Imperfect Paradise

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 could shape local and national politics for years to come.

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. 

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

In the early 1990’s, hateful anti-immigrant political rhetoric roused California’s Chicano student rights movement, and college student and radio host Oscar Gomez was one of its most prominent voices. Some thought he was going to be the next Cesar Chavez. But on November 17, 1994, Oscar was mysteriously found dead on the Santa Barbara shore. 

Imperfect Paradise: The Forgotten Revolutionaryfollows host and reporter Adolfo Guzman-Lopez as he investigates Oscar’s death and revisits his own past and ties to the Chicano movement.

The Forgotten Revolutionary is sponsored by BetterHelp and our listeners get 10% off their first month of online therapy at BetterHelp.com/imperfect

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 American people.

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. 

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 American people.

Adolfo learns that there was a dark side to Oscar’s experience in the Chicano student movement. 

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 American people

Adolfo gets his first lead on a person possibly involved in Oscar’s death.
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 American people

Adolfo finds a briefcase with information that could lead to clues about Oscar’s death. 
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 American people.

Was Oscar going to leave the Chicano student movement? Adolfo discovers new information about Oscar’s last months. 

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 American people.

Adolfo reckons with his own relationship to his past and the Chicano student movement. And he finds someone who may have clues about what happened the night Oscar died. 
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 American people.

Adolfo learns about the dangers of Santa Barbara’s bluffs and gets a second opinion on Oscar’s death report. 

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 American people.

Adolfo finds new information about the night Oscar died, and has to have a difficult conversation about what really happened to Oscar.

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 American people.

One of Hollywood’s recent celebrities wasn’t a person, but a feline. LAist Correspondent Jill Replogle looks into P-22’s stardom, people’s obsession with him, and what his story says about our ability to coexist with wildlife in a rapidly changing, increasingly urban world.

If the mountain lion is thought of as a celebrity, then, many would think of the coyote as a villain. LAist Correspondent Emily Guerin looks into why we vilify coyotes, what scientists actually know about them, and how they’ve adapted and thrived in some of the most urban parts of Southern California. Emily also explores the historic and cultural baggage that may inform people’s attitudes about coyotes.
CONTENT ADVISORY: This episode includes details about a deadly coyote attack of a toddler.

The first deadly black bear attack in California’s history was confirmed in 2024 in a small mountain town in Northern California. While wildlife officials say fatal bear attacks are rare, this recent death and growing encounters between bears and people underscore how high the stakes are as wild and urban worlds merge.

LAist climate reporter Erin Stone takes a deeper look at bears through the lens of the mountain town of Sierra Madre, where she lives. Just 25 minutes from downtown L.A., the residents of Sierra Madre increasingly come face-to-face with black bears. 
Erin looks at the history of bears in the U.S., how black bears ended up in Southern California, and how Sierra Madre is choosing to respond to the black bears living in its community.

Jackie and Shadow are two beloved bald eagles who live in Big Bear, a ski town a couple hours northeast of L.A. They went viral in 2024, as people tuned in to a livestream of their nest to see if their eggs would hatch. Fans around the world became deeply attached to the lovebirds, obsessing over the couple’s devotion to each other and their eggs. For Imperfect Paradise host Antonia Cereijido, the story became personal when she also began her parenthood journey. Antonia explores how our relationship to wildlife can help us better understand ourselves.

CONTENT ADVISORY: This episode includes details about pregnancy complications.

LAist Correspondent Jill Replogle speaks with Ben Goldfarb, an environmental journalist, wildlife enthusiast, and author of Crossings: How Road Ecology is Shaping the Future of Our Planet. They discuss how roads impact the wild animals in our midst, what wildlife crossings can do to mitigate that impact, and some of the other ecological solutions that are taking shape.

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.

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.

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. 

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.

Voters elected Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascón in 2020 on his promises to undo decades of mass incarceration, tackle what many viewed as excessive prison sentences, and to generally create a fairer system. LAist Civics & Democracy Correspondent Frank Stoltze explores the criminal justice system Gascón set out to change. He examines decades-old practices and the impact on the people imprisoned through the case of Jose Santana. Santana ended up being sentenced to 22 years in adult prison for robbing two kids of their cellphones when he was 15.

George Gascón is unlike many prosecutors. His background and sweeping criminal justice policy reforms as Los Angeles District Attorney have made him a polarizing national figure. LAist Correspondent Frank Stoltze speaks with Gascón about his journey from hard-nosed LAPD cop to one of the most progressive prosecutors in the country and reports on the rebellion inside Gascón’s own DA’s office that began brewing within hours of him taking office.

George Gascón faces backlash from inside his own D.A.’s office and from the public. He’s become a national scapegoat  for right-wing media.  LAist Correspondent Frank Stoltze explores how Gascón’s policies have played out for people imprisoned, like Jose Santana, and families of victims. And Frank speaks to recalled San Francisco D.A. Chesa Boudin about his experience and whether the November election could be a referendum on not only Gascón, but also the national progressive DA movement.

Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascón is locked in a tough reelection battle this November against Nathan Hochman. In candid, in-depth interviews with LAist Correspondent Frank Stoltze, Hochman and Gascón make the case for their differing approaches to running the country’s largest prosecutor’s office and differing views on criminal justice reform.

JB Hamby is the dealmaker from California, and at 28 years old, he’s the youngest and least experienced among the representatives from the seven states involved with the Colorado River water negotiations. LAist correspondent Emily Guerin explores the beginnings of Hamby’s understanding of water growing up in the Imperial Valley, a desert farming area in California.

The Colorado River is in the midst of one of the worst water crises in recorded history. Climate change and overuse are taking a significant toll. Seven states, including California, must compromise and reach a solution to prevent the river from collapsing.

In late 2023, the tensions were running high between the major players in the water world as they convened at the annual Colorado River conference in Las Vegas. LAist Correspondent Emily Guerin was there, seeking to learn as much as she can about the people with the most power on the river.

JB Hamby and the other lead negotiators on the Colorado River have to come up with a long term solution to manage the river in the face of climate change. Will they reach a deal before it’s too late? 

LAist correspondent Emily Guerin examines how JB's position on water has dramatically evolved since he first won office a few years ago. She brings us back to the current water negotiations as the conflict between the Upper and Lower Basins becomes very public, and JB struggles to convince Imperial Valley farmers that they need to cut back.

Host Antonia Cereijido speaks with negotiations expert Victoria Medvec about how to make the best possible deal. Medvec also helps  identify ways the Colorado River water rights representatives could still change tactics and reach an agreement before time runs out.

LAist Correspondent Emily Guerin gives us insights into the making of The Gen Z Water Dealmaker series. In this bonus episode, Emily speaks with Luke Runyon, the co-director of The Water Desk at the University of Colorado-Boulder's Center for Environmental Journalism about how she thought through the series that follows the epic negotiation over the Colorado River's future during the current historic water crisis.

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Listen to Reimagining Democracy for A Good Life, hosted by longtime equity advocate Angela Glover Blackwell. Available now at policylink.org/reimagining-democracy or wherever you get your podcasts

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.

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 that rocked the Kundalini yoga world in early 2020. It also explores themes of misinformation, how a healthy distrust in government and medicine can turn dark, the "relativism around truth" in the wellness industry and the influence of social media on radicalization.

In this first episode, Guru Jagat starts the pandemic with an understandable skepticism of official medical advice, but quickly grows to embrace an array of far-right conspiracy theories. 

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.

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