Adelanto Council Approves Tribal Energy Partnership Amid Transparency and Financial Concerns

Despite resident pleas, the Adelanto City Council voted 4-1 on Wednesday, Oct. 14 to approve a controversial agreement establishing a tribal partnership with the city for future projects, including data centers and battery storage. While last Wednesday’s vote did not approve the construction or design of any project, concerns over transparency, oversight and financial obligations remain. Council Member Stevevonna Evans cast the only dissenting vote. 

The council approved an amended operating agreement for Barona Adelanto Energy LLC, a jointly owned company between the City of Adelanto and Nineteen Thirty-Two LLC. The company had previously been organized under tribal law through a resolution of the Barona Tribal Council. The agreement establishes the framework for the company’s ownership, management and future infrastructure projects.

Ownership of Barona Adelanto Energy will be nearly evenly divided. Nineteen Thirty-Two holds a 51% ownership interest, while the City of Adelanto holds 49%. The new jointly owned company will have a five-member board, with three representatives appointed by Nineteen Thirty-Two and two by Adelanto. The council approved Adam Reyes and Brandon Banegas as the city’s representatives, even as residents questioned their qualifications. 

The agreement was signed July 25, 2026 by City Manager Jessie Flores without the required council approval. During the meeting, City Attorney Todd O. Litfin acknowledged that Flores lacked the authority to approve the agreement. Litfin recommended that the council remove Section 8.4, which assigned Adelanto sole responsibility for the funds needed to cover the company’s net losses. The council voted to remove it. 

Inland Empire Community News (IECN) spoke with Evans after the vote. She said the agreement left too many questions unanswered.

“If Barona appoints their three members from the tribe, there is absolutely nobody that is not affiliated with Barona to act in the best interest of Adelanto,” Evans said. 

Mayor Gabriel Reyes defended the partnership as a way to address Adelanto’s energy needs and encourage economic development. Mayor Pro Tem Daniel Ramos argued that further delays will postpone needed infrastructure upgrades. He cited Southern California Edison’s slow response to the city’s energy needs as a reason not to delay approving the tribal partnership. 

IECN requested comments from Reyes and Ramos. They did not respond by the time of publication. 

Adelanto resident Diana Esmeralda questioned why the city pursued the partnership rather than expand its existing public utility authority. She also criticized what she described as a recurring lack of public input. 

“I feel that the community has done a lot of hard work,” Esmeralda said in a post-vote interview. “I myself have done weeks of work attending the meetings … and the council basically tells us what they’re going to do, and they don’t listen, ever.”

Destiny Llamas, another Adelanto resident, expressed concerns over water scarcity and the environmental effects of future data centers and battery storage facilities. Llamas also accused city officials of withholding information about the agreement.

“I personally just feel like we need more transparency,” Llamas said. “We’re being lied to — they’re doing backdoor tribe deals.”

Evans echoed similar concerns. 

“I think that this whole project … should have been brought to a workshop first,” Evans said.