Resident asks Adelanto council to probe nearly $1 million in cannabis-grant spending and requests list of Adelanto Benefit Corporation awards

Adelanto — During public comment on May 14, resident Diane Esmeralda (S10) urged the council to investigate apparent irregularities tied to cannabis grant funding and to publish a list of nonprofits that received Adelanto Benefit Corporation awards.

Esmeralda referenced a February report by the California state auditor about the Department of Cannabis Control and told the council: "The city manager sent money from the general fund, even though the Department of Cannabis Control took the grant back. So I'm just wondering, how much was spent, where did it go, and how do we plan to claw back those funds..." She added a numeric reference in the moment as "975,000,000 I'm sorry. Thousand dollars almost 1000000 dollars," language that the council did not clarify during the meeting.

Esmeralda also asked for a public list of nonprofit awards made by the Adelanto Benefit Corporation and raised a separate allegation that an Adelanto employee had posted images on social media showing sales of machinery.

Council response and next steps: The transcript records the comment and the time limit being enforced; there was no recorded council investigation action or staff commitment during the meeting to open an audit or recovery review. Council members later suggested staff follow up on questions raised in public comment as part of regular reporting and to coordinate with legal counsel as needed.

Why it matters: The commenter invoked a state auditor report and alleged the use of general-fund dollars after a state grant was rescinded — an allegation that, if substantiated, could have budgetary and compliance implications. The council did not discuss or resolve the claim on the record that day.