California City podcast

California City

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.

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.

 

#23

Imperfect Paradise: Residents left behind at elder care facilities in LA raise serious questions abo...

In the early morning hours of January 8, the Eaton Fire raced closer to the MonteCedro ret... more

Yesterday

33 MINS

33:46

Yesterday


#22

Imperfect Paradise: Altadena childcare providers' struggle to rebuild raises questions about governm...

At least 280 childcare spaces were affected by the Eaton and Palisades fires in January. L... more

05 Dec 2025

27 MINS

27:21

05 Dec 2025


#21

Imperfect Paradise: Gender-affirming care for transgender youth is at risk in LA and nationwide

Nearly 3,000 patients have been forced to find gender-affirming care elsewhere after the C... more

28 Nov 2025

31 MINS

31:26

28 Nov 2025


#20

Imperfect Paradise: Health workers say ICE agents at hospitals are compromising patient care

Amid the Trump administration's crackdown on immigration, there’s been an uptick in ... more

21 Nov 2025

28 MINS

28:16

21 Nov 2025


#19

Imperfect Paradise: California's new free public preschool program for 4-year-olds

All four-year-olds in the state of California now have access to a free preschool program ... more

14 Nov 2025

31 MINS

31:40

14 Nov 2025


#18

Imperfect Paradise: Who pays for the 2028 Olympics? LA taxpayers may be on the hook

In less than a thousand days, Los Angeles will be hosting the summer Olympics. Many cities... more

07 Nov 2025

29 MINS

29:57

07 Nov 2025


#17

Imperfect Paradise: Why the site of the largest methane leak in US history still hasn’t been shut do...

Regulations on gas storage facilities have been tightened since the detection of the Aliso... more

31 Oct 2025

30 MINS

30:50

31 Oct 2025


#16

Imperfect Paradise: How becoming a US citizen just got harder under the Trump administration and wha...

The Trump administration’s immigration policies have resulted in raids and protests ... more

24 Oct 2025

21 MINS

21:51

24 Oct 2025


#15

Imperfect Paradise: Prop 50: Is California’s redistricting push a threat to democracy or a defense o...

Proposition 50 is part of a nationwide battle over control of the U.S. House of Representa... more

17 Oct 2025

31 MINS

31:03

17 Oct 2025


#14

Imperfect Paradise: An LA Commission created to tackle city government scandals is being stymied

A charter reform commission was created in 2024 in response to multiple Los Angeles city g... more

10 Oct 2025

20 MINS

20:51

10 Oct 2025


#13

Imperfect Paradise: Reports about failures in response to the January LA fires and a 2018 fire have ...

A new report details the Eaton and Palisades fires, including failures in the emergency re... more

03 Oct 2025

23 MINS

23:27

03 Oct 2025


#12

Imperfect Paradise: How union organizing is being upended by private universities in Southern Califo...

Big companies like Amazon and SpaceX are claiming that the National Labor Relations Board ... more

26 Sep 2025

17 MINS

17:35

26 Sep 2025


#11

Imperfect Paradise: Why California's protest law is flawed and the consequences to protesters

After the George Floyd protests of 2020, California took steps to rein in violent policing... more

19 Sep 2025

24 MINS

24:29

19 Sep 2025


#10

Where Dreams Go To Die

Silver Saddle Ranch gets sold, and the people who still believe it’s worth something... more

22 Dec 2020

24 MINS

24:03

22 Dec 2020


#9

Bonus Episode: Cashing In On The Desert

For decades, Californians have been obsessed with trying to profit off desert land.In this... more

11 Sep 2020

51 MINS

51:36

11 Sep 2020


#8

The Reckoning

Silver Saddle gets shut down and accused of fraud. Will the company - and the dream Ben Pe... more

24 Aug 2020

35 MINS

35:22

24 Aug 2020


#7

Open Secret

Fear, rumors, and looking the other way. How salesmen have sold the fantasy of California ... more

17 Aug 2020

30 MINS

30:10

17 Aug 2020


#6

The Hunted Becomes The Hunter

Emily confronts the owner of Silver Saddle and walks away doubting herself. Plus, Ben beco... more

10 Aug 2020

28 MINS

28:58

10 Aug 2020


#5

The Tragedy That Occurred

Ken Donney is a hero to some, but most people would call him a villain. California City is... more

03 Aug 2020

22 MINS

22:08

03 Aug 2020


#4

Soldiers of the Sale

Nat builds an army of salespeople to sell his dream. And then, then Ralph Nader intervenes... more

27 Jul 2020

38 MINS

38:55

27 Jul 2020


#3

A Man with a Dream

The vision that Ben Perez was sold in 2017 began in 1958, with one man's dream to build a ... more

20 Jul 2020

38 MINS

38:41

20 Jul 2020


#2

Turning Desert Dust Into Gold

In 2017 Ben Perez goes to a Mojave Desert resort for a free vacation and ends up signing a... more

13 Jul 2020

47 MINS

47:59

13 Jul 2020


#1

How I Found Out About California City

It was supposed to be a simple story about the California drought. Instead, reporter Emily... more

09 Jul 2020

06 MINS

06:02

09 Jul 2020