s-2019-04-18

The

Tech, Tech &tourism tourism and the new in the new Emerald City

420

Sacramento’S newS & entertainment ntertainment weekly

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Volume 31, iSSue 01

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thurSday, april

18, 2019

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contents

april 18, 2019 | Vol. 31, issue 01

There will be buds and dabs aplenty at the High Times Cannabis Cup at Cal Expo. See the Calendar section for more info.

editor’s note letters essay + streetalk greenlight 15 minutes news feature arts + culture music stage

04 05 06 07 08 10 14 22 25 26

30 place dish calendar capital cannabis guide ask joey

27 28 30 35 50

cover design by serene lusano

Our Mission: To publish great newspapers that are successful and enduring. To create a quality work environment that encourages employees to grow professionally while respecting personal welfare. To have a positive impact on our communities and make them better places to live.

Rosemarie Beseler, Kimberly Bordenkircher, Mike Cleary, Tom Downing, Marty Fetterley, Chris Fong, Ron Forsberg, Julian Lang, Calvin Maxwell, Greg Meyers, John Parks, Perdea Rich, Lloyd Rongley, Lolu Sholotan, Carlton Singleton, Viv Tiqui N&R Publications Managing Editor Laura Hillen Associate Publications Editor Derek McDow

N&R Publications Staff Writer/Photographer Anne Stokes

N&R Publications Staff Writer Thea Rood N&R Publications Editorial Assistant Caroline Harvey

Editor Foon Rhee News Editor Raheem F. Hosseini Managing Editor Mozes Zarate Staff Reporter Scott Thomas Anderson Copy Editor Steph Rodriguez Calendar Editor Maxfield Morris Contributing Editor Rachel Leibrock Editorial Assistant Rachel Mayfield Contributors Ngaio Bealum, Amy Bee, Rob Brezsny, Aaron Carnes, Jim Carnes, Joey Garcia, Kate Gonzales, Howard Hardee, Ashley Hayes-Stone, Jim Lane, Chris Macias, Ken Magri, James Raia, Patti Roberts, Shoka, Stephanie Stiavetti, Dylan Svoboda, Bev Sykes, Graham Womack Contributing Photographers Ashley Hayes-Stone, Lucas Fitzgerald, Illyanna Maisonet, Ken Magri Creative Services Manager Elisabeth Bayard-Arthur Art Directors Sarah Hansel, Maria Ratinova Publications Designer Katelynn Mitrano Publications and Advertising Designer Nikki Exerjian Ad Designers Naisi Thomas, Cathy Arnold

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If you believe the doom-and-gloom stories, also making recycling more expensive for local recycling is a bust as a way to help save the governments. planet. It’s pretty pointless to sort out bottles, CalRecycle says there needs to be a new paper and plastic and roll your blue bin to the approach to make recycling work. Murray curb. agrees, and says “plastic is at the root of it,” Don’t believe the “end of recycling” hype, which is why it’s his group’s focus. says Mark Murray, executive director of In California, less than 15 percent of singleCalifornians Against Waste. “It’s completely use plastic is recycled, even though voters exaggerated,” he says. agreed in November 2016 to ban single-use plasYet, “the ‘state of crisis’ perception is good for tic bags at most stores and legislators voted last us from an advocacy standpoint,” he adds. year to restrict plastic straws at restaurants.

His group is behind much of So Californians Against Waste is California’s progress in recycling, supporting far more sweeping legisand it has plenty of work ahead: lation: Senate Bill 54/Assembly “Plastic is As we get ready to celebrate Bill 1080, which would require at the root of it Earth Day on April 22, the businesses to reduce or recycle numbers are headed in the at least 75 percent of single… We’ve been lulled wrong direction. use plastic packaging or into thinking it could be In 2011, a new state law products by 2030. recyclable.” set an ambitious goal: By On March 27, the 2020 to recycle at least 75 European Parliament set Mark Murray percent of the 77.2 million the global benchmark by executive director of Californians tons of waste Californians Against Waste produce each year.

But in 2017, the recycling rate was 42 percent, continuing a decline from a peak of 50 percent in 2014, according to CalRecycle.

