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Imperfect Paradise
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Imperfect Paradise
The Show About Hidden Worlds and Messy Realities

About The Show

Imperfect Paradise is an award-winning weekly narrative podcast showcasing California stories with universal significance, hosted by Antonia Cereijido. Each deeply reported story is driven by characters who illuminate aspects of American identity and underscore California's reputation as a home for dreamers and schemers, its heartbreaking inequality, its varied and diverse communities, its unique combination of dense cities and wild places. New episodes premiere Wednesdays, with broadcasts on LAist 89.3 the following Sundays.

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.

Funding provided by:

Get LA News Updates Daily

We brief you on what you need to know about L.A. today.
Episodes
  • (Black and white photo of JB Hamby, a white man, wearing sunglasses a white button up long sleeve shirt, dark jeans with an oblong belt buckle, standing with his hand on a railing on a platform over a flowing rover. )
    Listen 41:45
    The Colorado River is in the midst of one of the worst water crises in recorded history. Climate change and overuse are taking a significant toll. Seven states, including California, must compromise and reach a solution to prevent the river from collapsing.

    In late 2023, the tensions were running high between the major players in the water world as they convened at the annual Colorado River conference in Las Vegas. LAist Correspondent Emily Guerin was there, seeking to learn as much as she can about the people with the most power on the river.

  • (Black and white photo of JB Hamby, a white man, wearing sunglasses a white button up long sleeve shirt, dark jeans with an oblong belt buckle, standing with his hand on a railing on a platform over a flowing rover. )
    Listen 33:17
    JB Hamby is the dealmaker from California, and at 28 years old, he’s the youngest and least experienced among the representatives from the seven states involved with the Colorado River water negotiations. LAist correspondent Emily Guerin explores the beginnings of Hamby’s understanding of water growing up in the Imperial Valley, a desert farming area in California.
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Episodes
  • Imperfect Paradise Main Tile
    She Has A Name is set against the backdrop of the drug epidemic in 1980s Detroit. The new podcast hosted by NPR's Tonya Mosley blends elements of investigative journalism and memoir to tell a story about loss and redemption, mending broken family ties, and the trauma experienced by countless individuals who've lost loved ones to violence.

    Listen to all episodes of She Has A Name from APM Studios and Truth Be Told Presents here

    CONTENT WARNING: This episode of She Has A Name includes discussion of some heavy topics, including murder and other acts of violence. Listener discretion is advised.

    For support and resources, please visit:

    Project Cold Case
    National Organization for Victim Assistance
    VictimConnect Resource Center
  • Imperfect Paradise Main Tile
    Listen 43:11
    Listen 43:11
    The Forgotten Revolutionary Redux: Part 8
    Part 8:

    Adolfo finds new information about the night Oscar died, and has to have a difficult conversation about what really happened to Oscar.

    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.

    This program is made possible in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a private corporation funded by the American people.

  • Imperfect Paradise Main Tile
    Listen 38:25
    Listen 38:25
    The Forgotten Revolutionary Redux: Part 7
    Part 7: 

    Adolfo learns about the dangers of Santa Barbara’s bluffs and gets a second opinion on Oscar’s death report. 

    CONTENT WARNING: This episode contains discussions about fatal injuries and suicide.

    The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline offers services to talk to a skilled counselor. If you are feeling distressed and need to talk to a counselor, please call 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or visit https://988lifeline.org/.

    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.

    This program is made possible in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a private corporation funded by the American people.

  • Support for LAist comes from
  • Imperfect Paradise Main Tile
    Listen 33:03
    Listen 33:03
    The Forgotten Revolutionary Redux: Part 6
    Part 6:

    Adolfo reckons with his own relationship to his past and the Chicano student movement. And he finds someone who may have clues about what happened the night Oscar died. 

    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.

    This program is made possible in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a private corporation funded by the American people.

  • Imperfect Paradise Main Tile
    Listen 45:54
    Listen 45:54
    The Forgotten Revolutionary Redux: Part 5
    Part 5:

    Was Oscar going to leave the Chicano student movement? Adolfo discovers new information about Oscar’s last months. 

    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.

    This program is made possible in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a private corporation funded by the American people.

  • Purple and red illustration of a Chicano young man wearing a beanie that reads "XICANO" holding a microphone and recorder amidst a crowd of protestors
    Listen 37:48
    Listen 37:48
    The Forgotten Revolutionary Redux: Part 4
    Part 4:
    Adolfo finds a briefcase with information that could lead to clues about Oscar’s death. 
  • Purple and red illustration of a Chicano young man wearing a beanie that reads "XICANO" holding a microphone and recorder amidst a crowd of protestors
    Listen 37:05
    Listen 37:05
    The Forgotten Revolutionary Redux: Part 3
    Part 3:
    Adolfo gets his first lead on a person possibly involved in Oscar’s death.
  • Purple and red illustration of a Chicano young man wearing a beanie that reads "XICANO" holding a microphone and recorder amidst a crowd of protestors
    Listen 46:11
    Listen 46:11
    The Forgotten Revolutionary Redux: Part 2
    Part 2:
    Adolfo learns that there was a dark side to Oscar’s experience in the Chicano student movement. 
  • Support for LAist comes from
  • Purple and red illustration of a Chicano young man wearing a beanie that reads "XICANO" holding a microphone and recorder amidst a crowd of protestors
    Listen 32:56
    Listen 32:56
    The Forgotten Revolutionary Redux: Part 1
    Imperfect Paradise: The Forgotten Revolutionary, the 2022 podcast from LAist Studios, has been optioned by Participant and is simultaneously being developed as a scripted and documentary limited series. 
    Part 1:
    Oscar Gomez was a star of the 1990s Chicano student movement and then, unexpectedly, he died. A rattling event in host Adolfo Guzman-Lopez’s life spurs him to investigate Oscar’s death. 
  • Imperfect Paradise Main Tile
    Listen 34:01
    Listen 34:01
    LAist Investigates: The Unknown Mandate - Accessing Medication Abortion at California Universities
    Imperfect Paradise host Antonia Cereijido is joined by LAist Senior Health Reporter Jackie Fortier and Higher Education Correspondent Adolfo Guzman-Lopez to break down their investigation into why many students and faculty across California's public universities don't know that medication abortion is mandated on their campuses. This is the latest LAist Investigates episode on Imperfect Paradise that highlights reporting from our newsroom.

    CONTENT WARNING: This episode includes first-hand description of an outpatient abortion procedure.

    For additional information and resources, you can visit https://abortion.ca.gov/
Credits
Correspondent
Senior Producer
Producer
Audio Production Engineer
Production Coordinator
Vice President, LAist Studios
Director of Content Development, LAist Studios