LA 2028 Olympics head Casey Wasserman is facing growing pressure to resign from his post after recently released Epstein files revealed emails Wasserman exchanged with Ghislaine Maxwell. The board behind LA28 — the private planning committee in charge of organizing the 2028 Games — has voted to keep Wasserman at the group’s helm, despite many city officials calling for his resignation, including L.A. Mayor Karen Bass. LAist reporter Libby Rainey has been tracking the Olympics and joins Imperfect...
Feb 20, 2026•22 min
As the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown continues, we explore what’s happening on the legal side of immigration enforcement. A group of court observers at Santa Ana Immigration Court is trying to help immigrants and asylum-seekers who appear there get a fair shot under the law. LAist Orange County Correspondent Jill Replogle tells us about her experience following the court observers and how what’s happening in these courtrooms determines the fate of undocumented immigrants across th...
Feb 13, 2026•30 min
Catastrophic fires are becoming more and more common across California. After-action reports about the fires and other disasters can help officials prevent past mistakes. But the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services, or CalOES, has failed to deliver legally mandated reports on time following disasters for years. LAist Science Reporter Jacob Margolis looks at why the agency is so far behind, whether anyone is being held accountable and the worrying consequences for all Californians ...
Feb 06, 2026•20 min
Sithy Yi and her family fled Cambodia to the U.S. following the takeover of their home country by the brutal Khmer Rouge regime. But Yi’s visa application process has taken years, and despite complying with ICE, she’s been detained. LAist Watchdog Correspondent Jordan Rynning joins us to breakdown Yi’s story and how new policy changes from the Trump administration will affect Yi’s fate and the legal status of so many other immigrants like her. Grow your business–no matter what stage you’re in. S...
Jan 30, 2026•24 min
The 2028 LA Olympic Games were initially promised to be no-cost to taxpayers. However, the Los Angeles Police Department requested nearly $100 million from the city for additional resources to police the games. LAist reporter Libby Rainey tells us what’s in LAPD’s request, how this could impact the city budget, and what it means for your tax dollars. 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...
Jan 23, 2026•18 min
The legal battle with the Trump administration to get access to your sensitive voter data began in Orange County, but is now playing out nationally. The outcome could affect hundreds of millions of people across the country and determine how the federal government uses your private voter information. Shortly after suing Orange County, the Justice Department sued California and 22 other states, along with Washington D.C., for their full voter files. The Trump administration suffered its first leg...
Jan 16, 2026•27 min
It’s been one year since two of the most destructive fires in California’s history – the Eaton Fire in Altadena and the Palisades Fire in the Pacific Palisades – killed 31 people and destroyed more than 16,000 structures. In this episode, we talk with LAist Climate and Environment Reporter Erin Stone on how families in the Palisades and Altadena are rebuilding. We'll also hear from LAist Reporter Libby Rainey on how some Altadena residents are coming together to build back quicker and more affor...
Jan 09, 2026•49 min
This episode originally aired on March 19, 2025. It’s hard to find people in Hollywood who are willing to speak publicly about their enthusiasm for AI, for fear of being seen as “siding with the machines.” And yet, many people are quietly using the technology already. In this episode, we interview two enthusiastic early adopters of AI in filmmaking about how they’re using it, its strengths and limitations, and how they respond to people who say AI is going to ruin Hollywood. This LAist podcast i...
Jan 02, 2026•34 min
This episode originally aired on March 12, 2025. Hollywood taught us to be afraid of a super powerful artificial intelligence that will one day conquer humanity. So not surprisingly, many screenwriters and actors are very skeptical of AI, and concerns about AI were central to the Hollywood labor strikes in 2023. But animators may actually be the most at risk of losing their jobs to AI. In this episode, we’ll talk about why the first AI generated movies you will see will likely be animated, and w...
Dec 26, 2025•36 min
Los Angeles is an integral part of space shuttle Endeavour’s journey. The California Science Center is building a new, larger home for the shuttle, which will make it the only place in the world to see a complete shuttle system with its equipment in launch position. The project – years in the making – still has a long road ahead. LAist reporter Makenna Sievertson takes Imperfect Paradise inside the museum’s expansion, discusses Endeavour’s significance to LA and space exploration. This LAist pod...
