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Podcasts
Imperfect Paradise
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Imperfect Paradise
The Show About Hidden Worlds and Messy Realities

About The Show

Imperfect Paradise is an award-winning weekly narrative podcast showcasing California stories with universal significance, hosted by Antonia Cereijido. Each deeply reported story is driven by characters who illuminate aspects of American identity and underscore California's reputation as a home for dreamers and schemers, its heartbreaking inequality, its varied and diverse communities, its unique combination of dense cities and wild places. New episodes premiere Wednesdays, with broadcasts on LAist 89.3 the following Sundays.

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.

Funding provided by:

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Episodes
  • Imperfect Paradise Main Tile
    Listen • 17:35
    Listen • 17:35
    How union organizing is being upended by private universities in Southern California
    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 us to talk about why these universities are seemingly working against faculty attempting to organize and what it could mean for unions at universities – and beyond – in the long term.

  • Imperfect Paradise Main Tile
    Listen • 17:35
    Listen • 17:35
    Imperfect Paradise: How union organizing is being upended by private universities in Southern California
    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 us to talk about why these universities are seemingly working against faculty attempting to organize and what it could mean for unions at universities – and beyond – in the long term.

    Grow your business–no matter what stage you’re in. Sign up for a one-dollar-per-month trial period at SHOPIFY.COM/paradise

    Visit www.preppi.com/LAist to receive a FREE Preppi Emergency Kit (with any purchase over $100) and be prepared for the next wildfire, earthquake or emergency!

    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.

Show your support for Imperfect Paradise today!
LAist Studios relies on your listener support to power the podcasts you love. Your donation today enables us to create more great podcasts for you.
  • Imperfect Paradise Main Tile
    Listen • 24:29
    Listen • 24:29
    Why California's protest law is flawed and the consequences to protesters
    After the George Floyd protests of 2020, California took steps to reign 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 their right to free speech.

  • Imperfect Paradise Main Tile
    Listen • 32:06
    Listen • 32:06
    The Huntington Beach library at the center of America’s culture wars
    Censorship efforts at libraries nationwide has increased steadily over the last several years. In the 2023 - 24 school year, more than 10,000 book bans were counted in the country’s public schools. These efforts have become a cornerstone of a larger national debate over cultural influences and parents' rights to restrict those influences. LAist Orange County Correspondent Jill Replogle joins us to talk about how censorship efforts are playing out at the Huntington Beach library. We look at how the town’s conservative city council and residents are facing off over the council’s efforts to exert greater control over the library and how the choice to remove a few books from a library shelf can have far-reaching effects.

  • Imperfect Paradise Main Tile
    Listen • 37:07
    Listen • 37:07
    An update to the Bass vs. Crowley feud
    Last month, former Los Angeles Fire Chief Kristen Crowley filed a legal claim against Los Angeles mayor Karen Bass, alleging defamation, retaliation and negligence in the wake of Bass’ firing of her. It’s the latest chapter in a feud that erupted during the historic wildfires in January. In light of these new developments, we bring you our original episode from April 2025 about how Bass and Crowley’s feud came to be.

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  • Imperfect Paradise Main Tile
    Listen • 28:13
    Listen • 28:13
    Former Orange County Supervisor Andrew Do is officially in prison. What questions remain?
    Disgraced former Orange County supervisor Andrew Do reported to federal prison in Arizona on August 15th. Do had been found guilty of accepting bribes in exchange for directing millions of taxpayer dollars to a nonprofit that was supposed to be feeding hungry seniors  during the COVID-19 pandemic. Millions of those dollars were diverted elsewhere. Now that Do is in prison, LAist watchdog correspondent Nick Gerda joins us to discuss what questions still remain in the case, how much money is expected to be recovered and who else might be held accountable for the scandal.
  • Imperfect Paradise Main Tile
    Listen • 39:38
    Listen • 39:38
    The cost of becoming a teacher in California. Who can afford to do it?
    Across the U.S., states are constantly in the midst of teacher shortages. California's teaching prep and residency programs are supposed to be part of the solution. But many hopeful teachers struggle to balance their passion with the risk of debt and high cost of living. Imperfect Paradise guest host and K-12 Senior Reporter Mariana Dale and LAist’s Higher Education Reporter Julia Barajas bring us the tale of two teachers in L.A. County, who are both facing difficult financial and professional choices. They examine what their stories say about teacher shortages and the cost of becoming an educator.

