Hey everybody it's pride month and the crooked store has a whole collection of merch to help you celebrate and fight back against the freaks obsessed with what we were and where we put it this collection as everything from ts to bags. So you can stock up I'm not going to tell you to celebrate pride, but I will say that if you don't ruin at least one article of clothing, doing more so grab and extra tea was he's two bags her, Your hearing, something I'm not plus a portion of the procedure, will be donated to crickets. Batman bond which supports organisations on the ground and states that are banned in care and targeting transceiver you get. The three supporting organizers to mind with the thrill of buying something online. It's a win: win head to cricket dot com, slash door to check out the whole pride collection, hey everyone, we're so excited to introduce cricket's, newest, limited series, dream town, the story of Ottawa dream. Town is the zany true story of a down on its lockdown in california, high desert in the scrappy. Sometimes, early dubious cast of characters determined to reinvent it, and twenty forty

the city of atlanta was so broke. There was talk of dissolving it completely. Then andrew came to town with a wild idea to make atalanta great again weed and it worked for a while until spectacularly it didn't. This is great toast by David, weinberg, very talented. Less hosted the award winning pod superhero complex, it's an official tribeca selection and it's another great limited series from cricket. If you loved mother country, radical you'll love this one, it's it's fantastic and we just wanted to share this first episode of dream town with you here in the pod save america feet. If you like it, you can subscribe to dream town right now to hear episode two and new episodes each week wherever you get your podcasts.

in the beginning, all this was under water man, but a hundred million years ago, water receded and these fifty six square miles of desert land appeared. Eventually, humans appeared to us of american tribe called the van you they discovered this part of the mojave river valley, and they called at home then appeared violence conflict in fifteen forty, two A spaniard showed up claimed authority over the land and its people, but We will soon see It comes to this place thanks often turn out the way people expect them to Europeans showed up and told the spaniards that this land

was theirs. They said it was god's we'll course, blood was shed, treaties were made and broken borders. Or john and return more violence. Finally, the dust settled these fifty's square miles were nestled inside a much bigger piece of land with numerous california, then, in the early nineteen hundreds, a new plan and a marrow inventor by the name of e age, richardson purchased the land with the money he made from one of his inventions, an electric close iron. He come up with a whole jake gadgets. He call them the EL series Elvis For electric the EL per go was an electric coughing pod alto, stoa toaster, the l a go. It was an egg,

hooker, when the inventor first stood on his new land, he gazed upon a sea of josh with trees and creosote bushes ringed by mountains, envisioned walkable city, unlike any other, he would build it from scratch. knew exactly who should live there, all the poor soul, just returning from the great war. I figured. good sell one agar plots these men, whose long's it been ravaged by mustard gas on frontlines. Why when spaces and dragged desert air was just what they needed to heal curious thing. Richardson's dreams, never came true, turns out soldiers didn't model in the middle of nowhere

Despite his big plans, Richardson didn't leave much of a legacy in this desert. but he did give his new home a new name atalanta. As a spanish word. That means progress. but at alonzo didn't see much of that Fifty years later in nineteen, seventy the population- had only grown about two thousand people: still, these people had new dreams for this place. They call home. They wanted to make it an official bonafide city. even though the organization in charge of all that kind of stuff told alonzo, they should become a city at all well, they went ahead made themselves into a city anyway. Now, Some might say that was a foolish thing to do

the citizens about a lotta looked at this place and when all in on a bed with terrible odds things when, as you might expect, their bed dim pay out, and never could pay its bills and by two thousand fourteen, who things got real bad, There is even talk of ending until short life as the city, but there A new man show that without the guy dear how to save the town. I suppose that's where story begins from crooked media. This is dream town the story of atalanta, I'm David Weinberg chapter, one bugs plan atalanta, california, small city,