Murray says that while commercial and industrial recycling is successful, the problem is residential recycling, especially of “mixed plastics,” including plastic-coated milk cartons and take-out food containers.

Part of the trouble is that despite our best intentions, we’re not that great at recycling.

About one-fourth of what is put in bins is contaminated and has to be sorted out. The city of Sacramento is trying to educate residents on what they should not try to recycle—a long list that includes paper with plastic coating and plastic bags.

It’s more important for consumers not to buy Mark Murray, executive director of Californians Against Waste, warns against these non-recyclable products in the first place, the doomsday hype that recycling is dead.

Murray says. That would cut the demand, then the priority is to reduce the supply by limiting production of non-recyclable materials.

We’ve been lulled into thinking that all banning 10 single-use plastics—including sorts of products can be recycled because plates, straws, forks and food containers—by they were shipped to Asia, where cheap labor 2021. sorted it, Murray says. But last year, China It’s far from the end of recycling in started rejecting mixed paper and most plastics.

California, but it sure wouldn’t hurt to get a California’s exports of recyclables have dropped similar boost. If you care about this issue, it’s by 11 percent in the last three years, which is time to give your legislator a shout. Ω

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Re: “Are Democrats headed for disaster?” by Eric Wiesenthal (Essay, April 4): I am completely underwhelmed by the size and scope of the group of wannabes chasing the Democratic presidential nomination. It calls to mind one of my favorite election year words: kakistocracy—government by the least suitable or competent citizens of a state. Does that about nail it, or what?

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Conservative Democrats Re: “Are Democrats headed for disaster?” by Eric Wiesenthal (Essay, April 4): A “centrist” Democrat writes that he is concerned that America is not ready for “socialists.” Really?

Would he rather have his electricity provided by publicly-owned SMUD or privately-owned PG&E? Hint: SMUD is cheaper.

He’s a strong supporter of the Affordable Care Act. Hint: single payer is cheaper and covers everyone. The ACA is really a Republican plan passed during the administration of a Rockefeller Republican, Barack Obama.

The essay writer is also a fan of the 1986 tax reform that removed the last vestige of subsidies for affordable housing. All the limited partnerships that built apartments went bankrupt after that.

With guys like this nudging the Democrats toward the right, who needs Republicans?

Mark DeMpSey orangevale / v i a em ai l

Not very artistic The large, metallic Teel Family Pavilion, the relatively new addition to the Crocker Art Museum, looks like a ponderous, bleak industrial ball-bearing factory with its stark roof line of a dozen giant, jagged diagonal metal baffles silhouetted against the sky. Especially galling is the strange, entirely empty space sandwiched between the historic older building and the newer one, visible through the broad, high lobby windows of the latter. This extensive expanse is the entire focus of the grandiose, all-encompassing view.

And what does one see? An immense area, paved end-to-end

with solid concrete, completely devoid of even one tree, bush, bench, blade of grass or any artwork. This space conveys the extremely harsh and gloomy aesthetic of a barren gray military drill ground or a remote, carefully sequestered prison yard.

Glenn rice D av i s / v i a e m a i l

How about aquarium?

Re: “Old Sac isn’t boring” by Loretta de Porceri (Letters, April 4): A good addition to Old Sacramento would be an aquarium, but not about the ocean but the river. Go check out the one in Chattanooga, Tenn., that is based on the river. Since we are at the junction of two rivers, I think an aquarium based on them would be appropriate for this area.

Dianna hanSen el k Gr ov e / v i a e m a i l

Corrections Re: “30 for our 30th” by Foon Rhee (Feature, April 11): The story incorrectly says how long Chet Hewitt has led the Sierra Health Foundation. He has been president and CEO since 2007. SN&R regrets the error.

Re: “Secondary smoke: Is Sacramento ready for the next big wildfire?” by Tess Townsend (Feature, April 4): The story said that a homeless man froze to death in February.

The county coroner now says the man died of a drug overdose. SN&R regrets the error.

read more letters online at newsreview.com/sacramento.

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eSSay

by Joe Devlin

StReetalk

by Kate Gonzales

Asked on k street:

What’s the best high? dorie sChMUnk

Making legal cannabis work

retired

We were hiking and climbed up to 9,000 feet … in Lassen Park. That’s really high! It gave me the high because I was able to get up to 9,000 feet, which I couldn’t do before.

