California City

LAist Studios

Deep in the Mojave Desert, there is a little town with a big name and a bizarre history: California City. For decades, real estate developers have sold a dream here: if you buy land now, you’ll be rich one day. Thousands of people bought this dream. Many were young couples and hard-working immigrants looking to build a better future. But much of the land they bought is nearly worthless.  In this new podcast from LAist Studios, host Emily Guerin tells a story of money, power and deception. 

  • 43 minutes 48 seconds
    LA Made: The Other Moonshot - Part 4: The Landing

    In the final episode of "LA Made: The Other Moonshot": Despite several stopgaps and hiccups, the moon landing is a monumental success, although many Black Americans feel it’s come at a cost to their progress. The discrimination Charlie, Nate and Shelby faced at work finally makes it into government hearings. And the trio today reflect on their contributions to the space race, expressing their sense of pride and wonder, as well as unresolved wounds from their experiences.

    "LA Made: The Other Moonshot" is a production of LAist Studios with Reasonable Volume, and the third season of the LA Made franchise.

    Visit BetterHelp.com/moonshot to get 10% off your first month. The Other Moonshot is sponsored by BetterHelp.

    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.

    19 February 2025, 10:00 am
  • 45 minutes 20 seconds
    LA Made: The Other Moonshot - Part 2: Spring Loaded to Failure

    In this episode of "LA Made: The Other Moonshot": Were these three engineers set up to fail? The space race starts to hit debilitating roadblocks, and the Black aerospace engineers are beginning to feel the weight of the workplace — and the clock ticking. Shelby, Nate and Charlie develop different ways to cope with the pressure. A tragedy during an Apollo 1 flight simulation raises the stakes even further, while outside the company, racial tensions come to a head in nearby Watts.

    "LA Made: The Other Moonshot" is a production of LAist Studios with Reasonable Volume, and the third season of the LA Made franchise.

    Visit BetterHelp.com/moonshot to get 10% off your first month.

    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.

    5 February 2025, 10:00 am
  • 45 minutes 8 seconds
    LA Made The Other Moonshot - Part 1 Ignition Starts

    In this first episode of "LA Made: The Other Moonshot": America aims for the moon. President John F. Kennedy stands proudly behind the mission to advance the country and welcomes a diverse team to get the job done. That team includes three Black engineers who have a studded background — Charlie Cheathem, Nathaniel LeVert and Shelby Jacobs. However, the three men quickly realize that social progress is slower than scientific advancement.

    "LA Made: The Other Moonshot" is a production of LAist Studios with Reasonable Volume, and the third season of the LA Made franchise.

    Visit BetterHelp.com/moonshot to get 10% off your first month.

    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.

    3 February 2025, 8:29 pm
  • 42 minutes 26 seconds
    Imperfect Paradise: Is it possible to build a fire-proof house?

    Some of the most striking images to come out of the Los Angeles wildfires are photos of a single intact house, surrounded by rubble. We wondered: why do some houses burn down and not others? Is it possible to build a fire-proof house? Imperfect Paradise host Antonia Cereijido, correspondent Emily Guerin, and host of the LAist Studios podcast The Big Burn Jacob Margolis, look at what preventative measures you can take to try to save your house in a wildfire. Plus, we meet a man who tried to build a fire-proof house and a woman who lost everything, yet chose to rebuild in exactly the same place.

    To see photos of the bunker home in Topanga Canyon: https://www.instagram.com/p/CkueCwIrHta/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

    Eaton Fire Ring Cam footage: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DEydaaLvfra/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=9c2269c5-a77d-42d6-8333-3c4ad540ccd0

    Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety homes on fire video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QQIHtMQ_y5k&ab_channel=InsuranceInstituteforBusiness%26HomeSafety%28IBHS%29 

    Grow your business–no matter what stage you’re in. Sign up for a one-dollar-per-month trial period at SHOPIFY.COM/paradise

    Learn more about the rich traditions and vibrant voices of Native California at https://NewsFromNativeCalifornia.com 

    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.

    29 January 2025, 12:52 am
  • 35 minutes 18 seconds
    Imperfect Paradise: Why fires happen in Southern California — and how we can prevent them

    The same factors that make Los Angeles an appealing place to live, like large urban scale development intertwined with nature, are also the reason we need a fundamentally different approach to fire. Host Antonia Cereijido and science reporter and host of LAist podcast The Big Burn Jacob Margolis dive into what makes Southern California’s ecology unique and what that means for fire management.

    Grow your business–no matter what stage you’re in. Sign up for a one-dollar-per-month trial period at SHOPIFY.COM/paradise

    Learn more about the rich traditions and vibrant voices of Native California at https://NewsFromNativeCalifornia.com 

    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.

    23 January 2025, 10:00 am
  • 44 minutes 22 seconds
    Imperfect Paradise: The first five days: Inside LA’s most destructive wildfires

    Larry Mantle has been a radio host in Los Angeles for nearly 40 years. Over the course of hosting his live, daily, public affairs call-in show on LAist 89.3, he’s covered the region’s biggest triumphs and tragedies, hearing from officials and Angelenos alike. Covering the Palisades, Eaton, and other current LA wildfires has been especially trying. “I have never seen in such a short period of time this kind of devastation,” said Mantle. Imperfect Paradise host Antonia Cereijdio and AirTalk’s Larry Mantle take us inside the first five days of the wildfires and how Mantle is helping Angelenos process the devastation throughout Southern California on his show.

