Culture Magazine Bakersfield August 2017 by Culture Magazine

August 2017 iReadCULTURE.com

iReadCULTURE.com August 2017

contents 8.2017

inside

CULTURE M

Editor-In-Chief Jamie Solis associate Editor Ashley Bennett Managing editor Benjamin Adams

Editorial Contributors Matthew Abel, Sheryll Alexander, Marguerite Arnold, Jake Browne, Jasen T. Davis, Alex Distefano, David Downs, Keira Fae, Natasha Guimond, Addison Herron-Wheeler, Pamela Jayne, M. Jay, Heather Johnson, Kevin Longrie, Emily Manke, Meital Manzuri, Madison Ortiz, Denise Pollicella, R. Scott Rappold, Paul Rogers, Ed Rosenthal, Lanny Swerdlow, Simon Weedn, Laurie Wolf, Zara Zhi

6 10

Photographers Kristen Angelo, Steve Baker, Kristopher Christensen, John Gilhooley, Joel Meaders, Tonya Perme, JosuĂŠ Rivas, Mike Rosati, Eric Stoner Art Director Steven Myrdahl

feature 12

production manager Michelle Aguirre Graphic DesignerS Nathan Hernandez

Time for Change The city of Corcoran considers the economic benefits of allowing commercial cannabis cultivation.

departments 6 News Nuggets 7 By the Numbers 14 News of the Weird

10 Strain & Concentrate Reviews

sales director Justin Olson bakersfield sales manager

Jon Bookatz

Account Executives Alex Brizicky, Molly Clark, Eric Bulls, Kim Cook, Casey Roel, Garry Stalling, Ryan Tripp, Vic Zaragoza general Manager Iris Norsworthy digital content manager David Edmundson Intern Sophia Rybicki Distribution Manager Cruz Bobadilla Publisher David Comden

2175 Sampson Ave. | Suite 118 Corona | California | 92879 Phone/Fax 888.694.2046 www.iReadCulture.com

CULTUREÂŽ Magazine is printed using post-recycled paper.

/freeculturemag

August 2017 iReadCULTURE.com

/iReadCulture

iReadCULTURE.com August 2017

NEWS

nuggetS Kern County Briefed on Environmental Impacts of Commercial Cannabis

Commercial Cannabis Cultivation and Tax Weighed in Farmersville Two hearings were held on July 17 and July 26 in Farmersville to discuss the topic of implementing a local cannabis business tax and whether to allow commercial cultivation. “The City Council intends to advance ballot measures to increase the local sales tax rate by 1/2 cent, or 0.5 percent, from 8.25 percentage to 8.75 percentage and to implement a regulatory and taxation structure on the commercial cultivation

and production of recreational marijuana following the passage of Proposition 64, which legalized recreational marijuana statewide,” City Manager John Jansons stated in a press release. According to a staff report, the city could receive up to $3 million in annual revenue by implementing a license fee and tax on indoor cultivation. Dispensaries, however, would not be allowed. The new ballot measures would replace the city’s June 28, 2016, Draft Ordinance No. 479, which implements a moratorium on land use zones for recreational cannabis businesses.

A new Environmental Impact Report (EIR) was released on July 28 detailing the potential impacts of commercial cannabis in Kern County. The Kern County Board of Supervisors is expected to hear an initial briefing spanning all of the options of banning or regulating commercial cannabis, which is scheduled for August 22. According to the Kern County Marijuana Land Use Ordinance Project Amendment to Title 19, Chapter 19.120, the purpose of an EIR is to “Fully disclose

Hanford Settles on 26 Total Cannabis Operation Permits On July 5, the Hanford City Council unanimously voted 5-0 to officially allow medical cannabis businesses in the city’s industrial park. The city council settled on 26 total permits, per the City Staff’s recommendation. The application period for interested applicants began on August 2 and runs through October 2, after which no more applications will be accepted. “I have friends that live here that would greatly 6

August 2017 iReadCULTURE.com

all potential environmental impacts, substantial evidence, information based on facts, not speculation, show a Good Faith Effort and [provide] unbiased process that neither supports nor opposes the project,” and the primary purpose is to “educate decision makers to make an informed decision on the project.” According to Planning and Natural Resources Department Director Lorelei H. Oviatt, regulation would limit the number of dispensaries in unincorporated areas such as Oildale or Rosamond to two. The project would also allow 40 retail stores, 500,000 square feet for processing and 150 acres for cultivation in the county.

appreciate the opportunity to work in [the cannabis] industry,” Jose Rivas from Premium Extracts said at the July 5 city council meeting. “What we’d like to do here is provide a safe environment, one that works with the community and one that is an exceptional neighbor. We’re not here to be a menace. We’re here to create jobs. For many of us, this is an opportunity.” City officials estimate the move will create over 1,100 jobs at $17.50 an hour, providing more tax revenue for the city.