AdriAn FernAnde z barber

Sacramento’s pragmatic approach is succeeding Legalization, 15 months in.

In January 2018, Proposition 64 took effect and adult use and sales of cannabis became legal.

While perhaps a historic moment, it was only the start of the process for legalizing and regulating a multibillion-dollar industry.

Sacramento, like most communities in California, had a cannabis economy prior to legalization and today, 15 months after legalization, we are still moving through the process of transitioning the industry into a legal framework intended to protect consumer safety and increase public safety.

Overall, Sacramento’s pragmatic approach to managing cannabis has largely been successful.

We have established a comprehensive framework to regulate each part of the industry and created a functioning marketplace that supports the transition of the cannabis industry, while also implementing enforcement strategies to reduce the illicit market.

As a result, Sacramento has fewer illegal operators compared to many other cities, while the legal industry has sparked dozens of new companies, created more than 1,000 new jobs and this year will pay more than $7 million in taxes to the city’s General Fund.

The transition, however, will also require an honest and ongoing dialogue about what the people of Sacramento and California ultimately want cannabis in their community to look like.

While each city will answer this question differently, each must be honest and cannot ignore the realities made clear by the failed policies of the past. We must accept that prohibitions of cannabis failed and that regulation and legalization will require functioning marketplaces.

Consumers must have access to the legal marketplace and governments must be restrained in their temptation to overtax the industry. The legal market does not operate in a vacuum, but rather competes directly with the illicit market.

When evaluating where we are in the process of legalization, context is important. We need to remember cannabis was illegal for more than 100 years. Changing cultural norms and incremental 6 | SN&R | 04.18.19

I like indica. So, the strain of weed? … To me, the best high is just being around your best friends, stoned, enjoying life, having some drinks and being positive. That’s the best high.

CArlit to MArtine z Joe Devlin is chief of cannabis policy and enforcement for the city of Sacramento.

policy change, notably Proposition 215 in 1996 that legalized medical marijuana, created conditions that allowed for the emergence of a cannabis industry.

By the time legalization occurred, California’s cannabis industry had grown into a dynamic and multifaceted multibillion-dollar industry. The state and local governments faced a monumental, never-attempted task of developing and applying a regulatory structure to the world’s largest cannabis economy.

The general state of cannabis in California and in Sacramento is far from perfect and the transition is far from complete. Legalization and the transition into the legal marketplace will likely take several more years. Significant issues related to expiring state licenses, testing lab standardization, packaging, waste, “track and trace” and taxation loom in the background and threaten the stability of the legal market.

Despite the complexity and imperfections, the success over the last two years is reason to be confident that the daunting task of regulating this industry will be accomplished.

Sacramento was one of the first cities in California to take on the task of regulating cannabis. Without a road map we created a pragmatic and thoughtful approach that has been successful in reducing the illicit market while creating economic benefit for our city.

While the next few years will be turbulent, the foundation we have set will allow for the refinement of a cannabis industry that will create jobs, generate tax revenue and increase public safety. Ω

machinist

If it’s 4/20, definitely the best high is the chronic high ... the only way I smoke, is out of bongs and pipes.

Lately, I’ve been hitting the pen. …

I don’t dabble in too many drugs, but marijuana is the best high.

niCole novitski chocolatier

You can’t put it into words. It’s the essence of life. You know, it’s tapping into the true essence of life—meditation, yoga, music.

That feeling of connection.

viviAn Cr Ane stress management therapist

Absolutely and beyond a shadow of a doubt the best high in life is connecting with the people you love. … I just had my first great-grandchild, so the love just keeps growing.

Ulises ChAve z construction worker

The best high in life is taking care of your family and providing for them, and knowing y’all good; and being responsible for people.

greenlight

Happy 420!

by Jeff vonKaenel

Happy national “Weed Day” and welcome to our annual Sacramento News & Review 420 Issue. This issue always has extra pages and extra distribution, making 420 a happy day for me.

Over the last 10 years, after youthful pothead President Barack Obama said he would deemphasize federal prosecution of medical marijuana, I have had a front row seat to the business of medical cannabis and now legalized marijuana. Our paper has had pages of cannabis ads and we have written hundreds of stories on the magical weed.