Hi desert is split down the middle by highway three. Ninety five, and when you drive into town your greeted by a huge side with ireland, whose motto the city with unlimited possibilities. When I see the side, I often think about this quote by richard miserable photographer, who spent much of his life in this desert. He said the human struggle, the successes and failures. The use and abuse both noble and foolish are readily apparent in the desert. It is a simple if incomprehensible equation the world is terrible. as it is beautiful. But when you look more closely, it is has been

full, as it is terrible. I've been a reporter covering southern california for the past decade, and I've spent a lot of time in a a city. That's often referred to as a bedroom community, hardly any of the roughly thirty thousand residents work in the city. There are many jobs in town there's not much of anything really handful of industrial businesses, some prisons, a few local restaurants, some liquor store wars and churches and one grocery store and that's about it. Don't get me wrong. There is a lot to love about atalanta, but only if you appreciate emptiness and heat and high winds and the slow pace of small town desert life. I didn't like it. This is divina evans. She moved here from riverside california, and she was ten years old. Cannot typical

had to leave all my friends in an and come to this city that appear to have nothing to do to come here where there was pretty much nothing. Everything was kind of faraway riverside, worst Evanna Ivana came from sits inside the inland empire, a gargantuan sprawl of cities and suburbs in southern california. That is, home to more than four million people, but whence divina arrived in atlanta, there were just under seven thousand people living in the city. It was a big change. What did you yvonne as a ten year old. Well, we rode our bikes lot. Big dirt hill. We used a fork which was fine with whoever started it would go to costco and buy a pack of forks literally like plastic, forks and would fork one person's yard, literally with hundreds of forks It come out in the yard, be all jacked up, but then they'd have the forks to go to the next house and we'd just boring life. I guess I dunno

since its founding atalanta population. Had been overwhelmingly white ones divine and her family were black, moved to the high desert. In the mid nineties, they were part of a larger demographic shift, not just in atlanta, but an ex serbs and suburbs all over the country full of color were priced out of bigger cities found themselves migrating to smaller, more remote towns like ireland too. As a result, these two and there were once mostly white became more diverse. You know for me, it's you know that negative connotation that people have when they talk about atlanta, it's adult out of ghetto and all these negative things, and it's like I've lived here forever and I've never had these problems that you speak of. So let's keep it real. One of the reasons atalanta has hasn't always had the best reputation is that it was known as a prison town on the off you have heard of unwanted. It's probably because of it.

Immigration detention centre there, which is often referred to as ottawa, onto its the states largest. plus the city as a correction of facility and a federal prison just outside the city limits. Every time a new prison was built on Alonso, there were high hopes that would bring enough good jobs and tax revenue to keep the city afloat, but by and large those prisons have not delivered on that promise. Research has shown the most small towns and, at worst off economically after they build a prison atalanta. They were people come here to sleep, they have their house, they sleep here, but they drive out of the city for, were they come back? They pick up their kids if their kids, bob? And what have they may do that around town, but then they did, they want to eat they're, going to victory, they're not live working and playing here, There is no movie theater in atlanta, no Jim's go department, store or wreck centre for the kids to hang out in

As the former mayor carry thomas said, you can't buy a pair of shoes and when you should always have the atalanta is we ve watched? The cities around us grow and develop and prosper, and so watching the seas around is apple values, spiraea blue blossom, friggin blow up and atalanta was still the same. You know we can count in the time I ve been written count for developments that have happened, that sustainable shopping center. We got the family dollar family dollar general, which will bookie do right and the cactus shopping center. That's so

oh. Why, as everybody else borne up we're not once Stephen I got older, she could have moved to any of those more prosperous towns just down the road, but you didn't. She got used to the slower pace of things came to appreciate the lack of traffic, the neighbours and local spots. She knew well when she was a teenager. You got a job at a local, fast food, restaurant and the neighbouring town of victor veil and later moved on to a job in retail,

staples a job she loved, even though it meant commuting out of adelanto but leaving the city for work or to shop. That's the price you pay to live in an affordable city in an expensive state and later stephen, it would make a career change that would have an impact on the entire city, a city that many people believe should never have existed. In the first place. It has a small population to be considered like a city in California. This is Brooke self, a reporter who covered adelanto with the victor valley, daily press, and if you dig into the history of the city there was this commission board called laughed in california about, I guess, approve the incorporation of cities and they had recommended that aren't are not even become a city. They didn't think there was enough tax revenue there enough population.