The percentage of Americans who stated that they have tried cannabis in their lives at least once: (Source: Gallup)

The number of approved cannabis cultivation sites in San Luis Obispo County: (Source: The Tribune)

267

The projected amount of money, in millions of dollars, that San Luis Obispo County plans to use from its county budget to regulate the local recreational cannabis industry: (Source: The Tribune)

The total square footage that is planned for a new cannabis cultivation facility in Coachella: (Source: CBS Local)

111,500

The number of vendors that have applied to become one of Southern University’s designated cannabis cultivators for the school’s medical cannabis center in (Source: The Louisiana: Advocate)

Kern CountyAgent Scottish Games & Gathering Orange

WHEN: Thurs, Aug. 24 WHERE: Temblor Brewing Company, 3200 Buck Owens Blvd. B, Bakersfield WEBSITE: temblorbrewing.com

Out of the 1980s’ hardcore punk movement that originated in the Los Angeles area, several iconic bands emerged including Black Flag, Minor Threat and Agent Orange. As one of the few bands from that era that has been continually active to this day, Agent Orange is making its way to Bakersfield. Named after the herbicidal warfare used by the United

States Armed Forces during the Vietnam War, Agent Orange has also riled up punk rockers in mosh pits for decades. The power trio now plays a mix of old school punk and surf rock that is music to the ears of those who grew up in the early punk era. The Placentia-based band is returning to the north to shred guitars at Temblor Brewing Company. iReadCULTURE.com August 2017

REVIEWs

strain & concentrate

Raskal OG Raskal OG is a testament that powerful sativas do exist. After just one hit, reviewers felt creative and focused, which was combined with powerful body effects that were reminiscent of couch-lock without the gravity. Raskal OG is descended from a blend of Fire Kush and San Fernando Valley OG Kush. With an instantly pleasant lemon and pine aroma, these surprisingly sticky buds are both dense and fluffy, a rarity in the cannasseur world. It’s the kind of bud that sticks to the wall if you push hard enough, but it felt like pushing on memory foam that puffs back out to its original size. You may experience a little dry mouth, but it’s a small price to pay for a knockout sativa-dominant hybrid. Raskal OG’s higher-than-average CBD levels are a bonus, and the strain can be used for treating a variety of illnesses ranging from mood disorders to depression.

Available at: Medicinal Remedies in Bakersfield.

iReadCulture.com GET YOUR CLICKS

HERE Available at: Phantom Pharm Cooperative in Bakersfield.

710 Purge Final Run Do yourself a favor, and stop by Phantom Pharm Cooperative to pick up a final run of some of the tastiest, terp-filled shatter around. As soon as we opened the 710 Purge Final Run, the room was filled with a tropical fruity scent that was so sweet it was almost pungently over-ripe. It was semi-clear and orange-yellow, which made us enticingly curious to say the least. When dabbed, it produced a milky smoke on the exhale and was instantly followed by strong and relaxing body effect. You might as well forget about getting anything done, or even leaving the room for that matter. This concentrate is also great for sleeping, which we quickly learned, and it’s also good for treating chronic pain and anxiety.

August 2017 iReadCULTURE.com

iReadCULTURE.com August 2017

August 2017 iReadCULTURE.com

Careful Consideration in Prison Town

“The council requested a study session and further discussion on commercial cannabis cultivators and other cannabisrelated businesses interested in operating in Corcoran.”

Corcoran considers commercial cultivation facilities By Benjamin M. Adams

he changing societal norms that surround cannabis are especially evident in the city of Corcoran, which is on track to rebrand itself as a cannabis town instead of a prison town. The California State Prison is located in Corcoran where Charles Manson and the “Dating Game Killer” Rodney Alcala are notoriously incarcerated to this day. They are joined by nearly 10,000 other inmates, many of which are serving time for non-violent cannabis-related convictions. Nearby, the California Substance Abuse Treatment Facility and State Prison houses drug offenders from across California. In fact, nearly half of Corcoran’s total population is made up of inmates. However, Corcoran could soon allow and promote cannabis on a commercial scale, and there’s no shortage of companies that are willing to wait for the city to enact commercial cannabis laws. At a June 13 Corcoran City Council meeting, interest was expressed by commercial cannabis cultivators for

potential locations in the city. The city council voted 4-0, with one councilmember absent, to continue to explore the potential regulation of medical cannabis in the city. “The council requested a study session and further discussion on commercial cannabis cultivators and other cannabis-related businesses interested in operating in Corcoran,” the Corcoran City Council stated. “The study session will be held on the June 27, 2017 meeting.” On June 27, the city council discussed the topic again and recommended allowing commercial cultivation, but dispensaries would not be permitted. No new ordinances have been introduced at the time of this writing. Sacramento-based medical cannabis company, The Genezen Project, sent a spokesperson to convince the council to consider allowing indoor commercial cultivation. “Genezen” means “to heal” in Dutch. The Genezen Project and several more companies are interested in staking out land possibilities in Corcoran and other cities in the area. The Genezen Project also paid the city of Hanford $50,000 to help cover the cost of implementing a medical