Dec 19, 2025•28 min
In the early morning hours of January 8, the Eaton Fire raced closer to the MonteCedro retirement community in Altadena, California. Nearly 200 of the facility’s residents were evacuated, but two women were left behind, raising serious questions. In this episode of Imperfect Paradise, LAist Health and Housing Reporter Aaron Schrank looks at what went wrong, who should be held accountable, and what it reveals systemically about emergency preparedness. You can read more of Aaron’s reporting for hi...
Dec 12, 2025•34 min
At least 280 childcare spaces were affected by the Eaton and Palisades fires in January. LAist reporter Libby Rainey and early childhood senior reporter Elly Yu followed two women who ran childcare businesses out of their homes until the Eaton Fire destroyed them. In this episode of Imperfect Paradise , they look at how these two childcare providers are rebuilding their lives and businesses, the catch-22 they found themselves in around government assistance, and the state of the child care indus...
Dec 05, 2025•27 min
Nearly 3,000 patients have been forced to find gender-affirming care elsewhere after the Children’s Hospital Los Angeles closed their LA Center for Trans Youth Health and Development in July. The closure comes amid threats of cuts to federal funding for providers of gender affirming-care and other attempts to restrict LGBTQ rights nationwide. LAist producer Kevin Tidmarsh joins us to talk about what’s next for transgender healthcare in this political moment and how families with trans kids will ...
Nov 28, 2025•31 min
Amid the Trump administration's crackdown on immigration, there’s been an uptick in ICE presence in hospitals across the country. At Adventist Health White Memorial hospital in Boyle Heights, doctors say that hospital administrators have even allowed immigration agents to interfere with patients’ medical care. LAist correspondent Jill Replogle has been reporting on the hospital. She tells us how healthcare workers are dealing with immigration agents showing up in emergency rooms and clinics, wha...
Nov 21, 2025•28 min
All four-year-olds in the state of California now have access to a free preschool program in their local school district. Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a plan to expand the state’s transitional kindergarten, or TK, program in May 2021, as part of a broader move to create the largest free early education program in the U.S. So what does transitional kindergarten offer kids and what are the challenges in its implementation? In this episode of Imperfect Paradise, we break it down with the LAist educatio...
Nov 14, 2025•32 min
In less than a thousand days, Los Angeles will be hosting the summer Olympics. Many cities worldwide have been put into debt by the games, so what could they mean for Los Angeles? LAist reporter Libby Rainey joins Imperfect Paradise to look back at the history of the games when LA last hosted them, the financial outlook for the city, and what role the federal government might play. This LAist podcast is supported by Amazon Autos. Buying a car used to be a whole day affair. Now, at Amazon Autos, ...
Nov 07, 2025•30 min
Regulations on gas storage facilities have been tightened since the detection of the Aliso Canyon leak, which started in 2015 and lasted nearly four months. But residents remain worried about long term health effects following the leak. LAist Climate and Environment Reporter Erin Stone discusses the 10-year anniversary of the disaster and what’s standing in the way of the facility being closed for good. This LAist podcast is supported by Amazon Autos. Buying a car used to be a whole day affair. ...
Oct 31, 2025•31 min
The Trump administration’s immigration policies have resulted in raids and protests in Southern California and across the country, and the administration has also moved to tighten who gets citizenship. Recently, the federal government pushed out new guidelines for naturalization. The situation has raised fundamental questions around what it means to be a U.S. citizen and how the process to become one is changing. LAist Higher Education Reporter Julia Barajas looks at how these changes are playin...
Oct 24, 2025•22 min
Proposition 50 is part of a nationwide battle over control of the U.S. House of Representatives, and Californians are being asked to take a side: Should the state be temporarily allowed to redraw congressional maps to counter the Trump administration and redistricting in Texas? LAist Civics & Democracy Correspondent Frank Stoltze and Civics & Democracy Engagement Producer Brianna Lee break down the arguments for and against ballot measure Prop. 50, and how the Nov. 4 special election cou...
Oct 17, 2025•31 min
A charter reform commission was created in 2024 in response to multiple Los Angeles city government scandals, including the leak of a racist tape featuring City Council President Nury Martinez. One of the commission’s aims was to modify the LA charter, which is basically the city’s constitution. But reports indicate that this commission is struggling to do its job. There are calls for transparency around its very structure. LAist Watchdog Correspondent Jordan Rynning joins Imperfect Paradise to ...