I have a few 420 observations.

1. There should be no taxation without bank representation. How can the federal govern-

j e ffv @ne w s re v i e w . c o m

market. The tax burden must be significantly reduced, or the legalized market in California may collapse.

4. People who are in prison for selling or using marijuana should be released immediately.

People who were jailed for doing something the state is now regulating should not rot away in jail, and the community should not to have to pay the massive costs to keep them there. People with a marijuana arrest should have their record cleared.

5. Enforcement of drug laws reflects a racist society. Although the same percentage of

whites and blacks use drugs, and there are five times as many whites as blacks ment insist on one hand that marijuana in the United States, African Americans growers, manufacturers and retailers account for 35 percent of those pay their taxes, and then at arrested for drug possesthe same time refuse to let How sion, 55 percent of those any financial institution convicted and 74 can the federal handle their business? percent of those who government insist on This creates many are in prison for problems. It is one hand that marijuana drug possession, a hassle to deal according to the growers, manufacturers with cash, and ACLU. One in and retailers pay their taxes, there are huge three black men security issues for and then at the same time between the ages these businesses. of 20 and 29 is refuse to let any financial Even tax collectors currently either on institution handle complain about probation, parole or receiving so much their business? in prison. The statistics cash. California should set are similar for Latinos. up a bank or credit union for This is wrong. Fixing this the marijuana industry. problem will require addressing 2. We shouldn’t lose perspective on the size of systemic racism in both law enforcement the marijuana industry. It is estimated that and the judicial system. the legal U.S. marijuana market is about 6. The skills for running an illegal business $10 billion a year. That is a lot of money, versus a legal business are different. Legalized but compared to other market sectors, the marijuana businesses are following standard marijuana market is insignificant. U.S. business practices, including labor laws health care spending is $3.65 trillion. Soft and quality control regulations. As more drink sales are almost $200 billion. Beer marijuana sales move above ground, those sales are $35 billion, and Budweiser’s U.S. business owners and managers who are sales alone are $8 billion. more effective in a traditional business 3. The fees and taxes on the legal marijuana industry are too high. Total effective tax

rates on retail marijuana range from 37 percent to as much as 50 percent in some parts of California. This is absurd.

This high level of taxation makes it very difficult for legal marijuana businesses to compete with the illegal underground

environment will take a larger share of the market, a positive result for both consumers and employees.

Happy 420! Ω Jeff vonKaenel is the president, CEO and majority owner of the News & Review.

04.18.19 | Sn&r | 7

15 minutes

by Ken Magri

Michael Hicks on his Yolo County farm.

PHOTO COURTESY OF CHANTEL ELDER

Cultivator to the stars “It’s exciting!” said cannabis cultivator Michael Hicks, owner of Woodland Roots and

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Yolo Family Farms. He’s proud to be showing samples of his best-ever harvest in 16 years of farming. “There are so many people now, from so many different fields, wanting to be part of cannabis.”

An organic outdoor cannabis grower who operates in legal compliance, the 37-yearold Woodland native first learned his craft in the cannabis-rich Humboldt scene while attending College of the Redwoods in the early 2000s. After moving back to the Central Valley, Hicks became a medical cannabis manager at Sacramento’s A Therapeutic Alternative dispensary until starting his farms in 2003. Still committed to serving medical users, Hicks cited “that feeling you get” when helping patients as his chief motivation for moving from the retail dispensary into cultivation.

Hicks is also excited about supplying cannabis flower for Australian actor Jason Gann’s soon-to-be-released packages of “Wilfred” brand pre-rolls. Based on Gann’s character from the Wilfred TV series about an imaginary pot-smoking dog, strains from Yolo Family Farms will be featured in Wilfred’s sativa, indica and hybrid packs.

Tell us about the Wilfred pre-rolls.

We are currently the outdoor, sun-grown flower that is found in [Jason Gann’s] pre-rolls. His plan is to use outdoor flower only and to look to us and Yolo County for his needs.

Is Northern California cannabis as good as its wines?

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Yes, 100 percent. California has been known for years as having the best cannabis, and I think in the long run we will take over the world.

What will you plant this spring?

