Imperfect Paradise

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 ...

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 acc...

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 ba...

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 Antelo...

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&rsq...

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.

Grow your business–no m...

As Democrats confront declining Latino support across three consecutive presidential elections, a fierce debate is unfolding within the party: Are Latino advocacy groups and polling firms helping or hurting the Democratic cause? Critics argue that a flawed messaging strategy — and a complacent advocacy infrastructure — have led to Latino voters drifting right, even toward Donald Trump. But advocates push back, warning t...

For decades, there’s been a persistent story about Mexican immigrants crossing the border for a better life in the United States. But there’s a new trend emerging: Mexicans and Mexican Americans, disillusioned with American politics, moving to Mexico for a more fulfilling life. In the second episode of a three-part collaboration with Latino USA, Imperfect Paradise host Antonia Cereijido and Latino USA’s Maria Hino...

During a flurry of election-related anxiety, Imperfect Paradise host Antonia Cereijido re-downloaded TikTok and fell down a very specific rabbit hole: Latina trad wife content. Videos of women waking up at three in the morning, making “lonche” for their husbands and espousing traditional lifestyles – have become popular and gone viral on social media. In the first episode of a three-part collaboration with Latino ...

On February 18th, 2025, the LA Unified School District, the second largest public school district in the country, implemented an all-day cell phone ban for its students. Now that it’s the end of the school year, we head to Venice High School to see how the ban actually went.

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ICE raids began last Friday across Southern California. People have been detained and there have been confrontations between protesters and law enforcement. What exactly went down and where does Los Angeles go from here? We hear from family members of people detained by ICE and talk with LAist Civics and Democracy Correspondent Frank Stoltze about the unprecedented week that Angelenos just experienced. Also we take a look at the hi...

In 2009, Gloria Arellano de la Rosa was banned from re-entering the U.S. for ten years, finding herself separated from her four children and husband. But unlike Daniel Zamora, she didn’t remake her life in Mexico. Every day she waited to go home to the U.S. Fernanda Echavarri tells the story of what happens when Gloria finally returns to the States and reunites with her family.

Grow your business–no matter what stage yo...

In honor of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, we bring you an episode from Inheriting Season One. Inheriting is a show about Asian American and Pacific Islander families, which explores how one event in history can ripple through generations.

Nicole Salaver’s uncle, Patrick Salaver, was one of the leaders of the Third World Liberation Fro...

In honor of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, we bring you an episode from Inheriting Season One. Inheriting is a show about Asian American and Pacific Islander families, which explores how one event in history can ripple through generations.

Bảo Trương’s parents both fled Vietnam in 1975 following the war. His father Thuận was a pilot fo...

In honor of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, we bring you an episode from Inheriting Season One. Inheriting is a show about Asian American and Pacific Islander families, which explores how one event in history can ripple through generations.

Growing up in Long Beach, California, Victoria Uce was surrounded by a loving and supportive family, wh...

In the days after LA’s early-January wildfires, tenant advocate Chelsea Kirk noticed a trend: rent gouging. Rents were shooting up past their legal limit. In the wake of the fires, as natural disaster collided with LA’s severe housing shortage, we trace how a collective of volunteers organized themselves to bring rent gouging to light in LA County. What did they find? And where do we stand on rent gouged listings and ch...

When Portland, Oregon-based reporter Leah Sottile began covering extremism in the American West a decade ago, she was interviewing ranchers, fundamentalist Mormons and “sovereign citizens” who did not believe the federal government should own land. During the pandemic, she began noticing that New Age wellness leaders were talking about many of the same ideas. “I just couldn't quite reconcile the aesthetic differen...

Journalist Alexis Madrigal is obsessed with the port of Oakland. He even has a tattoo of a shipping container! In his new book, The Pacific Circuit, he makes the case that Oakland is where the real-world impacts of globalization are felt, and serves as a warning for other port communities. He documents the impact that the tech/logistics industry has had on his hometown, and profiles a Black environmental j...

Amid the devastating Palisades and Eaton Fires that killed more than two dozen people, a political conflict came sharply into focus surrounding the funding of the Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD). Finger-pointing as to who was to blame included former LA Fire Chief Kristin Crowley and LA Mayor Karen Bass. The two women would be lambasted for their handling of one of the most destructive natural disasters in Southern California hi...