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.

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&rsquo;s story to complete&nbsp; 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.

Imperfect Paradise is LAist's weekly on-demand news magazine show that pulls back the curtain and dives deeper into the biggest and most consequential SoCal stories of the week from our newsroom. New episodes drop every Friday.

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 is LAist's weekly on-demand news magazine show that pulls back the curtain and dives deeper into the biggest and most consequential SoCal stories of the week from our newsroom. New episodes drop every Friday.
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

How one man rebuilt his life, 100 miles at a time (Murrow awards)

The Iran national soccer team competed in its first match at the 2026 World Cup in Los Angeles – after months of uncertainty over whether they’d play amid the US war on Iran. It's the first time in the tournament’s history that a host nation has gone to war with a participating nation. In our final installment of our World Cup series, LAist reporter Libby Rainey looks at the Iranian team’s precarious path to LA, the role politics has played in the largest and longest World Cup in FIFA history, and the issues the team and LA's large Iranian diaspora continues to navigate.

Check out more of Libby’s reporting and LAist’s World Cup guide at LAist.com/WorldCup

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

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.

The Iran national soccer team competed in its first match at the 2026 World Cup in Los Angeles &ndash; after months of uncertainty over whether they&rsquo;d play amid the US war on Iran. It's the first time in the tournament&rsquo;s history that a host nation has gone to war with a participating nation. In our final installment of our World Cup series, LAist reporter Libby Rainey looks at the Iranian team&rsquo;s precarious path to LA, the role politics has played in the largest and longest World Cup in FIFA history, and the issues the team and LA's large Iranian diaspora continues to navigate.
Check out more of Libby&rsquo;s reporting and LAist&rsquo;s World Cup guide at&nbsp;<a href="http://laist.com/WorldCup">LAist.com/WorldCup</a>
Grow your business&ndash;no matter what stage you&rsquo;re in. Sign up for a one-dollar-per-month trial period at <a href="http://shopify.com/paradise">SHOPIFY.COM/paradise</a>
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: War, politics, and sports collide as Iran competes in LA for the World Cup

The Iran national soccer team competed in its first match at the 2026 World Cup in Los Angeles – after months of uncertainty over whether they’d play amid the US war on Iran. It's the first time in the tournament’s history that a host nation has gone to war with a participating nation. In our final installment of our World Cup series, LAist reporter Libby Rainey looks at the Iranian team’s precarious path to LA, the role politics has played in the largest and longest World Cup in FIFA history, and the issues the team and LA's large Iranian diaspora continues to navigate.

Check out more of Libby’s reporting and LAist’s World Cup guide at LAist.com/WorldCup

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

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.

The Iran national soccer team competed in its first match at the 2026 World Cup in Los Angeles &ndash; after months of uncertainty over whether they&rsquo;d play amid the US war on Iran. It's the first time in the tournament&rsquo;s history that a host nation has gone to war with a participating nation. In our final installment of our World Cup series, LAist reporter Libby Rainey looks at the Iranian team&rsquo;s precarious path to LA, the role politics has played in the largest and longest World Cup in FIFA history, and the issues the team and LA's large Iranian diaspora continues to navigate.
Check out more of Libby&rsquo;s reporting and LAist&rsquo;s World Cup guide at <a href="http://laist.com/WorldCup">LAist.com/WorldCup</a>
Grow your business&ndash;no matter what stage you&rsquo;re in. Sign up for a one-dollar-per-month trial period at <a href="http://shopify.com/paradise">SHOPIFY.COM/paradise</a>
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.

War, politics, and sports collide as Iran competes in LA for the World Cup

Los Angeles is hosting eight matches for this year’s FIFA World Cup. Today, LA is home to three professional soccer teams and one of the biggest soccer youth organizations in the nation, but did you know its history with soccer goes back over a century? With the world cup at our doorstep, LAist correspondent Adolfo Guzman-Lopez traces LA’s relationship with soccer, from its celebrity scene to its immigrant roots.

Check out more of Adolfo’s reporting and LAist’s World Cup guide at LAist.com/WorldCup

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

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.

Los Angeles is hosting eight matches for this year&rsquo;s FIFA World Cup. Today, LA is home to three professional soccer teams and one of the biggest soccer youth organizations in the nation, but did you know its history with soccer goes back over a century? With the world cup at our doorstep, LAist correspondent Adolfo Guzman-Lopez traces LA&rsquo;s relationship with soccer, from its celebrity scene to its immigrant roots.
Check out more of Adolfo&rsquo;s reporting and LAist&rsquo;s World Cup guide at <a href="http://laist.com/WorldCup">LAist.com/WorldCup</a>
Grow your business&ndash;no matter what stage you&rsquo;re in. Sign up for a one-dollar-per-month trial period at <a href="http://shopify.com/paradise">SHOPIFY.COM/paradise</a>
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.

How one man rebuilt his life, 100 miles at a time (Murrow awards)

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