For more than a century, California's approach to incarcerating people has gone mostly like this: Incarcerate them. But now, there’s a program offered by the Cal State University system that helps incarcerated folks not only develop skills but also reimagine themselves — as people who could have lives after serving long prison terms, as scholars. Today, we’re going to talk about this new educational opportunity for those on the inside with L.A. Times education reporter Colleen Shalby.

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They were supposed to die in prison. Instead, they earned freedom as college graduates 

Editorial: For former prisoners to have a shot at a normal life, we need successful reentry programs 

Apodaca: UC Irvine law professor sees college degrees as a way to reduce recidivism

An L.A. Times investigation found that from 2017 to July of this year, 70% of bicyclists that L.A. County sheriff’s deputies pulled over were Latinos, even though the group makes up only about half of the county’s population. And they searched 85% of bike riders they stopped, even though deputies often had no reason to think they’d find something illegal. They ended up making arrests or writing citations 21% of the time. Today, we talk to the L.A. Times journalists who reported this story. And we talk to a Latino cycling activist about how it is to cycle around Los Angeles.

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L.A. sheriff’s deputies use minor stops to search bicyclists, with Latinos hit hardest 

Bicyclists share stories of being stopped by L.A. County deputies: ‘Everybody is a suspect until proven otherwise’ 

L.A. County supervisors seek to decriminalize bike violations after Times investigation

Our guest host Faith E. Pinho, a Metro reporter at the L.A. Times, speaks with Times culture writer Daniel Hernandez about the cast of characters and cars that have been lining the wide boulevards of Southern California for decades. They look at who is embracing cruising culture and its uneasy relationship with law enforcement.

An earlier version of this episode was published May 28, 2021. 

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The lowrider is back: The glorious return of cruising to the streets of L.A. 

Here are 8 key lowrider moments in pop films and TV, according to Estevan Oriol 

During pandemic, trash and crime increased on Whittier Boulevard. Lowrider clubs said: Enough

Alison Roman is a chef, food writer, cookbook author and video maker whose unfussy recipes pack a punch. Those recipes, along with her fun persona, made her a bright spot for many fans especially as the pandemic began taking hold. Then Roman, who is white, lobbed some criticism at celebrities Chrissy Teigen and Marie Kondo — women of color — and controversy engulfed her. Roman was canceled. Or was she? What exactly does being canceled mean, anyway? What can a person learn, and where can they go from there? L.A. Times reporter Erin B. Logan asks Roman these questions. But first: What's Roman making for Thanksgiving, how did she get into the food world, and how does she make simplicity taste so good?  (Psst: This is the last episode before The Times' Thanksgiving break. We'll be back Monday!)

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Alison Roman moves beyond Chrissy Teigen backlash and vows to grow from it

When Alison Roman insulted Chrissy Teigen: Everything to know about their online spat

Column: Cancel culture is as American as apple pie

Alison Roman's website

Sohla El-Waylly is famous for her cooking videos for outlets like the History Channel’s “Ancient Recipes,” Bon Appetit’s “Test Kitchen,” and so, so much more. She also writes a column at Food52 and contributes to the cooking section at the other big-time Times newspaper (the one on the East Coast).

Today, we do another crossover episode with our sibling podcast “Asian Enough,” where El-Waylly talks about food appropriation, her inspirations and much more.

Hosts: Johana Bhuiyan and Tracy Brown

Guest: Chef Sohla El-Waylly

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Babish expands as pandemic boosts YouTube cooking shows

Vulture: Going Sohla

Sohla’s website

This story of Los Angeles’ 1930s era of gambling boats — and Tony Cornero, the underworld boss at the center of the action — is a portal to another version of the city, one that’s glamorous and seedy. Business reporter Daniel Miller spent months chasing down the tale, poring over FBI records, reviewing newspaper accounts and interviewing the few people alive who remember when barges bobbing off the coast of Santa Monica offered the chance at a sea-sprayed jackpot. He tells us about this world of water-cannon gangsters and floating vice dens — which paved the way for the popularity of Las Vegas and dramatically met its end 82 years ago this month.

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The secret history of L.A.’s glitzy gambling boat kingpin — and the raid that sank him

Last month, former Facebook employee Frances Haugen revealed she had released thousands of documents that showed how the company knew yet did little to curb harmful content for its billions of users. Those documents also showed that Facebook’s parent company, Meta, knew disinformation on its platforms was particularly corrosive to Latino communities — yet the company did little to stop it. Today, we talk about the damage and what activists are doing to try to stop it.

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What Facebook knew about its Latino-aimed disinformation problem 

Misinformation online is bad in English. But it’s far worse in Spanish 

Facebook struggled with disinformation targeted at Latinos

When it rains, it pours, and when it pours after a long dry spell, water can become dangerous. Fire-scarred lands see mudslides devastate homes. Parched soil can’t absorb the rain that comes. Water, water everywhere, and California is still on the brink.Today, we reconvene our Masters of Disasters to discuss how too much rain after a drought can be bad. And who knew the term "mudslide" could be so controversial?

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Threat of mudslides returns to California after devastating fires. How do they work?

California rains break all-time records, spurring floods and mudslides

October’s torrential rains brought some drought relief, but California’s big picture still bleak

Last month, In-N-Out Burger made national news when health officials in San Francisco shut down one of its restaurants. The company’s sin: refusing to comply with a law that requires restaurants to ask customers for proof of COVID-19 vaccination. An In-N-Out spokesperson described the mandate as “intrusive, improper and offensive” — and suddenly, the burger chain became a flashpoint in the country’s culture wars. Today, we talk about this beloved company with L.A. Times reporter Stacy Perman, author of the best-selling 2009 book “In-N-Out Burger: A Behind-the-Counter Look at the Fast-Food Chain That Breaks All the Rules.”

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 Column: What In-N-Out’s vaccine standoff reveals about the California dream 

Inside In-N-Out Burger’s escalating war with 

California over COVID-19 vaccine rules ‘We refuse to become the vaccination police’: In-N-Out Burger, and other restaurants defy COVID mandates

Over the last few years, Leyna Bloom has been the first in many categories. In 2017, she became the first trans woman of color to grace the pages of Vogue India. In 2019, she became one of the first trans women to walk Paris Fashion Week. And most recently, she broke barriers again as the first trans cover model for Sports Illustrated’s swimsuit issue.

On this crossover episode with our sister podcast “Asian Enough,” Bloom talks about her ties to ballroom, her Black and Filipina identity and reuniting with her mom after decades apart.

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How Leyna Bloom became the first transgender actress of color to star in a film at Cannes

Sports Illustrated Swimsuit goes bold: Megan Thee Stallion, Naomi Osaka, Leyna Bloom

Review: Luminous performances elevate trans romance ‘Port Authority’