Imperfect Paradise: The Forgotten Revolutionary , the 2022 podcast from LAist Studios, has been optioned by Participant and is simultaneously being developed as a scripted and documentary limited series. Part 1: Oscar Gomez was a star of the 1990s Chicano student movement and then, unexpectedly, he died. A rattling event in host Adolfo Guzman-Lopez’s life spurs him to investigate Oscar’s death. Grow your business–no matter what stage you’re in. Sign up for a one-dollar-per-month trial period at ...
Mar 27, 2024•33 min
Part 2: Adolfo learns that there was a dark side to Oscar’s experience in the Chicano student movement. 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. This program is made possible in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a private corporation funded by the Americ...
Mar 27, 2024•46 min
Imperfect Paradise host Antonia Cereijido is joined by LAist Senior Health Reporter Jackie Fortier and Higher Education Correspondent Adolfo Guzman-Lopez to break down their investigation into why many students and faculty across California's public universities don't know that medication abortion is mandated on their campuses. This is the latest LAist Investigates episode on Imperfect Paradise that highlights reporting from our newsroom. CONTENT WARNING: This episode includes first-hand descrip...
Mar 20, 2024•34 min
Part 4: Half a year after Star Garden reopens as a union club, the dancers are still negotiating a contract. LAist producer Emma Alabaster brings you the latest. Plus, some of the dancers have set their sights on a different dream: a worker-owned cooperative strip club. Here are some resources that informed our reporting: LA Co-op Lab U.S. Federation of Worker Cooperatives 2021 Worker Cooperative State of the Sector Report Yes, A Stripper Podcast For more resources Grow your business–no matter w...
Mar 13, 2024•34 min
Part 3: The Star Garden Topless Dive Bar reopens as a union strip club, but the fight doesn’t end there. What happens after the victory? LAist Producer Emma Alabaster has the story. Here are some resources that informed our reporting: Working It: Sex Workers on the Work of Sex (In particular, the essay "White Supremacy in Organizing" by Domino Rey) Yes, A Stripper Podcast Unequal Desires: Race and Erotic Capital in the Stripping Industry by Siobhan Brooks Tits and Sass: Service Journalism by and...
Mar 06, 2024•46 min
Part 2: When the Star Garden strippers go public with their union campaign, they get pushback from the club’s management and a group they didn’t anticipate - other strippers. LAist Producer Emma Alabaster reports. 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 ...
Feb 28, 2024•43 min
Part 1: In 2023, North Hollywood’s Star Garden reopened as the only unionized strip club in the U.S. LAist Producer Emma Alabaster tells us the behind-the-scenes story of the workplace conditions that pushed the dancers into action. CONTENT WARNING: This episode includes sensitive content about sexual assault. For sexual assault and harassment support and resources, call the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-4673 , which is a service of RAINN (Rape, Abuse, & Incest National Networ...
Feb 21, 2024•42 min
Imperfect Paradise Host Antonia Cereijido speaks with philosopher and author of Elite Capture: How The Powerful Took over Identity Politics (And Everything Else) Olúfemi O. Táíwò. They examine the question: are identity politics over? It’s a question that was raised and we began to explore with Imperfect Paradise’s Nury & The Secret Tapes series. Antonia examines that question more deeply with Táíwò and presses him on why he believes identity politics have failed to deliver on their promise ...
Feb 14, 2024•29 min
Yoga's "Queen of Conspiracy Theories" Part 4: RFK Jr. - The Presidential Candidate for Wellness Conspiracists? A year after Yoga’s “Queen of Conspiracy Theories” first release, Imperfect Paradise host Antonia Cereijido explores a new, unexpected chapter in this story with Conspirituality podcast host Matthew Remski, Politico journalist David Freedlander, and LAist Correspondent Emily Guerin, who reported the series. This episode examines how the conspiracy theories, once relegated to a subset of...
Feb 07, 2024•37 min
Part 3: Kundalini Yoga’s #MeToo Moment In early 2020, just as fears about coronavirus are worsening, women begin accusing the founder of Kundalini Yoga, Yogi Bhajan, of sexual assault. Guru Jagat’s surprising response sets the stage for her radicalization during the pandemic. CONTENT WARNING: Mentions of Sexual Assault (Original Air Date: Jan. 18, 2023) Grow your business–no matter what stage you’re in. Sign up for a one-dollar-per-month trial period at SHOPIFY.COM/paradise Go to HelloFresh.com/...
Jan 31, 2024•34 min
Part 2: Kundalini Royalty Katie Griggs, a young woman from rural Maryland, discovers Kundalini yoga in her early 20s and goes all in. She transforms herself into Guru Jagat, a beloved and controversial yoga and wellness influencer in Los Angeles. In this episode, her friends, family, and coworkers grapple with how she changed in the final years of her life. And we explore the connections between yoga and conspiracies like QAnon. (Original Air Date: Jan. 11, 2023) Grow your business–no matter wha...
