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About This Podcast
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.
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Recent Episodes
From immigrant roots to celebrities, how LA became a soccer city
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…
The World Cup is more than just soccer. How it’s a flash point for politics, the economy and ICE for host cities like LA
The stakes are high for this year’s FIFA World Cup. For the first time in the tournament's history, 48 national teams will compete across 16 cities. That includes Los Angeles. And despite the sport’s…
Voter Game Plan Part 5: Your last chance to cram before the June 2 primary
If you still haven’t voted and need some help, listen to this encore of the first episode in our Voter Game Plan series – LAist Community Engagement Senior Producer Brianna Lee previews the key races…
Voter Game Plan Part 4: What you need to know about the key Orange County races
In the fourth installment of our Voter Game Plan series, we cover a number of hotly contested primary races in Orange County. These include races for jobs that determine how the county spends…
Voter Game Plan Part 3: The primary races for LA mayor and LA County sheriff heat up
The stakes are high for two of the most high profile local races on the June primary ballot. The L.A. mayor and L.A. County sheriff are hugely influential positions, and the incumbents in each race…
Voter Game Plan Part 2: Voting for judges is one of your toughest ballot tasks. What to consider when making your choices
Traffic ticket disputes. Child custody cases. Theft. Voters decide which Los Angeles and Orange County superior court judges rule on these kinds of cases and other daily issues that directly affect…
Voter Game Plan Part 1: What you need to know about the June primary elections
All month long on Imperfect Paradise, we’re bringing you a special series devoted to the June primaries. Whether you’re voting for L.A. mayor, the school board or superior court judge, we'll help you…
Inside a Southern California church, where Muslims, Jews, and Christians all pray
Although religion is an inescapable element in conflicts around the world and a polarizing topic here at home, one place of worship in Pasadena, California, is defying religious labels. Amid the…
'Astronomical' LA28 Olympics ticket prices have shocked fans. But could a more expensive games benefit taxpayers?
Despite an initial promise that LA Olympic events would start at $28, tickets for the games are costing fans hundreds to thousands of dollars. LAist Olympics reporter Libby Rainey joins us to discuss…
Big Bear Valley’s ‘royal couple’ Jackie and Shadow & their emotional journey to parenthood
The famed Big Bear bald eagle couple Jackie and Shadow have become a global internet sensation. Tens of thousands of fans tune in to watch every season as the couple expands their family. LAist…
Rotten food, disease, isolation. What we know about conditions at the Adelanto ICE detention center
At least four people have died in custody at an ICE detention facility in Adelanto, California. A recent lawsuit alleges that living conditions there are inhumane, and some are comparing the facility…
Looming strike, budget deficit, and superintendent under federal investigation. What it could all mean for LAUSD's 400,000 students and staff
Los Angeles Unified School District could face an open-ended strike if multiple labor deals are not made by April 14. The potential strike comes at a time when the district faces significant…
Whistleblower alleges manager asleep on job during Eaton Fire response. Complaint raises questions about accountability and preparedness
A whistleblower at the L.A. County Office of Emergency Management (OEM) filed a complaint alleging a colleague with a history of sleeping on the job was in charge of emergency workers sending…
We did the math: Men speak way more than women in the 10 films up for the top Oscar
The Academy has historically favored men when it comes to giving out its Oscars statuettes. Women are once again not only underrepresented among this year’s Best Picture nominees, but also fared…
Route 66 has a 100-year legacy of American road trips and expansion, but the Mother Road had its problems too
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…
California is not tracking whether its multi-billion dollar public preschool program is working. So how do we know if it’s helping or hurting students?
California has spent billions of dollars on a free universal preschool program available to all eligible 4-year-olds in the state. However, there are no official plans in place from the state to…
Money, politics and power: Casey Wasserman remains head of LA28 Olympics despite connections to Jeffrey Epstein. What does this mean for Olympics planning?
LA 2028 Olympics head Casey Wasserman is facing growing pressure to resign from his post after recently released Epstein files revealed emails Wasserman exchanged with Ghislaine Maxwell. The board…
Inside an Orange County immigration court. What it reveals about the Trump Administration’s changing policies
As the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown continues, we explore what’s happening on the legal side of immigration enforcement. One group of court observers at the Santa Ana Immigration…
After disasters, California mandates timely reports. Why it matters that more than 100 of them are years overdue
Catastrophic fires are becoming more and more common across California. After-action reports about the fires and other disasters can help officials prevent past mistakes. But the California…
A Cambodian Genocide survivor was undergoing the legal immigration process and had protections against deportation. So why was she detained by ICE indefinitely?
Sithy Yi and her family fled Cambodia to the U.S. following the takeover of their home country by the brutal Khmer Rouge regime. But Yi’s visa application process has taken years, and despite…
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Imperfect Paradise has published 190 episodes since January 2022, covering topics in Society & Culture.
Imperfect Paradise is currently highly active with new episodes weekly. Average episode length is 33m.
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