The Big Disaster: The Big Burn

In the year since the L.A. City Council tape scandal, a lot has changed.

Efforts are underway to reform the redistricting process. Nury Martinez and Gil Cedillo are gone from the council. Only Kevin De León remains. Progressive shifts in the council are influencing its policies, and new elected members are working to forge a new way forward in L.A. This is the last episode of Nury & The Secret Tapes.

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Host Antonia Cereijido presses former L.A. City Council President Nury Martinez to account for the racist, hurtful comments she made on the secret recording that rocked Los Angeles and led to her resignation.

CONTENT WARNING: Sensitive subject matter. 

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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 program is made possible in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a private corporation funded by the American people.

Before the L.A. City Council tape scandal, Nury Martinez, the former council president, was known as a champion of working class immigrants. After, she became the poster child of anti-Blackness and colorism in the Latino community. Host Antonia Cereijido examines how Nury's upbringing influenced her politics and the divisions that emerged within the council under Nury's leadership, leading up to the secretly-recorded conversation.

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We take you behind the scenes of the L.A. City Council tape scandal, a year later. The secret recordings of the conversation among four of the city’s most powerful Latino leaders making racist, derogatory insults – exposed thorny, unresolved issues of race and politics. Host Antonia Cereijido explores those issues and speaks with the people who were most affected by the tapes, including former councilman Mike Bonin. And for the first time since resigning, former L.A. City Council President Nury Martinez breaks her silence.

Support LAist Today: https://LAist.com/donate

Go to Hellofresh.com/50imperfect and use code 50imperfect for 50% off plus 15% off the next 2 months!

This podcast is supported by Gordon and Dona Crawford, who believe 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.*

“Imperfect Paradise: Nury & The Secret Tapes” tells the story of the biggest political scandal in recent Los Angeles history. A secret recording leaked online in 2022 exposed then-LA City Council President Nury Martinez making racist and derogatory remarks. A year after the scandal and her resignation, Nury breaks her silence in an exclusive interview with LAist.

From LAist Studios, “Imperfect Paradise: Nury & The Secret Tapes,” coming September 27, 2023.

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. 

Why do people stay during wildfires and how did the Wild West culture shape the people who live on this hilly, chaparral-covered coastline? A history of Malibu, the evolution of surf localism, and the genesis of the Point Dume Bombers. We meet the obstinate Queen of Malibu whose determination and love of this land shaped the culture of one of the best surf spots in the world.

This is an episode from Sandcastles, a podcast about home, how we create it, and why we fight so hard for it. Sandcastles is hosted and created by Adriana Cargill. To listen to the full season, visit https://www.wavemakermedia.org/ or find Sandcastles wherever you get your podcasts. 

Loss, hope and resilience in the face of one of nature's most terrifying forces: wildfire. We meet a group of surfers called the Point Dume Bombers who stayed in Malibu during the 2018 Woolsey Fire and find out how they survived the most destructive fire in Los Angeles County history.

This is an episode from Sandcastles, a podcast about home, how we create it, and why we fight so hard for it. Sandcastles is hosted and created by Adriana Cargill. To listen to the full season, visit https://www.wavemakermedia.org/ or find Sandcastles wherever you get your podcasts. 

K-Pop has put Koreatown on the map for a lot of people who might not have known about the neighborhood otherwise. Fans from around the country visit the area for concerts, special K-Pop events, and to find rare or one-of-a-kind merch. Learn what these establishments in K-town reveal about the history of the neighborhood and the music, and how those connections have shaped Korean Americans who have grown up in Los Angeles. Features Ryan Lee Wong, author of the novel, “Which Side Are You On”.
(originally published April 6, 2023)

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This episode is brought to you by your local Kia dealers. Visit kia.com to discover movement that inspires.

This program is made possible in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a private corporation funded by the American people.

The LA Uprising exploded racial and economic injustices simmering under the surface of Los Angeles into the open. From LAist Studios, season 2 of California Love: K-Pop Dreaming, host Vivian Yoon takes a look at the events leading up to the Uprising, and the efforts following the protests to promote racial harmony in Los Angeles, including the staging of an African music festival in South Los Angeles that featured a performance by an up-and-coming Korean American rapper named Tiger JK. Years after the festival, he would go on to make a name for himself in South Korea as the “Godfather of Korean Hip-Hop”. (Originally published March 23, 2023)

Support K-pop Dreaming and other LAist Studios podcasts by donating now at LAist.com/join 

This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Save 10% off your first month at BetterHelp.com/Dreaming 

This episode is brought to you by your local Kia dealers. Visit kia.com to discover movement that inspires.

This program is made possible in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a private corporation funded by the American people.

We get into our feelings. 

This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/bigburn and get on your way to being your best self.

Jacob and retired LA County Fire Captain Derek Bart answer your burning questions. 

This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/bigburn and get on your way to being your best self.

We check out an unconventional solution to wind-driven fires.

This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/bigburn and get on your way to being your best self.

Why prescribed burning won’t solve all of our fire woes.

This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/bigburn and get on your way to being your best self.

Digesting what we’ve learned. Plus, how other places in the U.S. have figured out fire management.

This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/bigburn and get on your way to being your best self.

We know prescribed burning is a major solution…so why aren’t we doing more of it?

This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/bigburn and get on your way to being your best self.

What it’s like to put good fire to the ground.

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Gold, genocide and colonialism: our path to seeing fire as the enemy.

This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/bigburn and get on your way to being your best self.

Why trees that are adapted to living with fire are now burning… and how we might save them.

This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/bigburn and get on your way to being your best self.

We examine one particularly pivotal wildfire - the Tubbs fire of 2017.

This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/bigburn and get on your way to being your best self.