    Grow your business–no matter what stage you’re in. Sign up for a one-dollar-per-month trial period at SHOPIFY.COM/paradise

    Visit www.preppi.com/LAist to receive a FREE Preppi Emergency Kit (with any purchase over $100) and be prepared for the next wildfire, earthquake or emergency!

    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.

  • Imperfect Paradise Main Tile
    Listen • 24:58
    Listen • 24:58
    Deputies severely beat a man struggling with mental health issues. Where are the records?
    Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department deputies severely beat Joseph Perez in 2020, then arrested him. His mom Vanessa alleges that she had previously told law enforcement that Perez has a serious mental illness and would need to be placed in a psychiatric facility. Mother and son believe the deputies used unnecessary force on Perez and are the center of an ongoing legal battle, attempting to hold the sheriff’s department accountable for its actions. LAist Mental Health and Wellbeing Reporter Robert Garrova shares more about the case and discusses efforts for transparency around investigations into allegations of excessive use of force.

  • Imperfect Paradise Main Tile
    Listen • 30:10
    Listen • 30:10
    Despite three 911 calls, how did two men with disabilities die in their home during the Eaton Fire?
    West Altadena residents Anthony Mitchell Sr. and his son Justin Mitchell were stuck at home when the Eaton Fire erupted Jan. 7. Both had disabilities, and to evacuate, they needed help. Mitchell Sr. and family members called 911 multiple times as the fire spread. But first responders didn't make it in time to evacuate the father and son. Seven months after the devastating Eaton and Palisades fires, guest host Jill Replogle looks back with LAist climate and environment reporter Erin Stone. They discuss the timeline of the 911 calls and how emergency planning continues to leave people with disabilities behind in Los Angeles.

  • Imperfect Paradise Main Tile
    Listen • 28:35
    Listen • 28:35
    The dirty secret of trash: Illegal dumping in the Southern California desert
    Diapers, concrete and construction debris. The open secret about trash in Southern California is that some of the waste people assume is being properly handled is actually being disposed of on remote sites in the California high desert. The state agency in charge of waste, CalRecycle, has said the scale of illegal dumping has become an emergency. LAist science reporter Jacob Margolis investigated several illicit sites in the Antelope Valley. His investigation raises questions about illegal dumping practices, accountability and the toll it all takes on nearby residents.
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  • Imperfect Paradise Main Tile
    Listen • 38:31
    Listen • 38:31
    Inheriting: Leialani & The Occupation of Guam
    In honor of Guam Liberation Day on July 21, this week we feature an episode from the Inheriting podcast. It's about a CHamoru woman untangling the deeply complex history between the U.S. and the island she was raised on.

    Leialani Wihongi-Santos is CHamoru and was raised on the island of Guam with a distorted view of history. She was taught that the United States "saved” her island from occupation by Imperial Japan. As she’s gotten older, Leialani has learned that framing is not entirely true. In some ways, the U.S. military took advantage of the island and the people who live there, sometimes destroying culture and customs that had survived centuries of colonization. Leialani is now determined to understand more of this history from a CHamoru perspective, so she can preserve and teach it to others. In this episode from season one of Inheriting, she turns to her grandpa, Joseph Aflleje-Santos, for answers.

  • Imperfect Paradise Main Tile
    Listen • 49:34
    Listen • 49:34
    How one man rebuilt his life, 100 miles at a time
    Struggling with addiction and reentry after multiple stints in prison, Cesar Quijano discovers ultrarunning, a hobby that turns into his addiction and salvation. Through Cesar’s story to complete  a 100-mile race, Imperfect Paradise host Antonia Cereijido and producer Lucy Copp explore urgent questions around what support people need to successfully transition out of prison and into society.
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Credits
Antonia Cereijido
Host
Natalie Chudnovsky
Senior Producer
STAFF-HEADSHOTS-2023
James Chow
Producer, LAist Studios
E. Scott Kelly
Audio Production Engineer
Catherine Mailhouse
Catherine Mailhouse
Director of Content Development, LAist Studios