I have been to Adelanto and there is so much untapped potential for prosperity. Unfortunately, after the closure of George Air Force Base, the city has never been unable to recover. Hopefully, as the city digs its way out, they will learn from its past transgressions and become a vibrant community once again.

This podcast tells the story of Adelanto’s political machinations from the mid-2010s to 2020. It’s an interesting story, although thematically, the producers don’t really seem sure where they’re going with the story. They start by trying to paint Adelanto as a western town, then pivot to discussing it as a weed town, then pivot to more broadly discussing the typical governance problems you would find in any community. They bookend episodes with an Annie Oakley-type narrator, which is a dumb and unnecessary gimmick. Ultimately, this becomes a story about Stevevonna Evans and her efforts as a politician within the town. How it ends up this way seems to be a function of her giving the most time to the podcast’s producers.

One of the first California desert communities to welcome large scale cannabis cultivation, the comedy of errors that ensues (including failing to collect the taxes that were supposed to save the town) is an object lesson in what NOT to do if you’re counting on cannabis to save the day. Told with a mixture of in-person interviews with elected officials charged with cleaning up the mess of the previous administration and residents who are understandably disgruntled this podcast just never disappoints. It’s also a fascinating meditation on what happens to citizens when circumstances compel them to take up the role of legislator because the previous regime has screwed up so monumentally as to be beyond inept. Highly recommended.

Fails to deliver. It ends up telling a pretty narrow story of the failed political career of a local activist who is naive and demonstrates very poor judgement. The most compelling character bows out after episode 2 only to reappear as a footnote in the epilogue. Waste of time unless you’re from the area.

I lived this for a year. When your vice mayor doesn’t wear shoes to work, you know you have a problem. You can’t fix stupid!

As a longtime Victorville resident, I was drawn to this podcast. I had no idea exactly what the story would entail but I wasn’t expecting much. I was drawn in because it was well produced and heavily featured my friendly associate who I met via Facebook. I would recommend this podcast to anyone, but especially High Desert residents. I learned a lot and even gave it a second listen because it was quite entertaining.

Starts out very compelling with a great premise of cannabis and corruption. About four episodes in, it veers off into monotonous small town politics. Should have done a far more in-depth look at the initial story. Disappointing.

Enjoyed this well-made podcast series. For anyone who has lived in a small town “on the ropes” it all rings true.

A meandering and tilted show that’s starts as an investigation and then just wanders into a profile of a councilwoman, glossing over the compelling to focus on boring nonsense.

Gripping story with lots of twists, had me hooked from beginning to end.