Our auto-flower run is next. These are CBD seeds that have Cannabis ruderalis in them, so they flower automatically. They will only grow to 2 or 3 feet tall, because of the time of year. It gives us a short [growing] season that we can put in right before the last summer seeding.

What are your best recreational strains?

It’s rare for this to happen, but our Blue Cookies is testing at 31 percent and our Holy Grail was at 29 percent on the final certificate of analysis.

Does growing cannabis make any money these days?

It’s difficult. People think we’re rich. All of our money goes back into the two companies to regrow them. Now that it’s legal, we have an obligation to future generations to do it in the most sensible way for the environment. So there is very little after taxes and compliance fees. In the long run, I think we can achieve it.

Is falling out of compliance your biggest worry?

What I’m more worried about is consistency of labs, why we’re not seeing consistent data coming back from lab tests. If I’m seeing such inconsistent testing, I don’t know what the state’s getting out of it. We need more standardization in testing.

What is the funniest thing to happen on the farm?

Watching cameras with a whole bunch of coyotes in our garden, and having to go clear them out.

The security part is some of the funniest, because we’re learning what types of animals come out late at night, like coyotes. Deer is common, rabbits and field mice, scorpions and owls.

Are they after the cannabis?

Not really. They just tend to pass through, usually about 3 or 4 in the morning. Ω

Visit wilfredcannabis.com for more information about the Yolo Family Farms-supplied pre-rolls.

New Businesses Strengthen Sacramento Economy Cannabis businesses see promise in saCramento

T

hree new cannabis businesses have dropped anchor in the area, strengthening Sacramento’s claim as a cannabis industry hub for the Central Valley.

In March, NUG, an Oakland-based vertically integrated cannabis company, opened its first ever retail dispensary in Midtown Sacramento. The 16th Street store’s interiors serve as NUG’s prototype for future stores.

“Sacramento’s Midtown neighborhood is experiencing an exciting revitalization with new restaurants, retail stores and residences,” said NUG Founder and CEO Dr. John Oram. “We’re excited to become a part of this thriving area by debuting our flagship retail store where we can continue to normalize the cannabis experience.”

Oram said that NUG is very community oriented. In Oakland, it helps more people gain access to the industry through the Oakland Equity Program. The company also works with individual groups to provide on-the-job training, which it sees as an essential component, though these initiatives have not yet come to Sacramento. NUG’s Sacramento outlet features an all-woman management team.

“We’re excited to become a part of this thriving area.”

Dr. John oram, nug founder and Ceo

Another Sacramento newcomer is Innovative Industrial Properties (IIP), a Maryland corporation that specializes in acquiring commercial properties being leased to experienced, licensed cannabis operators. IIP recently bought 43,000 square feet of Sacramento industrial space for leasing in its first foray into the California market.

The interior of NUG’s retail dispensary in midtown Sacramento.

Also new to California, Origin House is a Canadian cannabis product company that recently announced the launch of “Continuum,” a California-based distribution platform which will operate a 17,000-square-foot warehouse in West Sacramento.

“At a time when only a very few cities in California were willing allow any kind of cannabis business to operate in their borders, West Sacramento was open-minded and forward-thinking in their approach,” said Ted Simpkins, Origin House board member. “The city officials’ cooperation and professionalism regarding permits, inspections and other regulatory compliance were critical in our decision to expand our growing distribution platform in West Sacramento.”

“We are excited to add California to our portfolio,” said Paul Smithers, President and CEO of Innovative Industrial Properties, Inc. “The tenant has a long track record of success serving patients in need in California, and we look forward to completing the redevelopment of the property with their team.”

IIP invested $11.5 million on the acquisition. It now owns cannabis-related properties in Arizona, California, Colorado, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New York and Pennsylvania.

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THE

ISSUE

This house on Sacramento’s Logan Street was bought and converted into an illegal grow operation with laundered money from China. It’s since been torn down.

Photo courtesy of GooGLe MAPs / Photo iLLustrAtion by sArAh hAnseL

The Chinese connection Foreign money has turned homes around the Sacramento region into the engine of the marijuana black market

by Scott thomaS anderSon

When federal agents finally looked inside the Cadillac, they saw multiple house keys, four garage door openers and $10,000 in cash sitting in the center console. At a glance, it might look like a typical drug dealer’s ride. But there was nothing typical about the car’s story.

