Support for LAist comes from
Become a sponsor
Audience-funded nonprofit news
Donate

LAist is part of Southern California Public Radio, a member-supported public media network.

Audience-funded nonprofit news
Listen
Donate
Podcasts
Imperfect Paradise
Imperfect Paradise Banner
()
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:

Get LA News Updates Daily

We brief you on what you need to know about L.A. today.
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.
Episodes
  • Imperfect Paradise Main Tile
    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. 

  • Imperfect Paradise Main Tile
    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.

  • Nury_KeyArt
    Listen • 52:50
    Transcript
    Listen • 52:50
    Nury & The Secret Tapes: Part 3
    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. 
    Transcript
  • Nury_KeyArt
    Listen • 45:41
    Transcript
    Listen • 45:41
    Nury & The Secret Tapes: Part 2
    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.
    Transcript
  • Nury_KeyArt
    Listen • 40:45
    Transcript
    Listen • 40:45
    Nury & The Secret Tapes: Part 1
    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 Martinez breaks her silence.
    Transcript
  • Imperfect Paradise Main Tile
    Listen • 3:06
    Listen • 3:06
    Introducing Imperfect Paradise: Nury & The Secret Tapes from LAist Studios
    “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.

  • Imperfect Paradise Main Tile
    Listen • 3:50
    Listen • 3:50
    From LAist Studios: Imperfect Paradise Returning Sept. 27, 2023
    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. 

  • LA Made The Barbie Tapes Main Tile
    Listen • 32:26
    Episode 3
    Listen • 32:26
    The Barbie Tapes: When Girls — and Barbie — Could Do Anything
    In this episode, Ruth and Elliot Handler are gone, and the new Mattel team, led by a man who feared the volatility of the toy business, diversified the company and made a big gamble on electronics. It didn’t work. Fortunately, Barbie ends up in the sure hands of some trailblazing women executives, who could see that the culture was moving in a direction very compatible with Barbie’s persona. From the workforce to the workout, Barbie was a doll of her times.

    This podcast is supported by Gordon and Dona Crawford, who believe quality journalism makes Los Angeles a better place to live.

  • LA Made The Barbie Tapes Main Tile
    Listen • 32:38
    Episode 2
    Listen • 32:38
    The Barbie Tapes: Battle of the Bulge
    For Barbie, the cultural upheaval of the 60s and 70s incites one identity crisis after another as Mattel tries to keep up with the times. On top of that, she has a new boyfriend to deal with. Ken's creation is a big hit for Barbie fans, but he’s facing a few growing pains of his own. In this episode, we investigate Ken's origin story, delve into the inner workings of Mattel, and hear how Barbie's inventor, Ruth Handler, was ousted from her own company.

    This podcast is supported by Gordon and Dona Crawford, who believe quality journalism makes Los Angeles a better place to live.

  • LA Made The Barbie Tapes Main Tile
    Listen • 31:47
    Episode 1
    Listen • 31:47
    Introducing LA Made: The Barbie Tapes from LAist Studios
    The Barbie Tapes tells the true story of the making and marketing of the most famous doll in the world, Barbie, told by the people who did it. We’ll hear from Mattel co-founder Ruth Handler, who spent years trying to convince her own company to make a teen aged fashion doll.




  • How Covid Changed Everything Tile
    Listen • 21:58
    Episode 3
    Listen • 21:58
    How COVID Changed Everything - Part 3 - Acting
    LAist Studios & USC Annenberg's School of Journalism Present: How COVID Changed Everything

    A series where graduate students in the USC Annenberg School of Journalism examine the many ways—both dramatic and nuanced—that the pandemic has changed life in ways we are only now beginning to understand.

    Part 3: Acting

    While the pandemic caused a lot of stasis, it also inspired plenty of action. Once we accepted the changes that the pandemic brought, what did we do with them? How did we take action? In this episode: LA cultural workers fight for better work conditions, one survivor decides to fight back against domestic violence, a small foundation keeps the legacy of a ground-breaking Finnish gay artist alive, and a nurse rethinks the way we process death and dying.

    Content Warning: This series contains sensitive subject matter and mentions of domestic violence. Listener discretion is advised.

  • How Covid Changed Everything Tile
    Listen • 23:27
    Episode 2
    Listen • 23:27
    How COVID Changed Everything - Part 2 - Adapting
    LAist Studios & USC Annenberg's School of Journalism Present: How COVID Changed Everything

    A series where graduate students in the USC Annenberg School of Journalism examine the many ways—both dramatic and nuanced—that the pandemic has changed life in ways we are only now beginning to understand.

    Part 2: Adapting

    Change is a given, but COVID-19 truly forced the hand of change. In this episode we explore the ways people have found to adapt and rethink how we accept change. In this episode: the fate of a beloved Hollywood record store, the reflections of an American Hockey League player, the impact of COVID-19 on a sickle cell patient, and the challenges of pandemic-related gentrification in Mexico City.

    Content Warning: This series contains sensitive subject matter. Listener discretion is advised. 

Show More Episodes
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