with people who are rooting for you. – Diane Guerrero This LAist Studios podcast is sponsored by BetterHelp and our listeners get 10% off their first month of online therapy at BetterHelp.com/LAist Support for this podcast is made possible by Gordon and Dona Crawford, who believe that quality journalism makes Los Angeles a better place to live.This program is made possible in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a private corporation funded by the American people.

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Superación personal
We are facing a crisis. With the continuing pandemic, stress over climate change and natural disasters, and socio-economic uncertainty it’s not hard to understand why millions of Americans say they don’t feel OK. But there is a growing amount of proof in a simple treatment available to everyone: just stepping outside. On Human/Nature, host Marcos Trinidad, a nature expert with roots in North East L.A., will inspire you to go out and explore and connect with nature in your city. This podcast will empower you to reclaim your attention. Spending time in nature isn’t just good for our minds — in this tech obsessed culture — it’s the ultimate form of resistance. Support for this podcast is made possible by Gordon and Dona Crawford, who believe that quality journalism makes Los Angeles a better place to live. This program is made possible in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a private corporation funded by the American people.

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Documental

Ver las preguntas frecuentes sobre la suscripción

Antonia Cereijido

Presentador/a
Adolfo Guzman-Lopez

Presentador/a
Jill Replogle

Presentador/a

Imperfect Paradise is LAist's weekly on-demand news magazine show that pulls back the curtain and dives deeper into the biggest and most consequential SoCal stories of the week from our newsroom. New episodes drop every Friday. Support for this podcast is made possible by Gordon and Dona Crawford, who believe that quality journalism makes Los Angeles a better place to live.