Jan 24, 2024•35 min
Before her sudden death in 2021, Guru Jagat had become a famous Kundalini yoga teacher based in Los Angeles. But as the global pandemic grew, she started talking like a far-right coronavirus conspiracy theorist. What does her journey down the rabbit hole tell us about the appeal of conspiracies in the yoga and wellness community? Yoga's "Queen of Conspiracy Theories" explores Guru Jagat’s rise to fame and follows along as she responds not just to the pandemic, but to a #metoo movement scandal th...
Jan 17, 2024•33 min
This week, Imperfect Paradise , the show about hidden worlds and messy realities brings you an episode of Jo Piazza’s - podcast Under the Influence with Jo Piazza. Last December, Jo had LAist reporter Emily Guerin on to talk about Imperfect Paradise: People vs. Karen , the story about a white mom-fluencer who falsely accused a Latino couple of a crime and their fight to hold her accountable If you haven’t listened to Imperfect Paradise: People vs. Karen yet, we encourage you to binge the series....
Jan 10, 2024•47 min
This week, Imperfect Paradise is featuring Part 3 & Part 4 of a four-part series from How To LA . HTLA host Brian De Los Santos and producer Evan Jacoby are taking a closer look at L.A. Mayor Karen Bass's "Inside Safe" program. They also recap some of the big questions we've asked throughout the series, and bring a new question to many of our guests from the previous episodes: "What should the relationship be between mutual aid volunteers and government agencies?" If you want to learn more a...
Jan 03, 2024•51 min
This week, Imperfect Paradise is featuring Part 1 & Part 2 of a four-part series from How To LA . Unsheltered life in L.A. can be dangerous and even deadly — and there has been a massive increase in the death rate for unhoused people in the county over the last few years. There is work being done by the mayor’s office to get people off the street and into temporary housing. But the promise of services — whether in the form of housing, treatment for substance addiction, or mental health couns...
Dec 27, 2023•1 hr 4 min
Part 4 : What’s the history behind the on and off-stage gender dynamics in Western magic? And what impact did the summer of 2020 have on the field of DEI? Imperfect Paradise host Antonia Cereijido explores these questions with magic historian Margaret Steele and Amber Johnson, Assistant Vice Chancellor and Chief of Staff of the Division for Equity and Inclusion at UC Berkeley. For more, visit https://LAist.com/ImperfectParadise Support LAist Today: https://LAist.com/donate Support LAist Today: h...
Dec 20, 2023•28 min
Part 3 : Carly Usdin is at risk of getting kicked out of the Magic Castle. Plus, after 2020, the Magic Castle makes changes to address issues of inclusion, including setting up a Diversity and Inclusion Committee. LAist Senior Producer Natalie Chudnovsky explores how the Castle’s promises to do better pan out, several years later. For more, visit https://LAist.com/ImperfectParadise Support LAist Today: https://LAist.com/donate Go to Hellofresh.com/50imperfect and use code 50imperfect for 50% off...
Dec 13, 2023•38 min
Part 2 : Once inside the iconic members-only Magic Castle, queer hobbyist magician Carly Usdin starts to become disillusioned with the club. LAist Senior Producer Natalie Chudnovsky dives into how this comes to a head in 2020, when the Magic Castle faces allegations of racism and sexism. For more, visit https://LAist.com/ImperfectParadise Support LAist Today: https://LAist.com/donate Go to Hellofresh.com/50imperfect and use code 50imperfect for 50% off plus 15% off the next 2 months! Grow your b...
Dec 06, 2023•35 min
Part 1 : When Carly Usdin moved to Los Angeles, they became obsessed with getting inside its iconic members-only club for magicians, the Magic Castle. LAist Senior Producer Natalie Chudnovsky tells the story. For more, visit https://LAist.com/ImperfectParadise Support LAist Today: https://LAist.com/donate Go to Hellofresh.com/50imperfect and use code 50imperfect for 50% off plus 15% off the next 2 months! Grow your business–no matter what stage you’re in. Sign up for a one-dollar-per-month trial...
Nov 29, 2023•29 min
Imperfect Paradise host Antonia Cereijido is joined by LAist reporter Elly Yu for a special single episode of LAist Investigates , the first of many to come episodes dedicated to one of our newsroom’s investigations. Elly breaks down the history and reality of treatment that led to the “warehousing” of mental health patients in nursing homes across California. Support LAist Today: https://LAist.com/donate Go to Hellofresh.com/50imperfect and use code 50imperfect for 50% off plus 15% off the next...