And left co, wasn't wrong by twenty fourteen unwanted at a mass of deficit and not a lot of prospects for generating tax revenue. Like a lot of places around the country, Adeline had been hit hard by the two thousand and recession. It was a city made up of mostly single family homes, but had taken a huge hit during the subprime mortgage crisis and was struggling to recover Nearly a quarter of the sea staff had recently been laid off and city leaders had begun steps to file for municipal bankruptcy that was kindly atmosphere that was there in city hall they fight. Almost. I don't know how many people they started firing five by it was like you know what this is crazy. I mean that city can afford any they rachel koran's, worked in city hall. At this time, in the of all these firing. There was talk around tone about dissolving the city entirely,

closing city hall laying off all the employees and letting the county take it over. There simply wasn't enough revenue coming in to keep the city afloat and I didn't seem to be any hope in sight. They were just in such a state of desperation is there to emphasise that they didn't really have a lot of options. In fact, since it was founded the city of idle onto his troubled. Financially, there was just now: enough money coming in to cover the city's expenses. This lack of vision, a lack of actually planning for the future That's what the problem was in the city, This is germane right. A retired passed her with the only black member of the city council at the time. Yet a shaved head, a moustache and a penchant for three peace suits reporters knew that he was was good for colorful quote, and he seemed to relish having his name in the local paper.

Germane was one of atlantis for city council members. In addition to the council, I to also had a mayor- and it was these five officials who presided over the town and got to vote, the council met to make decisions? Are you from atlanta. No I'm originally from l, a county mice born and raised down in the monrovia towards area a county, and then I spent in years in michigan emerald here in two thousand and nine what but, by iran onto my wife, we were finishing up our time and in past ring in Michigan. I told her. You were Go home, the california? She came, the atalanta first cause he has a friend that lives here in adelanto she looked around. She found a place to stay in adelanto when she first said removing the adelanto I'm like. Where is that she explained to me. Where was at an unlike ok,

As soon as he moved to adelanto germane jump right into public service, you ran for a spot in the school board, for a seat on the city council and one both one of the big issues back in two thousand and twelve was the city budget The city of Atlantis, when it was incorporated, did not hear the large enough tax base to actually make it work, and they never did anything to actually get a tax base due to move forward. as the city council member germane. Had some success, leaning into idle onto a prison industry here, negotiated the city's contract with geo group, the private company that owns the immigration detention facility. He got the city a few more cents per prisoner per day,

but the new revenue, the city squeezed out of the private prison company, was a drop in the bucket compared to what was needed to balance the city's budget. So in twenty fourteen germane decided that, in order to fix things properly, you need more than just the city council seat. He would run from air which wasn't necessarily a risky move on his part. If he won, he become mayor if he lost he would remain a city council member and it was in the of his may oral campaign that germane met. The man would challenge both the future of unwanted politics and eventually be up. of a scheme that would change your life forever, this chance in happened when germane was driving near his home and he noticed a white guy, long gray, hair and a big scraggly beard.

And this stranger was messing with one of germans campaign signs so germane. Over to investigate who are you Well, I'm dreaming, but were now like okay, and he just look like a to me old, hippy, johnny bug, woody junior told your mean that he was running for city council and the upcoming elections. There were two seats up for grabs and bug had its sights on one of them when they met that day I claimed he was putting up one of his own campaign signs when he noticed that Germain's sign was broken and he was simply being a good samaritan by fixing it for him yeah. I think I was fixing his shine. Maybe we came up to you sure he was on the campaign trail? I'm on the campaign trail bug was relatively new to politics. This was his first run for office.

though, he had been a board member of the high desert tea party. As bug, germane got to talking bug laid out his political platform, which was pretty radical for the time bug, had taken a look at the city's dire financial troubles and realized something needed to be done and there I desire. You know I was your little little research John S, eye at all. Google data a goodly and now the shaker it the secret according to bug, veal, Google was marijuana, specifically marijuana cultivation, and at this time I was rather idea no city in southern california had ever legalised commercial and we'd cultivation. According to bug, be away for idle on to get into the black without having to cut spending or increase taxes.