    Grow your business–no matter what stage you’re in. Sign up for a one-dollar-per-month trial period at SHOPIFY.COM/paradise

    Learn more about the rich traditions and vibrant voices of Native California at https://NewsFromNativeCalifornia.com 

    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.

    16 January 2025, 8:25 pm
  • 24 minutes 18 seconds
    Imperfect Paradise: LAist Newsroom Answers Your Questions about the Fires

    Los Angeles County has been ravaged by multiple fires. Thousands of structures were destroyed, and hundreds of thousands of Angelenos have evacuated. Imperfect Paradise host Antonia Cereijido and correspondent Emily Guerin answer your most commonly asked questions about wildfires such as: Why are so many houses built in fire prone areas? How did the fires get so bad? What should I pack in my go bag? Plus, we get wildfire and evacuation advice from our podcast about wildfires, The Big Burn, with Science Reporter Jacob Margolis.

    Grow your business–no matter what stage you’re in. Sign up for a one-dollar-per-month trial period at SHOPIFY.COM/paradise

    Learn more about the rich traditions and vibrant voices of Native California at https://NewsFromNativeCalifornia.com

    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.

    10 January 2025, 9:27 pm
  • 48 minutes 29 seconds
    Imperfect Paradise: How one man rebuilt his life, 100 miles at a time

    Struggling with addiction and reentry after multiple stints in prison, Cesar Quijano discovers ultrarunning, a hobby that turns into his addiction and salvation. Through Cesar’s story to complete  a 100-mile race, Imperfect Paradise host Antonia Cereijido and producer Lucy Copp explore urgent questions around what support people need to successfully transition out of prison and into society.

    Grow your business–no matter what stage you’re in. Sign up for a one-dollar-per-month trial period at SHOPIFY.COM/paradise

    Learn more about the rich traditions and vibrant voices of Native California at https://NewsFromNativeCalifornia.com

    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.

    8 January 2025, 10:00 am
  • 26 minutes 3 seconds
    Imperfect Paradise: Lions, Coyotes, & Bears: Part 4 Redux - The Eagle Lovebirds

    This episode first aired on August 14, 2024.

    Jackie and Shadow are two beloved bald eagles who live in Big Bear, a ski town a couple hours northeast of L.A. They went viral in 2024, as people tuned in to a livestream of their nest to see if their eggs would hatch. Fans around the world became deeply attached to the lovebirds, obsessing over the couple’s devotion to each other and their eggs. For Imperfect Paradise host Antonia Cereijido, the story became personal when she also began her parenthood journey. Antonia explores how our relationship to wildlife can help us better understand ourselves. 

    CONTENT ADVISORY: This episode includes details about pregnancy complications.

    Grow your business–no matter what stage you’re in. Sign up for a one-dollar-per-month trial period at SHOPIFY.COM/paradise

    Learn more about the rich traditions and vibrant voices of Native California at https://NewsFromNativeCalifornia.com

    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.

    1 January 2025, 10:00 am
  • 45 minutes 36 seconds
    Imperfect Paradise: Lions, Coyotes, & Bears: Part 3 Redux - The Bear Nuisance

    This episode first aired on August 7, 2024.

    The first deadly black bear attack in California’s history was confirmed recently in a small mountain town in Northern California. While wildlife officials say fatal bear attacks are rare, this recent death and growing encounters between bears and people underscore how high the stakes are as wild and urban worlds merge.

    LAist climate reporter Erin Stone takes a deeper look at bears through the lens of the mountain town of Sierra Madre, where she lives. Just 25 minutes from downtown L.A., the residents of Sierra Madre increasingly come face-to-face with black bears. 

    Erin looks at the history of bears in the U.S., how black bears ended up in Southern California, and how Sierra Madre is choosing to respond to the black bears living in its community.

    Grow your business–no matter what stage you’re in. Sign up for a one-dollar-per-month trial period at SHOPIFY.COM/paradise 

    Learn more about the rich traditions and vibrant voices of Native California at https://NewsFromNativeCalifornia.com 

    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.

    23 December 2024, 6:05 pm
  • 45 minutes 34 seconds
    Imperfect Paradise: Lions, Coyotes, & Bears: Part 2 Redux - The Coyote Villain

    This episode first aired on July 31, 2024.

    If the mountain lion is thought of as a celebrity, then, many would think of the coyote as a villain. LAist Correspondent Emily Guerin looks into why we vilify coyotes, what scientists actually know about them, and how they’ve adapted and thrived in some of the most urban parts of Southern California. Emily also explores the historic and cultural baggage that may inform people’s attitudes about coyotes.

    CONTENT ADVISORY: This episode includes details about a deadly coyote attack of a toddler.

    Grow your business–no matter what stage you’re in. Sign up for a one-dollar-per-month trial period at SHOPIFY.COM/paradise

    Learn more about the rich traditions and vibrant voices of Native California at https://NewsFromNativeCalifornia.com

    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.

    17 December 2024, 6:52 pm
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