Nov 22, 2023•26 min
Part 4 : LAist Correspondent Emily Guerin and Imperfect Paradise host Antonia Cereijido explore how and why Sadie and Eddie Martinez’s accuser, Katie Sorensen, went viral with her false accusation, plus how mom-fluencers can spread conspiracies. With insights from “Momfluenced” author Sara Peterson. Support LAist Today: https://LAist.com/donate #SadieMartinez #ImperfectParadise #LAistStudios Go to Hellofresh.com/50imperfect and use code 50imperfect for 50% off plus 15% off the next 2 months! Gro...
Nov 15, 2023•21 min
Part 3 : The white woman who falsely accused a Latino couple of attempting to kidnap her kids faces an investigation and goes on trial after her accusers fight to hold her accountable. Can the same criminal justice system that so-called Karens abuse be used to bring them to justice? LAist Correspondent Emily Guerin reports. Support LAist Today: https://LAist.com/donate #SadieMartinez #ImperfectParadise #LAistStudios Go to Hellofresh.com/50imperfect and use code 50imperfect for 50% off plus 15% o...
Nov 08, 2023•43 min
Part 2 : When a Latino couple, Sadie and Eddie Martinez, is falsely accused by a white woman of attempted kidnapping, their lives are upended as the accusation goes viral. LAist Correspondent Emily Guerin examines how the police’s investigation takes an unexpected turn and how the dark corners of the internet may have influenced the couple’s accuser. CONTENT WARNING: Sensitive subject matter Support LAist Today: https://LAist.com/donate Go to Hellofresh.com/50imperfect and use code 50imperfect f...
Oct 30, 2023•29 min
Part 1 : Sadie and Eddie Martinez, a Latino couple, were falsely accused of attempted kidnapping by a white mom-fluencer in Petaluma, California. LAist Correspondent Emily Guerin tells us about Sadie’s quest to hold her accuser accountable, amid the “Karen phenomenon” when multiple white women were caught in viral videos falsely accusing people of color of crimes. Support LAist Today: https://LAist.com/donate #SadieMartinez #ImperfectParadise #LAistStudios Go to Hellofresh.com/50imperfect and us...
Oct 24, 2023•35 min
In the year since the L.A. City Council tape scandal, a lot has changed. Efforts are underway to reform the redistricting process. Nury Martinez and Gil Cedillo are gone from the council. Only Kevin De León remains. Progressive shifts in the council are influencing its policies, and new elected members are working to forge a new way forward in L.A. This is the last episode of Nury & The Secret Tapes. Support LAist Today: https://LAist.com/join Go to Hellofresh.com/50imperfect and use code 50...
Oct 17, 2023•35 min
Host Antonia Cereijido presses former L.A. City Council President Nury Martinez to account for the racist, hurtful comments she made on the secret recording that rocked Los Angeles and led to her resignation. CONTENT WARNING: Sensitive subject matter. Support LAist Today: https://LAist.com/join Go to Hellofresh.com/50imperfect and use code 50imperfect for 50% off plus 15% off the next 2 months! Support for this podcast is made possible by Gordon and Dona Crawford, who believe that quality journa...
Oct 11, 2023•53 min
Before the L.A. City Council tape scandal, Nury Martinez, the former council president, was known as a champion of working class immigrants. After, she became the poster child of anti-Blackness and colorism in the Latino community. Host Antonia Cereijido examines how Nury's upbringing influenced her politics and the divisions that emerged within the council under Nury's leadership, leading up to the secretly-recorded conversation. Support LAist Today: https://LAist.com/join Go to Hellofresh.com/...
Oct 03, 2023•46 min
We take you behind the scenes of the L.A. City Council tape scandal, a year later. The secret recordings of the conversation among four of the city’s most powerful Latino leaders making racist, derogatory insults – exposed thorny, unresolved issues of race and politics. Host Antonia Cereijido explores those issues and speaks with the people who were most affected by the tapes, including former councilman Mike Bonin. And for the first time since resigning, former L.A. City Council President Nury ...
Sep 27, 2023•41 min
“Imperfect Paradise: Nury & The Secret Tapes” tells the story of the biggest political scandal in recent Los Angeles history. A secret recording leaked online in 2022 exposed then-LA City Council President Nury Martinez making racist and derogatory remarks. A year after the scandal and her resignation, Nury breaks her silence in an exclusive interview with LAist. From LAist Studios, “Imperfect Paradise: Nury & The Secret Tapes,” coming September 27, 2023. Support LAist Today: https://LAi...
Sep 20, 2023•3 min
We are excited to announce LAist Studios' award-winning narrative podcast "Imperfect Paradise" relaunches in September as a weekly show with Antonia Cereijido as our host! Be sure to follow and subscribe to "Imperfect Paradise" wherever you get your podcasts. From LAist Studios: "Imperfect Paradise", new weekly episodes coming September 27th. Support LAist Today: https://LAist.com/join
Aug 22, 2023•4 min
