Rephonic
Artwork for California City

California City

LAist Studios
Los Angeles
California
Eaton Fire
Oscar Gomez
Homelessness
Hollywood
Mutual Aid
Immigration
Colorado River
ICE
Chicano Movement
George Gascón
Star Garden
World Cup
Ice Raids
Climate Change
Santa Barbara
LGBTQ Rights
Laist Studios
Montecedro Retirement Community

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 n... more

PublishesWeeklyEpisodes119Founded6 years ago
Number of ListenersCategory
News

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Artwork for California City

Latest Episodes

The city of Los Angeles is home to over two thousand active oil wells, many concentrated in communities of color where residents have long reported serious health issues. On this episode of Imperfect Paradise, LAist’s Erin Stone takes us inside one n... more

Immigration bond denials have jumped sharply under the second Trump administration — nowhere more than at the Adelanto ICE detention center in Southern California. On this week's Imperfect Paradise: LAist's Jared Bennett follows the case of a 70-year... more

For the first time ever, more fathers than mothers applied for Paid Family Leave to bond with their newborn child in California. LAist’s Elly Yu dives into the reasons behind this growing trend and talks with three men about their role as fathers.

... more

Hosting the World Cup was supposed to be an economic boost for Los Angeles, but what effect has it really had on local businesses? LAist reporter Destiny Torres examines this question through one historic tourist destination in Los Angeles: Olvera St... more

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Recent Guests

Steven Steiner
Dad with a six-and-a-half-month-old daughter, San Francisco
Product designer
Episode: Imperfect Paradise: More dads are taking parental leave than moms. Here's why.
Carlo Campana
Dad from Tustin, Orange County; works in advertising
Advertising professional
Episode: Imperfect Paradise: More dads are taking parental leave than moms. Here's why.
Molly Weston-Williamson
With Paid Leave for All, national advocacy group
Paid Leave for All
Episode: Imperfect Paradise: More dads are taking parental leave than moms. Here's why.
Jania Cassidy
Director of the California Work and Family Coalition
California Work and Family Coalition
Episode: Imperfect Paradise: More dads are taking parental leave than moms. Here's why.
Destiny Torres
LAist reporter
LAist
Episode: Imperfect Paradise: Has World Cup fever translated into a boost for LA businesses?
Frank Stoltz
LAist Civics and Democracy correspondent
LAist
Episode: Imperfect Paradise: On the ground for LA's historic ICE protests (Redux)
Libby Rainey
LAist World Cup reporter
LAist Studios
Episode: Imperfect Paradise: War, politics, and sports collide as Iran competes in LA for the World Cup
Adolfo Guzman-Lopez
LAist correspondent and resident soccer expert
LAist
Episode: Imperfect Paradise: From immigrant roots to celebrities, how LA became a soccer city
Ray Huang
Democratic Socialist, mayoral candidate in LA
Los Angeles Mayor's race
Episode: Imperfect Paradise: Voter Game Plan Part 5 – Your last chance to cram before the June 2 primary

Host

Nereida Moreno
Host of investigative reporting and local coverage for civic-focused programs

Reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars from 1.5k ratings
  • No.

    “Transgender care” for children is at risk? Seriously? There is no such thing. Stop feeding into pure delusion. You are promoting ruining the lives of kids and their families. Get off this train.

    Apple Podcasts
    1
    NKG120
    United States8 months ago
  • A really thoughtful view of how people can be pulled into a grandstand fraud, complicity and loss.

    Podcast Addict
    5
    scattyscatty
    a year ago
  • Original story was good

    The original story was good three or four stars, but they just turned it into an advertisement for all their other shows. They uploaded like 100 episodes that had nothing to do with the original premise or the original reporter. It’s bad practice. Just advertise your other shows once or twice and leave this one for what it is.

    Apple Podcasts
    1
    Mehitchcock
    United Statesa year ago
  • Liberal NPR Mouthpiece

    This is a show sponsored by NPR and is so liberal it makes Hillary Clinton to look like a moderate. The host must emphasize her Latino name, but not talk like she’s a Latino when interviewing non-ethnic Americans. If you don’t live in LA, abort this program because if you didn’t vote for Kamala or George Gascon, you’re an useful idiot in their eyes.

    Apple Podcasts
    1
    Toolshed
    United States2 years ago
  • Liberal propaganda now

    The first season was great and very interesting. It’s just a liberal grifting podcast now hosting communists, racists, and glorifying criminals. There is no”journalism”, it’s just a interviewers gaslighting one sided DEI garbage. This podcast is just too out of touch with reality now.

    Apple Podcasts
    1
    Toyotatacomasr5
    United States2 years ago

Listeners Say

Key themes from listener reviews, highlighting what works and what could be improved about the show.

