Imperfect Paradise: Route 66 has a 100-year legacy of American road trips and expansion, but the Mother Road had its problems too Redux

This episode originally aired on March 6, 2026. As Route 66 celebrates its centennial anniversary, we look back at its enduring impact as an iconic road that stretched from Illinois to California — and some of its darker past. It wasn’t just a mode of transportation for family road trips. The hist…

Imperfect Paradise: Bass and Raman in a dead heat for LA mayor and the 411 on CA governor race

The midterm elections are days away and the stakes are high for two particular races: the California gubernatorial race and the L.A. mayor race. In our *updated* Voter Game Plan episode, fill-in host Josie Huang sits down with KQED’s Marisa Lagos and LAist’s Frank Stoltze to dive into affordability…

Imperfect Paradise: Prop 40: Should California tax its billionaires to fund health care?

Supporters of Prop 40 say it would fill gaps left by the Trump administration’s cuts on healthcare. The opposition isn’t billionaires…. It includes Planned Parenthood, the state’s biggest teachers union and Governor Newsom. In this episode of our Voter Game Plan series, we break down Prop 40 with C…

Imperfect Paradise: California Prop 39: What the voter ID measure may change

Prop 39, a voter ID measure that would dramatically change voting in California is on the ballot this November. Proponents say that requiring voters to show a government ID when they cast a ballot would increase peoples’ trust in the election process. But opponents say the measure would add unneces…

Imperfect Paradise: Guide to LA mayor & California governor races: Bass vs Raman, Becerra vs Hilton

The midterm elections are nearly here and the stakes are high for two particular races: the California gubernatorial race and the L.A. mayor race. In the first episode of our Voter Game Plan series, fill-in host Josie Huang sits down with KQED’s Marisa Lagos and LAist’s Frank Stoltze to dive into a…

Imperfect Paradise: What went wrong with the Lineage warehouse fire in Boyle Heights?

It took days to put out the Lineage warehouse fire in Los Angeles this summer. Once the flames were out, the cleanup of rotting food took weeks. Residents suffered health problems, businesses lost customers and many questions are still unanswered. Who should be held accountable and what’s being don…

Imperfect Paradise: Why some chefs are trading high-end dining for home kitchens

In the infamously cutthroat industry of restaurants, some chefs are finding untraditional paths towards success. LAist food writer Gab Chabrán dives into the state of restaurants through the story of one chef who traded in his high-end dining job for a home kitchen operation.   Grow your business …

Imperfect Paradise: President Trump says ‘Hollywood is dead.’ What’s being done to revive it?

In 2025, California majorly boosted its film and TV tax credit program for the first time since 2014 in an effort to keep jobs in the Golden State. One year out, is it working as planned? And why is President Trump now calling for a national incentive program? On this episode of Imperfect Paradise,…

Imperfect Paradise: Is your smoke-damaged home safe? The toxic aftermath of LA’s 2025 fires

Many of the homes that survived the Palisades and Eaton fires are still not habitable because of contamination from smoke damage. Residents have been left battling with insurance companies over who is responsible for post-fire cleaning and testing. LAist’s David Wagner dives into where we are  with…

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…