Oct 10, 2025•21 min
A new report details the Eaton and Palisades fires, including failures in the emergency response. But this report bears striking similarities with another -- which chronicled the response to the 2018 Woolsey Fire in Southern California. LAist science reporter Jacob Margolis discusses the reports and what they mean for L.A. County moving forward. This LAist podcast is supported by Amazon Autos. Buying a car used to be a whole day affair. Now, at Amazon Autos, you can shop for a new, used, or cert...
Oct 03, 2025•23 min
Big companies like Amazon and SpaceX are claiming that the National Labor Relations Board – an independent federal entity in charge of overseeing unionizing efforts – is unconstitutional. In addition to those companies, colleges like the University of Southern California and Loyola Marymount University are also joining the movement to push back against labor groups. If this movement succeeds, it could make unionizing harder on a broader level. LAist higher education reporter Julia Barajas joins ...
Sep 26, 2025•18 min
After the George Floyd protests of 2020, California took steps to rein in violent policing of protests by passing laws restricting how law enforcement uses less-lethal weapons, like tasers and rubber bullets. But high profile protests in 2024 and 2025 – including this summer’s protests against the ICE raids in Los Angeles – have revealed major flaws in those laws. LAist Senior Editor Jared Bennett joins us to talk about an investigation around these flaws and what they mean for people exercising...
Sep 19, 2025•24 min
Silver Saddle Ranch gets sold, and the people who still believe it’s worth something stage a protest. Plus, a former employee comes forward with a disturbing story.
Dec 22, 2020•24 min•Season 1Ep. 10
For decades, Californians have been obsessed with trying to profit off desert land. In this bonus episode of California City, host Emily Guerin , the Desert Oracle’s Ken Layne , and artist and curator Kim Stringfellow explore the myths of the Mojave Desert as "wasteland," failed schemes and utopias, Instagram-driven tourism and coronavirus refugees. The audio was recorded during a live virtual event on September 3, 2020 and presented by LAist Studios and KPCC in partnership with The Autry Museum...
Sep 11, 2020•52 min•Season 1Ep. 9
Silver Saddle gets shut down and accused of fraud. Will the company - and the dream Ben Perez believed - survive? California City is a limited series with 8 episodes. Show support by subscribing wherever you get your podcasts. California City sponsors include: Sun Basket is offering $35 off your order when you go right now to SUNBASKET.com/calcity and enter promo code calcity at checkout. Try SimpliSafe today at SimpliSafe.com/CALCITY. You get free shipping and a 60-day risk free trial. There’s ...
Aug 24, 2020•35 min•Season 1Ep. 8
Fear, rumors, and looking the other way. How salesmen have sold the fantasy of California City for so long. California City is a limited series with 8 episodes. Show support by subscribing wherever you get your podcasts. California City sponsors include: Sun Basket is offering $35 off your order when you go right now to SUNBASKET.com/calcity and enter promo code calcity at checkout. Try SimpliSafe today at SimpliSafe.com/CALCITY. You get free shipping and a 60-day risk free trial. There’s nothin...
Aug 17, 2020•30 min•Season 1Ep. 7
Emily confronts the owner of Silver Saddle and walks away doubting herself. Plus, Ben becomes part of Silver Saddle's sales machine. California City is a limited series with 8 episodes. Show support by subscribing wherever you get your podcasts. California City sponsors include: Sun Basket is offering $35 off your order when you go right now to SUNBASKET.com/calcity and enter promo code calcity at checkout. Try SimpliSafe today at SimpliSafe.com/CALCITY. You get free shipping and a 60-day risk f...
Aug 10, 2020•29 min•Season 1Ep. 6
Ken Donney is a hero to some, but most people would call him a villain. California City is a limited series with 8 episodes. Show support by subscribing wherever you get your podcasts. California City sponsors include: Sun Basket is offering $35 off your order when you go right now to SUNBASKET.com/calcity and enter promo code calcity at checkout. This LAist Studios podcast is sponsored by BetterHelp and our listeners get 10% off their first month of online therapy at BetterHelp.com/LAist Suppor...
Aug 03, 2020•22 min•Season 1Ep. 5
Nat builds an army of salespeople to sell his dream. And then, then Ralph Nader intervenes. California City is a limited series with 8 episodes. Show support by subscribing wherever you get your podcasts. California City sponsors include: Sun Basket is offering $35 off your order when you go right now to SUNBASKET.com/calcity and enter promo code calcity at checkout. This LAist Studios podcast is sponsored by BetterHelp and our listeners get 10% off their first month of online therapy at BetterH...
Jul 27, 2020•39 min•Season 1Ep. 4
