Imperfect Paradise

Episodes

Listen • 20:51

Listen • 20:51

An LA Commission created to tackle city government scandals is being stymied

A charter reform commission was created in 2024 in response to a bunch of 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 actually struggling to do its job – and there are calls for transparency around its very structure. LAist Watchdog Correspondent Jordan Rynning joins us to talk about the commission’s issues and how this work will affect the lives of everyday Angelenos.
Listen • 23:27

Listen • 23:27

Reports about failures in response to the January LA fires and a 2018 fire have striking similarities

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.

Listen • 28:15

Listen • 28:15

The Castle: Part 4

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.
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Listen • 38:22

Listen • 38:22

The Castle: Part 3

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.
Listen • 34:44

Transcript

Listen • 34:44

The Castle: Part 2

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.

Transcript
Listen • 28:31

Transcript

Listen • 28:31

The Castle: Part 1

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.

Transcript
Listen • 25:28

Transcript

Listen • 25:28

Imperfect Paradise presents LAist Investigates: The Truth Inside California's Nursing Homes

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 Imperfect Paradise 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.

Transcript
Listen • 20:50

Transcript

Listen • 20:50

People vs. Karen: Part 4

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.

Transcript
Listen • 42:33

Transcript

Listen • 42:33

People vs. Karen: Part 3

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.

Transcript
Listen • 28:33

Transcript

Listen • 28:33

People vs. Karen: Part 2

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

Transcript
Listen • 34:39

Transcript

Listen • 34:39

People vs. Karen: Part 1

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.

Transcript
Listen • 35:14

Transcript

Listen • 35:14

Nury & The Secret Tapes: Part 4

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.

Transcript

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