cannabis ordinance. A packet was distributed at city council entitled “What Cities Should Know About Proposition 64, the Adult Use of Marijuana Act,” by Tim Cromartie. The illustrated packet outlines what local cities and municipalities can do and what they cannot do regarding Proposition 64. For instance, cities do not have the jurisdiction to ban indoor cultivation for personal use. Commercial regulation is a different story, and each city can decide of whether to enact their own laws, whether to ban recreational cannabis businesses entirely or to let Proposition 64 take effect without any action. According to Corcoran City Manager Kindon Meik, the city was approached by a multitude of interested cannabis-related firms that are currently in the process of setting up industrial operations nearby in Hanford. One unnamed company is interested in an 80,000 square-foot building, which sits on a 20-acre plot. The site is the former Seward Luggage space at 1200 Orange Avenue in Corcoran. In total, the city has 320 acres of land zoned for industrial use. The lure of commercial cannabis in Corcoran is no doubt partially inspired by Coalinga’s decision to convert the Claremont Custody Center into a commercial cannabis cultivation operation. The former prison’s conversion to a cannabis cultivation oasis is quite literally the “definition” of irony. That operation is being spearheaded by Ocean Grown Extracts and Bob Marley’s son Damian Marley. Unfortunately, Kings County has shown little interest in allowing commercial cannabis at the county level. However, it would do Corcoran well to carefully consider the economic benefits of allowing and taxing commercial cannabis in the area. c iReadCULTURE.com August 2017

Chuck Shepherd's

News of the

Weird LEAD STORY—UPDATE Three weeks ago, News of the Weird touted the “genderless,” extraterrestrial-appearing Hollywood makeup artist known as Vinny Ohh, but then Marcela Iglesias announced (following a leaked TV clip) that she had formed an agency for would-be celebrities who had radically transformed their bodies (and that Vinny is now a client). Iglesias’ Plastics of Hollywood has human “Ken” dolls (Rodrigo Alves and Justin Jedlica), the Argentine “elf” Luis Padron, a Jessica Rabbit look-alike (Pixee Fox), and seven others who, Iglesias figures, have collectively spent almost $3 million on surgery and procedures (some of which are ongoing). (Padron, 25, seems the most ambitious, having endured, among other procedures, painful, “medically unapproved” treatments to change his eye color.) RECURRING THEMES Richard Patterson, 65, is the most recent defendant to choose, as a trial strategy, to show the jury his penis. A Broward County, Florida, court was trying him in the choking death of his girlfriend. (Patterson called the death accidental, as it occurred during oral sex, and there was conflicting medical opinion on whether that could have proved fatal.) Patterson’s lawyer said his standby position was to show a mold of the penis, but insisted that a live 14

August 2017 iReadCULTURE.com

demonstration would be more effective. (Update: The judge disallowed the showing, but in May the jury found Patterson not guilty anyway.) In rare cases, a mother has given birth for the principal purpose of “harvesting” a baby’s cells, ultimately to benefit another family member with a condition or illness that the cells would aid. However, Keri Young of Oklahoma gave birth in April for a different purpose. After learning while pregnant that her baby would not long survive after birth (because of anencephaly), she nonetheless carried it to term—just to harvest organs for unspecified people who might need them (though the grieving Keri and husband Royce admit that some might judge their motive harshly). In some parts of traditional Japanese society, it remains not uncommon for someone to feel the need to “rent” “friends.” For example, relatives at a funeral bear grief better if they realize the many “friends” the deceased had. Or, a working man or woman may rent a sweetheart just to help deflect parental pressure to marry. In northern China, in April, a man was arrested for renting “family” and “friends” to populate his side of the aisle at his wedding. Apparently, there were conflicts plaguing each family, and police were investigating, but the groom surely worsened the plan by not coaching the actors on his personal details, thus making

interfamily small-talk especially awkward. Our Litigious Society: (1) David Waugaman, 57, fell off a barstool last year and needed surgery, and of course he is suing the tavern at Ziggy’s Hotel in Youngwood, Pennsylvania, for continuing to serve him before he fell. Wrote Waugaman, “You’re not supposed to feed people so much booze.” (2) Robert Bratton filed a lawsuit recently in Columbia, Missouri, against the Hershey chocolate company because there was too much empty space in his grocery-store box of Reese’s Pieces, which he thought was “deceptive” (even though the correct number of Pieces was printed on the label). In May, federal judge Nanette Laughrey ruled that Bratton’s case could continue for the jury to decide. Latest From Offended Classes: (1) Some minority students’ organizations, commenting on the planned extensive renovation of the University of Michigan’s student union building, recommended ditching the current interior’s elegant wood paneling— because it gives off an “imposing, masculine” feeling that makes them seem “marginalized.” A spokesperson for the students, attempting to soothe the controversy, said the marginalization was more based on the building’s “quiet nature.” (2) In Australia, Chanel’s just-introduced luxury wood-and-resin boomerang (selling for the equivalent of about $1,415) came under fire from aboriginal groups for

