It’s 2014. Adelanto is a bankrupt city in the California desert known for its massive detention centers and not much else. Then, a stranger comes to town with a wild idea to make Adelanto great again: Become the first city in Southern California to legalize commercial weed cultivation. For early, ad-free access to episodes, join ‘Friends of the Pod’—Crooked’s new subscription community—at crooked.com/friends
In the beginning, all this was underwater.
Then, about 100 million years ago, the water receded and these 56 sq mi of desert land appeared.
Eventually, humans appeared too.
A native american tribe called the Van Yoom.
They discovered this part of the Mojave river valley and they called it home.
Then a period of violence and conflict.
In 1542, the Spaniards showed up and claimed authority over the land and its people.
But as you will soon see, when it comes to this place things don't often turn out the way people expect them to.
Other Europeans showed up and told the Spaniards that this land was theirs.
They said it was God's will.
Of course, blood was shed, treaties were made and broken borders were drawn and redrawn.
More violence.
Eventually, the dust settled and these 56 sq mi were nestled inside a much bigger piece of land with a new name, California.
Then, in the early 19 hundreds, a new plan.
An american inventor by the name of E.
H.
Richardson purchased the land with the money he'd made from one of his inventions, an electric clothes iron.
He'd come up with a whole bunch of gadgets.
He called them the L series.
Elle was short for electric.