Mixed reactions to political slant; deep-dive episodes are praised for depth.
Excellent investigative journalism and actionable context for voters.
Thoughtful, rigorous local reporting with strong storytelling.

Chart Rankings

How this podcast ranks in the Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube charts.

Apple Podcasts
#212
Brazil/News

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

Imperfect Paradise: Can a city built by the oil industry stop drilling for good?
Q: What happened at the city hearing about revoking the permit and what does the future look like for Murphy and urban drilling in LA?
The hearing extended public comment and rebuttals, with ongoing tension between health concerns and regulatory authority, and while the fate of Murphy remains undecided, authorities signaled ongoing efforts to regulate and eventually phase out urban drilling in LA.
Imperfect Paradise: Can a city built by the oil industry stop drilling for good?
Q: I'm here with Erin Stone. What did you learn from talking with people who live near the Murphy drill site?
Residents shared emotional stories of health concerns, the difficulty of moving away, and the sense of home tied to the neighborhood, underscoring the human impact of living beside a drilling operation.
Imperfect Paradise: On the ground for LA's historic ICE protests (Redux)
Q: What did you know about the scope of the raids as they unfolded?
Reports indicated raids at several sites including Home Depot and a garment district store, with sweeping actions that targeted people who appeared undocumented.
Imperfect Paradise: On the ground for LA's historic ICE protests (Redux)
Q: Frank, where were you last Friday when you first got word that ICE was starting to conduct raids?
He was in the newsroom and then watched television coverage, realizing ICE activity was expanding to multiple sites in downtown LA.
Imperfect Paradise: Voter Game Plan Part 5 – Your last chance to cram before the June 2 primary
Q: Why is it important for voters to participate in June's primary elections?
Because the primary often shapes the field for the general election, determines who moves on to November, and in many California races a runoff could be possible depending on who wins outright in June.

Audience Metrics

Listeners, social reach, demographics and more for this podcast.

Listeners per Episode
Gender Skew
Location
Interests
Professions
Age Range
Household Income
Social Media Reach

Frequently Asked Questions About California City

What is California City about and what kind of topics does it cover?

This long-form investigative show digs into California City's unlikely rise and the wider dynamics of land scams, housing policy, and local governance. Episodes stitch together reporting from LAist journalists, archival context, and ground-level perspectives to illuminate how money, power, and deception shaped a desert town—and what that story reveals about similar schemes and policy failures elsewhere. A standout pattern is meticulous, data-informed storytelling paired with human-centered narratives, which helps explain complex local issues—from housing and school funding to public accountability and governance. The series tends to blend historical context with contemporary implications, offering listeners practical insights into how to ev... more

Where can I find podcast stats for California City?

Rephonic provides a wide range of podcast stats for California City. We scanned the web and collated all of the information that we could find in our comprehensive podcast database. See how many people listen to California City and access YouTube viewership numbers, download stats, audience demographics, chart rankings, ratings, reviews and more.

How many listeners does California City get?

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What are the audience demographics for California City?

Rephonic provides comprehensive predictive audience data for California City, including gender skew, age, country, political leaning, income, professions, education level, and interests. You can access these listener demographics by upgrading your account.

How many subscribers and views does California City have?

To see how many followers or subscribers California City has on Spotify and other platforms such as Castbox and Podcast Addict, simply upgrade your account. You'll also find viewership figures for their YouTube channel if they have one.

Which podcasts are similar to California City?

These podcasts share a similar audience with California City:

1. Serial
2. Criminal
3. Embedded
4. Imperfect Paradise
5. This American Life

How many episodes of California City are there?

California City launched 6 years ago and published 119 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.

How do I contact California City?

Our systems regularly scour the web to find email addresses and social media links for this podcast. We scanned the web and collated all of the contact information that we could find in our podcast database. But in the unlikely event that you can't find what you're looking for, our concierge service lets you request our research team to source better contacts for you.

Where can I see ratings and reviews for California City?

Rephonic pulls ratings and reviews for California City from multiple sources, including Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Castbox, and Podcast Addict.

View all the reviews in one place instead of visiting each platform individually and use this information to decide if a show is worth pitching or not.

How do I access podcast episode transcripts for California City?

Rephonic provides full transcripts for episodes of California City. Search within each transcript for your keywords, whether they be topics, brands or people, and figure out if it's worth pitching as a guest or sponsor. You can even set-up alerts to get notified when your keywords are mentioned.

What guests have appeared on California City?

Recent guests on California City include:

1. Steven Steiner
2. Carlo Campana
3. Molly Weston-Williamson
4. Jania Cassidy
5. Destiny Torres
6. Frank Stoltz
7. Libby Rainey
8. Adolfo Guzman-Lopez

To view more recent guests and their details, simply upgrade your Rephonic account. You'll also get access to a typical guest profile to help you decide if the show is worth pitching.

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