Imperfect Paradise

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 historic route was also a primary path for Black Americans to escape the South during the Jim Crow era, all while navigating around sundown towns. L.A. Explained Reporter Cato Hernandez joins Imperfect Paradise to discuss the significance of Route 66, its influence on California and its effect on Black migration to the West. Read more of Cato’s reporting at LAist.com. 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.Support LAist Today: https://laist.com/join

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, immigration and other top issues for voters, as well as the rise of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) and the stakes for the Democratic Party.  Check out Frank’s Voter Game Plan guide for the mayor's race on LAist.com. 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.  Support LAist Today: https://laist.com/join

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 CalMatters health reporter Kristen Hwang and assistant professor Jennifer Gaudette from UC Riverside’s School of Public Policy.  Read our Voter Game Plan guide for Prop 40 at LAist.com  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.Support LAist Today: https://laist.com/join

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 unnecessary hurdles – and that it plays into false claims of widespread election fraud that President Donald Trump has long promoted. In this episode of our Voter Game Plan series, LAist’s Orange County correspondent Jill Replogle joins Imperfect Paradise to share what she’s learned from the author of Prop 39, its opponents and election experts. Check out Jill’s Voter Game Plan guide for Prop 39 on LAist.com. 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.Support LAist Today: https://laist.com/join

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 affordability, immigration and other top issues for voters, as well as the rise of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) and the stakes for the Democratic Party.  Check out Frank’s Voter Game Plan guide for the mayor's race on LAist.com. 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.Support LAist Today: https://laist.com/join

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 done to prevent a similar disaster in the future? On this episode of Imperfect Paradise, Boyle Heights Beat reporters Laura Anaya-Morga and Alejandra Molina trace what happened and how the community has responded. *Update: Since the taping of this episode, the Los Angeles City Attorney has confirmed its office has been investigating the Lineage fire since July. 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.Support LAist Today: https://laist.com/join

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 – 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 episode contains explicit language.Support LAist Today: https://laist.com/join

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, we explore these questions with veteran entertainment journalist Dawn Chmielewski, and hear from local film and TV workers about how they’re faring. 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.(Correction: A previous version of this episode incorrectly stated the percentage that television production increased in the second quarter of this year. We regret the error.)Support LAist Today: https://laist.com/join

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 rebuilding, the new rules around safety-testing and what they might mean for the future of home insurance in California. 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.Support LAist Today: https://laist.com/join

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 there’s enough time for L.A. to deliver what organizers have said will be a “transit-first” 2028 Olympics. 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.Support LAist Today: https://laist.com/join