What the other council members at the time were proposing, but germane was against the plan. Well, I'm a retired pastor, so one. The christian tat. I had a real hard time with the doctrine that have gone through throughout my life as much as germane was against bugs plan. It wasn't all that worried because he felt the bugs chances of winning or slim at best. Yes, California, voters had legalised marijuana for medicinal use twenty years prior, but commercial cultivation and recreational use were still illegal in the state, and the reality is that the vast majority of cities and counties in california, including relatively conservative alonso, did not want pop. being grown or sold in their community. It would take a pretty savvy political operator to pull off bugs plan in this part of the state,

remains first impression of book was that he didn't have the political knowledge or skill to make that happen or marry us. You ain't got a chance in hell how good luck! I went well good luck to you to your mail. Sometimes out here in the west. A stranger to town and say the city, from whatever peril, threatening the townspeople and sometimes stranger comes to town disguised as savior It turns out to be some other drifter. bug and your main represented to very different ways of doing things. Germane was a part of the old guard, the regime there was in power at the time. And the general consensus among the old guard was

The way to save ottawa from bankruptcy was to raise taxes, and the proposal they put forth was an eight percent tax increase on utilities bug on the other. And was like. Why raise everybody's taxes and just balance the budget when we could get rich growing pot on land that nobody's using? It seemed like a no brainer to vote, but he was not prepared for the shit storm. He was about to stir up that's after the break one thing, I'm always

curious about when I meet people in ireland to how they ended up here. This was a question I asked bug when we met and it turns out. His move to the high desert was driven by two things: cheap housing Spite I ended up in Atlanta a challenge a very rude and noxious lender. I said. Oh, my god. Eight hundred dollars a month term an end. He can't afford it. In california, myself forget that maybe like even go rent someplace. Well, I can The house nobby word like guy, at rouge screw dude. I said: let's we find at the time bug was living in a sixty six chevy

I lived in the van in the barn out back because me and my axe. We had a little fallen out. I formed rock band. I manage drug barons replaited than the local night clubs there Those were happy times of bugs bands ever made it big. We did manage some pretty promising acts. Maximov firstly, one of the hardest bands and similar special we're all pittsburgh Jan, you know like part of the status quo, and it was all there's normal way of life. You know bug says he doesn't smoke we'd these days, but back in the day he was a big party and doing drugs, which is part of the lifestyle. That's how he earned the nickname bug. Yet some friends who sold we and you get a tip they were about to be rated by the cops. Shall I frankly, I came a little heads up.

anyways, I told my whole circle of friends aid they guy's name is bug. Has a bug in the phone man saved our button? so back to the story of how bug ended up an adelanto despite happy times living inside of an inside a barn units friend decided that they wanted to buy a house. That's when they talk that lender, who told them couldn't afford anything in California. Eventually, they ended up in adelanto I shall we like their house, so I go back to my lender bone by the name of winston bang, bang, bang, bang. The house's harsh bug was moving from the laid back city of piecemeal beach, where it wasn't uncommon smell. We drifting through the air to atalanta, all desert town, where the political climate is very different. Here's reporter brook self.

in the high desert in general is very politically conservative, like California, as a blue state, but the height as er is very red. Pro guns, pro military. Since then, the high desert has become less red, but back then bug had his work cut out for him in terms of campaigning on a platform like the one he was proposing and brooks says, the reactions to bug among her colleagues at the paper were all pretty much the same. What is this guy doing, like he's kind of a joke? What was this guy doing? Bugs campaign didn't seem to make a lot of sense. His values and political leanings were a little all over the place, even though he was pro weed, which was an arguably progressive stance to take at the time he was an active member of the high desert tea party. He was a guy who loved to go grocery shopping, the firearm well, he displayed on his hip and it is clear that it was a staunch conservative. At least in that way

you should direct traffic with my car being? Oh, my back and my three fifty However, my shine directorate that right on into the turkey willowmere, which is long gone out. I stand up what's right, Second remember: rights are very important. Without a chicken memorably me, you don't have any other rights, you read a constitution, you find out the real true meaning of the constitution the second amendment is in place to protect. all the other rights that are given to us by god, so many bugs political views were very much in line with republicans, but his stance on marijuana was not publicans were largely responsible for the anti marijuana policies in california and the nation, but bug believed that his pro pot campaign would attract a new generation of young conservatives who would propel him to victory in a town that had long been dominated by conservative politicians?

but when an organization of young republicans reached out to help bug fundraiser, he turned them down there, If I needed a pack or anything like that, I said you know. I got a few bucks, shocked away. I said you know, I think I just handle around my own bug decided he would spend his own money, but no more than one thousand dollars on his camp. I own my own printing company, saigon print, my own signs for wholesale surrounded me! If I can do it, I can pour out for the thousand bucks as fine. If I can at least I try do additionally bug says he ended up spending about seven hundred dollars total on his campaign and the climax, if you could call it that of the campaign for city council came in the form of a debate hosted the local high school here is reporter brook self again. The debate was signed.