It was parked in front of a driveway on Itasca Avenue, an upscale section of the Natomas neighborhood lined with Tuscanstyle track homes. Inside the residence, agents found more than marijuana plants: pay ledgers, receipts and watering schedules written in Chinese, plus a number of suspicious bank statements and another $10,000 in cash, some of it hidden under a mattress. That day, federal agents also 10

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raided a secluded farm house the Cadillac had been spotted at, one half-hidden in the open fields outside Wilton. During the search, they found two men—Chengchun Xie and Zohngzhang Yang—hiding in a closet and the attic.

It was September 14, 2016. According to affidavits from the Drug Enforcement Administration, the discovery was part of the early stages of a three-year investigation into more than nearly 100 black market grow houses from Sacramento to the rural Gold Country, some of which were financed by laundered money from China. As the probe deepened, the agents allegedly uncovered straw buyers spread across the country, evidence of labor

s c o t t a @ ne wsr e v ie w.c o m

trafficking and a licensed real estate agent in Elk Grove allegedly arranging fraudulent home sales.

The operation soon involved the DEA, FBI and IRS tracing money that flowed into Sacramento’s illegal grow houses from banks as far away as Beijing and Shanghai.

At least three foreign-influenced “cells” were broken up, the latest arrests coming in December.

As tax revenues from legal, regulated marijuana in California continue to fall far short of expectations, regulators across the state are worried that the prevalence of illicit markets are crushing opportunities for legal growers trying to do legitimate business. The DEA’s sophisticated

take-down of the China-connected cells is now shedding light on just how dark those black markets can be.

“It’s incredibly unique,” DEA Special Agent in Charge Chris Nielson said of Chinese cash flows. “We just hadn’t had a lot of experiences in Northern California like that. This idea of foreign money in grow houses isn’t new, but we had not seen it in our area from China.”

The September 2016 raids also hit five houses in South Sacramento. All were allegedly under the control of 39-year-old Leonard Yang, who emigrated to the United States from China in 1993, according to a federal search warrant affidavit and asset forfeiture filings reviewed by SN&R. Charging documents claim Yang had been running a Hong Kong-style restaurant in Columbus, Ohio until 2012, when he moved to Sacramento and started buying up properties.

During the first raids, federal agents found Yang inside the Natomas house his Cadillac was parked near. He was put in handcuffs and taken to the DEA’s Sacramento district office on Watt Avenue. Once there, Special Agent Brian Swenson noticed Yang was bleeding from his mouth.

Speaking out on 40-year-old crime See neWS

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Sacramento’S dWindling refugeeS See neWS

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HigH timeS returnS See feature

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beatS

Will clean for Stipend “Leonard Yang stated that he was arrested by police that morning and had been put on the ground, which caused the injury,” Swenson wrote in the affidavit.

“Yang stated he had minor pain from the injury and was OK to talk.”

And talk he did, according to Swenson’s report. Yang waived his rights to a lawyer and, with the assistance of a Mandarin interpreter, began telling his story. Yang denied having knowledge of many of the South Sacramento houses where the DEA served warrants. What Yang didn’t know was that DEA agents had put a tracking device on his Cadillac prior to their operation. They allegedly monitored him driving to all seven of the properties.

“Which is common of marijuana cultivators who are busy checking and maintaining their marijuana grows,” Swenson wrote.

While that part of Yang’s story wasn’t surprising—nor was his alarming, industrial-level use of electricity at the houses—there were aspects of his mini-grow empire that were unusual.

Swenson’s team eventually learned that tens of thousands of dollars used for down payments on Yang’s properties had been wired from China.

Yang has pleaded guilty to two felony counts of illegal manufacturing of marijuana and is awaiting sentencing in federal court.

As the months passed, the DEA followed Yang’s trail of investors until it unmasked a second alleged cell. Agents contend the new ring was partly led by Xiu Ping Li and involved nine properties in Sacramento County.

One of the houses, located on Suarez Way in Elk Grove, had been purchased under the name of Li’s 25-year-old niece, Yan Bing Li. The price tag was $416,00.

