Imperfect Paradise

We are excited to announce LAist Studios' award-winning narrative podcast "Imperfect Paradise" relaunches in September as a weekly show with Antonia Cereijido as our host!  Be sure to follow and subscribe to "Imperfect Paradise" wherever you get your podcasts.  From LAist Studios: "Imperfect Paradise", new weekly episodes coming September 27th.  Support LAist Today: https://laist.com/join

In this episode, Ruth and Elliot Handler are gone, and the new Mattel team, led by a man who feared the volatility of the toy business, diversified the company and made a big gamble on electronics. It didn’t work. Fortunately, Barbie ends up in the sure hands of some trailblazing women executives, who could see that the culture was moving in a direction very compatible with Barbie’s persona. From...

For Barbie, the cultural upheaval of the 60s and 70s incites one identity crisis after another as Mattel tries to keep up with the times. On top of that, she has a new boyfriend to deal with. Ken's creation is a big hit for Barbie fans, but he’s facing a few growing pains of his own. In this episode, we investigate Ken's origin story, delve into the inner workings of Mattel, and hear how Barbie's...

"LA Made: The Barbie Tapes," from LAist Studios, tells the true story of the making and marketing of the most famous doll in the world, Barbie, told by the people who did it. We’ll hear from Mattel co-founder Ruth Handler, who spent years trying to convince her own company to make a teen aged fashion doll. Support LAist Today: https://laist.com/join

LAist Studios & USC Annenberg's School of Journalism Present: How COVID Changed Everything A series where graduate students in the USC Annenberg School of Journalism examine the many ways—both dramatic and nuanced—that the pandemic has changed life in ways we are only now beginning to understand. Part 3: Acting While the pandemic caused a lot of stasis, it also inspired plenty of action. Once...

LAist Studios & USC Annenberg's School of Journalism Present: How COVID Changed Everything A series where graduate students in the USC Annenberg School of Journalism examine the many ways—both dramatic and nuanced—that the pandemic has changed life in ways we are only now beginning to understand. Part 2: Adapting Change is a given, but COVID-19 truly forced the hand of change. In this episode...

LAist Studios & USC Annenberg's School of Journalism Present: How COVID Changed Everything When the World Health Organization declared an end to COVID-19 as a global health emergency last month, it marked an over 3 year journey through the deadliest pandemic in US history. While COVID-19 may no longer be an official public health emergency, the effects it's had on every fabric of society can’t...

Brian returns to Los Angeles. But his ideas of "home" have changed. Music from this episode composed by: Geir Sundstøl, Modarchive, Natalia Lafourcade, Old Saw, Woo, Yeahman   Support How To LA and other LAist Studios podcasts by donating now at LAist.com/join Support LAist Today: https://laist.com/join

Brian finally sets foot in Mexico. His audio diary chronicles what it was like to feel at home while feeling like an outsider. Music from this episode composed by: Floating Points, Geir Sundstøl, Modarchive, Yeahman   Support How To LA and other LAist Studios podcasts by donating now at LAist.com/join Support LAist Today: https://laist.com/join

Brian is surprised by a letter from the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. It’s his Advance Parole document. He can travel to Mexico – his country of birth – for the first time in 30 years. The days ahead become a sprint to prepare and make travel plans. He only has a month to return to the U.S., or he could lose DACA and be denied reentry. Guest: Roberto Gonzales, a professor of sociology...

California is home to around 2 million undocumented people. And in Southern California, roughly 80,000 of them have DACA, Deferred Action Childhood Arrival (although some stats put that number higher). It allows people to get a work permit, to pay in-state tuition, and to get a drivers license. But there are a lot of freedoms it doesn't grant, like freely traveling outside the US. How to LA host B...

Hey, Imperfect Paradise listeners, this is Emily Guerin. I'm one of the hosts and senior producers of this show. We're doing something a little different and we're bringing you an episode of the NPR podcast Code Switch . My colleague Josie Huang is talking to one of their hosts about the mass shooting in Monterey Park, California, and what it says about the dark side of the Asian American dream. I...

In early 2020, just as fears about coronavirus are worsening, women begin accusing the founder of Kundalini Yoga, Yogi Bhajan, of sexual assault. Guru Jagat’s surprising response sets the stage for her radicalization during the pandemic. Support LAist Today: https://laist.com/join

Katie Griggs, a young woman from rural Maryland, discovers Kundalini yoga in her early 20s and goes all in. She transforms herself into Guru Jagat, a beloved and controversial yoga and wellness influencer in Los Angeles. In this episode, her friends, family, and coworkers grapple with how she changed in the final years of her life. And we explore the connections between yoga and conspiracies like...

Guru Jagat starts the pandemic with an understandable skepticism of official medical advice, but quickly grows to embrace an array of far-right conspiracy theories. Support LAist Today: https://laist.com/join

Before her sudden death in 2021, Guru Jagat had become a famous Kundalini yoga teacher based in Los Angeles. But as the global pandemic grew, she started talking like a far-right coronavirus conspiracy theorist. What does her journey down the rabbit hole tell us about the appeal of conspiracies in the yoga and wellness community? This 3-episode season explores Guru Jagat’s rise to fame and follows...

Alex Villanueva has conceded the election. The next sheriff of LA County will be Robert Luna. More analysis to come soon. Support LAist Today: https://laist.com/join

By the end of 2021, Alex Villanueva has done a 180. Once supported by the local Democratic party, he’s become a darling of Fox News. Instead of working closely with immigration activists, he’s proposing a military-style approach to clear all the unhoused off the streets. He’s won the intense loyalty of the overwhelming majority of his deputies, but lots of people who voted for him in 2018 have cha...

In 2019, LA County Sheriff’s deputies shot and killed Marco Vazquez, Jr. outside his home while he was having a mental health crisis. Later, members of Vazquez’ family say they were followed and harassed by Sheriff’s deputies. They’re not the only ones. Support LAist Today: https://laist.com/join

There have been deputy gangs in the LA County Sheriff’s department for almost as long as anyone can remember. These groups can be violent, misogynistic, discriminatory and powerful – they can control much of what happens at some sheriff’s stations. Sheriff Villanueva simultaneously denies gangs exist and claims he has banned them. Support LAist Today: https://laist.com/join

When retired Lt. Alex Villanueva announces his candidacy for sheriff in 2017, no one takes him seriously. But with the support of the local Democratic party, immigrant rights activists, and lots of political savvy, he pulls off a shocking defeat of the sitting sheriff – something that hasn’t happened in over 100 years. Almost as soon as he takes office, Villanueva re-hires a former deputy (and fri...

We begin with a scene of a very strange press conference: Sheriff Alex Villanueva is threatening to open a criminal investigation into an LA Times reporter, and our host, Frank Stoltze, is questioning him about it. Through Frank’s reflections on his time covering policing in LA County, we learn that Villanueva is the product of a department that has been riddled with scandals for decades: racial p...

Alex Villanueva, an underdog maverick, runs for LA County Sheriff as a progressive reformer in 2018 and wins, surprising everyone. After taking office, he turns into a vindictive leader who mocks reform, protects his friends and attacks his enemies. And now he’s up for re-election. Follow veteran KPCC correspondent Frank Stoltze as he pieces together this story in a 5-episode season of Imperfect P...

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

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