the newly built onawandah high school. I remember the red currents, kind of fully highschool musical or something and the candidates all side on the stage in a long table. It was September two thousand and fourteen two and a half months out from the election, and the debate was not a particularly hot ticket and honestly it's such a small town. There weren't very many people in the audience. It was like, like their family members and like a few kind of quirky people in the pub Who would always complain about the same thing? Two of the four seats on the city council were up for grabs. There were five candidates running for these two seats to incumbents running for election. A guy who had previously been planning. Commissioner, a former

air of atalanta and bug the political newcomer of the group and a noticeable latecomer to the debate, but still remembered how the press described his arrival, a guy walks in late scar on. Why sure? That's his big silly straw cowboy hair on, and I swear Siberia, hole in his hand, always a monster energy. During but bug did confirm that he was indeed Wearing a hawaiian shirt and a straw cowboy had he sat there listening as the other candidates laid out their plans to save the city, they range from the unoriginal building, yet another prison to the aforementioned tax increase on utilities- and it was at this moment then ugh sensed an opportunity when it came to my turn to speak. Just let him our eyes in these you guys are failing. I said I think, is

we talk about. Marijuana God I was in the school, the highs coy now: Allah teachers, Oh no tat than ours, and I let it out of the bag, and now I got beat up robot by the press after the debate, it was up to the citizens to cast off boats and in the adelanto city council election of two thousand and fourteen, just ten per cent of the residents bothered to show up to the polls, which is a shame, because local government has a really big impact on your life. Also, the stakes were very high in this election. Depending on what happened, it could mean the difference between the city prospering or throwing in the towel and calling it quits.

And when all the votes were tallied bug, the political newcomer begun wielding we'd guy had won a seat on the council. I warned by the senior vote I directed and by the younger vote pathogens he sees gives her go out invoke as your voting for a weed. and by golly. I still sat on their ass very much. I think he's right. Twenty six votes. I why it was actually twenty four votes that was bugs margin of victory. I'm going to give you a few more numbers here, because the bankers six hundred and seventy six people voted for bug. That's only two percent of otto lantos total population he spent about seven hundred dollars on his campaign, which comes

to a little over one dollar per vote enough to put him on a city council in charge of a budget of roughly thirteen million dollars in the election for mayor that year, Germane right, wasn't, is lucky his book. The winner against the incumbent mare, carry thomas was rich. her retired marine who worked as a hell tower technician and remained on the city council. So save atalanta from the brink of bankruptcy. The ex marine, the former preacher and the right wing hippy would have to work together. This was a huge change in the political tide.

Alonzo both incumbents lost, their city council seats and the incumbent mayor lost. The old guard had been replaced by a new majority, and this new council was about to take out alone to in a different direction, He was about to blow up in a very big way. I don't think anyone expected just how crazy things would get in the months and years ahead. The money it would pour into the small desert, town celebrities, professional athletes, russian oligarch and eventually the f I I I seen that duffel bag on when they come in and it didn't go to the bank and I with a canvas was gonna become just absolutely a bucket battleground for the wealthy. It's a story about what happens when people with a half baked idea.

suddenly find themselves power. The wheels are emotion, a noble Get in the way, I don't care sheriff. I don't care if you're the governor I don't care who you are and the unintended consequences of a modern day, gold rush to developing The fbi served in several search warrant. This warning in ottawa onto two according to the victor valley, daily press agents- waited city hall and the mayor's hope and of picking up the pieces. When everything comes crashing down. What is the city budget like these days, so it is It's a bunch of made up numbers that they pulled from. God knows where and put into a book and call it a budget, and I'm like what now who approve this. So is deep. That's the season on dream, tat, the story of unwanted.

I want all is an original podcast from crooked media, its hosted written an executive produced by me, David Weinberg, nick white? Is our story editor annual career? is our associate producer, sound design mix and mastering by brendan baker of phenomena phone. Our theme song is vital chris himself, and our original score is by Eric phillips fact checking by Amy tartan. Additional production for from as basel sidney rap cobby copeland, thanks to betsy psycho for narrating portions of the show from crooked me Our executive producers are sarah geisler, katy long and mary, not with special thanks thousand falls at a virus smith. Andrew Leland, richard parks, the third

shaka, molly and katya, I became the.