Imperfect Paradise: Is LA becoming a public transit city?

Los Angeles has long been considered a “car-centric” city, but is that changing? On this episode of Imperfect Paradise, LAist transportation correspondent Kavish Harjai joins to talk about the history of transit in L.A., the backstory behind the much-delayed People Mover train at LAX, and whether t…

Imperfect Paradise: How one man rebuilt his life, 100 miles at a time Redux

This episode originally aired on January 8, 2025. 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 Ce…

Imperfect Paradise: Most Californians don't own a home until 47. What that says about the CA Dream

Is homeownership falling out of reach for millennials and Gen Z in the Golden State? LAist housing correspondent David Wagner joins Imperfect Paradise to examine this trend, the obstacles to homeownership and why we may need to shift our conception of what housing looks like in California.  Grow y…

Imperfect Paradise: More than an internet star. The life & legacy of Big Bear’s famous eagle Jackie

The death of Jackie signals the end of her story with Shadow – as well as for Big Bear Lake, and for millions of fans who followed the eagles’ saga on livestream for years. LAist reporter Makenna Cramer joins Imperfect Paradise to examine how the eagles turned the tides for a fight against luxury h…

Imperfect Paradise: After two years of progress, homelessness went up in LA. Why?

Homelessness increased in Los Angeles this year following two previous years of declines, according to the recently released 2026 “point-in-time” homeless count. It’s a setback for the region, and for L.A. Mayor Karen Bass who’s touted prior declines as evidence that her approach to addressing the …

Imperfect Paradise: Can a city built by the oil industry stop drilling for good?

The city of Los Angeles is home to over two thousand active oil wells, many concentrated in communities of color where residents have long reported serious health issues. On this episode of Imperfect Paradise, LAist’s Erin Stone takes us inside one neighborhood’s fight to shut down a drill site, an…

Imperfect Paradise: Who gets due process? Inside the fight over immigration bond hearings at Adelanto

Immigration bond denials have jumped sharply under the second Trump administration — nowhere more than at the Adelanto ICE detention center in Southern California. On this week's Imperfect Paradise: LAist's Jared Bennett follows the case of a 70-year-old L.A. street vendor held at Adelanto for six …

Bonus Episode: Norco 80: The Aftermath - Guns And Police

Hear from Pulitzer Prize winning host Chris Haxel of the No Compromise podcast, Michael Sierra-Arévalo of the University of Texas, and LAist Studios Executive Producer and Norco 80 host Antonia Cereijido discuss the pervasiveness of gun culture and the militarization of the police force.  This aud…

Bonus Episode: Norco 80: The Aftermath - Survivalism

LAist Studios Executive Producer and Norco 80 podcast host Antonia Cereijido takes an in-depth look at survivalism and preppers, past and present with special guests Paige Ferrari of National Geographic’s Doomsday Preppers and Bradley Garrett, author of Bunker: Building for the End Times. This aud…

A Conversation about Policing

In 2016, Rosa Brooks, a full-time law professor at Georgetown University, became a reserve police officer. Rosa had previously studied and written about the role of violence in society, but always from a perspective outside of law enforcement. Now, she's written a book about her years of service an…