“cultural appropriation.” (Hermes had issued its own luxury boomerang in 2013.) For not the first time in News of the Weird’s experience, a man shot himself but had the bullet pass through him and hit a bystander (except this time it was fatal to the bystander). Victor Sibson, 21, was charged in Anchorage, Alaska, in May with killing his girlfriend even though he had aimed at his own head. Investigators were persuaded that it was a genuine attempt, though he survived, but in critical condition. More Animals With Affordable Health Care: In April, the annual report of the Association of British Insurers on its members’ policies for pet owners noted that among the claims paid were those for a bearded dragon with an abscess, an anorexic Burmese python, a cocker spaniel that swallowed a turkey baster, a cockatoo with respiratory problems, and even a “lethargic” house cat (which nonetheless cost the equivalent of $470 to treat). Legal “Experts” Everywhere! American “sovereigns” litter courtrooms with their self-indulgent misreadings of history and the Constitution (misreadings that, coincidentally, happen to favor them with free passes on arrests and tax-paying), but now, the U.K.’s Exeter Crown Court has experienced Mark Angell, 41, who said in May that he simply could not step into the courtroom dock to state a plea concerning possession

of cannabis because he would thus be “submitting” to “maritime law,” which he could not legally do on dry land. Judge: “Don’t talk nonsense. Get in the dock.” Angell was ordered to trial. Before leaving, he gave the judge a bill for his detention: the equivalent of $2.5 million. More Third-World Religion: In March, Zimbabwean pastor Paul Sanyangore of Victory World International Ministries was captured on video during a sermon telephoning God. Clutching a phone to his ear, he yelled, “Hello, is this heaven? I have a woman here, what do you have to say about her?” (Her two children, one epileptic, the other asthmatic, are then confusingly described by “heaven” as being “changed,” and Paul ended the call to resounding cheers from the congregation.) More of the World’s Third-Oldest Crime (Smuggling): (1) In the latest awesome drug-mule haul of gold (into South Korea, where it fetches higher prices than in neighboring countries), 51 people were arrested in May for bringing in, over a two-year period, a cumulative two tons, worth $99 million, by hiding it in body parts befitting their biological sex. (2) Customs officials in Abdali, Kuwait, apprehended a pigeon in May with 178 ketamine pills inside a fabric pocket attached to its back. THE ARISTOCRATS! Almost an Epidemic: Men suffering compulsive public masturbation recently: (1) In the midst of evening rush hour in the New

York-New Jersey Lincoln Tunnel, Ismael Esquilin, 48, stopped his minivan and engaged (May 11). (2) In downtown Portland, Oregon, Terry Andreassen was arrested engaging “vigorously” because he “hates Portland” (and was charged with “felony” public indecency (May 3). (3) In Dunbar, West Virginia, Tristan Tucker, 27, allegedly broke into a relative’s home and stole security camera recordings of him engaging (April 23). (4) Vix Bodziak, 70, allegedly engaged at a McDonald’s in Springfield, Massachusetts (April 20). (Bonus: Police found a paper-stuffed tube sock bulging underneath his pant leg.) THE CLASSIC MIDDLE NAME (ALL-NEW!) Arrested Recently and Awaiting Trial for Murder: Boe Wayne Adams (Wichita, Kansas, May); Jason Vann Wayne Godfrey (Sanford, North Carolina, August); Earl Wayne Humphries (Dallas, May); Michael Wayne Pennington Jr. (Tazewell, Virginia, May). Convicted of Murder: Anthony Wayne Davis (Elyria, Ohio, January); Jerry Wayne Merritt (Columbus, Georgia, February). Pleaded No Contest to Murder: Nathan Wayne Scheiern (Glendale, California, April). Murder Conviction Appeal Denied: Derrick Wayne Murray (Birmingham, Alabama, April). Convicted Murderer Seeking New Plea Deal: Robert Wayne Lonardo (Benton, Maine, May). Murderers No Longer With Us: Billy Wayne Cope (Rock Hill, South Carolina, February, died in prison); Marcel Wayne Williams (Varner, Arkansas, April, executed). iReadCULTURE.com August 2017