Imperfect Paradise

LAist Studios

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.

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Imperfect Paradise

Episodes (175)

Feb 27th 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?
Feb 20th Money, politics and power: Casey Wasserman remains head of LA28 Olympics despite connections to Jeffrey Epstein. What does this mean for Olympics planning?
Feb 13th Inside an Orange County immigration court. What it reveals about the Trump Administration’s changing policies

Imperfect Paradise

Feb 27, 2026
25½ minutes
23 MB

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 evaluate the success of the program, also known as transitional kindergarten, or TK. LAist Early Childhood Senior Reporter Elly Yu joins Imperfect Paradise to discuss why experts say research is needed, who is accountable for TK’s success, and what California can learn from other states with similar programs. Read more of Elly’s reporting on California's TK program at LAist.com. Grow your b...

Imperfect Paradise

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?

LAist Studios

00:00 -24:35