California City

Imperfect Paradise: Strippers Union: Part 3

Part 3: The Star Garden Topless Dive Bar reopens as a union strip club, but the fight doesn’t end there. What happens after the victory? LAist Producer Emma Alabaster has the story. Here are some resources that informed our reporting: <a href="https://pmpress.org/index.php?l=product_detail&amp;p=1323">Working It: Sex Workers on the Work of Sex</a>  (In particular, the essay "White Supremacy in Organizing" by Domino Rey) <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@YesAStripperPodcast">Yes, A Stripper Podcast</a> <a href="https://sunypress.edu/Books/U/Unequal-Desires">Unequal Desires: Race and Erotic Capital in the Stripping Industry</a> by Siobhan Brooks <a href="https://titsandsass.com/">Tits and Sass: Service Journalism by and for Sex Workers</a> <a href="https://laist.com/news/shows/imperfectparadise/star-garden-unionization-effort-origins">Click here for more resources</a>  Grow your business–no matter what stage you’re in. Sign up for a one-dollar-per-month trial period at <a href="http://shopify.com/paradise">SHOPIFY.COM/paradise</a> 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.

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.