In the popular mythology of Pleasanton, the sleepy city of 78,000 was once one of the most lawless, dangerous and sordid settlements in the state. Known as “the most desperate town in the West,” the story claims that Pleasanton was an outpost for desperados and bandits and a haven for outlaws and drunkards who rustled cattle and robbed travelers between the gold fields of the Sierra Nevada and the lights of San Francisco. It’s a compelling and cinematic history for a wealthy suburban city that is now decidedly undramatic. But it’s also probably not entirely true. “On one level of the spectrum there are good stories. On the other…