But when agents probed further, they discovered that the niece was working at the Hibachi Grill & Buffet in Houston, earning just $13,000 a year.

The paper trail allegedly showed that $48,944 of the $175,700 deposited into the house’s escrow account was wired to a co-conspirator’s account from the Agricultural Bank of China, one of the Republic of China’s “big four” financial institutions.

Federal prosecutors say more straw buyers were later identified in Ohio and New York.

Li has pleaded not guilty and is awaiting trial.

By July 2017, the DEA was working with the Yuba County Sheriff’s Office to

investigate a third group running illegal grow houses, in this case on nine properties between Marysville and the western edge of Sacramento County. One of those houses, on Sutton Pointe Court in Elk Grove, was purchased with money wired from the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, the largest bank in the country.

That investigation led to the owner of the homes, Zhen Shang Lin, being arrested, as well as Elk Grove real estate agent Heidi Phong.

Phong was the licensed officer for HP Real Estate and Skye Investment LLC. “Phong represented buyers of residential real estate … who intended to convert these houses to indoor marijuana cultivation sites,” federal prosecutors wrote in their indictment.

“Phong and her co-conspirators often arranged for the financing of these homes through ‘hard money’ lenders to lessen the chance of detection, as these lenders did not have the same level of review used by traditional banks to ensure legitimate income.”

One of the purchases Phong allegedly arranged was in the foothill hamlet of Fiddletown.

Lin and Phong have pleaded not guilty and are currently awaiting trial.

Nielson said how cash from illicit marijuana sales is moving back to China and to whom is still under investigation.

Amanda Ostrowitz, founder and CEO of CannaRegs, moderated the discussion and encouraged attendees to be frank with their assessments. Another speaker was Ethan Turner, deputy counsel for Calaveras County, which famously sanctioned marijuana under one board of supervisors, then banned it under another and is now engaged in a political tug-of-war. Turner told SN&R that even if Calaveras allows legal sales, black market operations will remain a challenge.

“We know from aerial surveillance that there are over 1,000 illegal grows in Calaveras County,” Turner said. “In terms of the indoor grows, what our code enforcement is finding is that these people will split, and the houses they leave behind are so infested with black mold that they’re totally uninhabitable.”

The black mold threat comes from vegetation, sprinkler moisture and heat lamps in unventilated houses.

Additionally, illegal grow houses that aren’t stealing massive amounts of electricity often use makeshift, dangerously wired power systems.

At least one of the houses Leonard Yang converted, on Sacramento’s Logan Street, has since been torn down.

The alleged cells also took 100 semiaffordable houses off the market in the midst of the region’s worst housing crisis in years.

Nielson, who has his concerns about California’s legal cannabis industry, nonetheless believes the work his agents did to interdict the China-connected black market was worth the years of hard work.

“To me, the big advantage of what we did was giving the neighborhoods back to the people,” he said. “And saying to these foreign entities that might be watching Sacramento that it’s not a good idea to come here and buy a hundred houses. We’ll shut it down, and they’ll lose a lot of money.” Ω

The operation soon involved the DEA, FBI and IRS tracing money that flowed into Sacramento’s illegal grow houses from banks as far away as Beijing and Shanghai.

on april 10, stakeholders in california’s cannabis industry held a postmortem of sorts in the Elks Tower ballroom. One of the evening’s topics involved whether high taxes for legal marijuana caused the revenues to fall short.

Since January 1, the state Franchise Tax Board has collected $471 million—$159 million less than projected. According to the Los Angeles Times, that makes California one of the lowest performing states of the nine that regulate recreational marijuana.

Regulators at the conference discussed the impact of a widespread black market on legal growers.

For Mary Buck, Sacramento’s downtown Streets team is a reason to get up in the morning.

Buck, who slept on the streets and on the banks of the American River before she came to the winter triage shelter in North Sacramento a little over a year ago, says she hadn’t had a job since 1992. Now, five days a week, four hours a day, she joins her yellowshirt donning team doing what she described as a “real, paying job.”

The Downtown Streets Team is a nonprofit organization founded in Palo Alto almost 15 years ago. Volunteers who are either homeless or at risk of homelessness clean up debris and trash on a designated route. Since 2005, the organization has expanded to 12 cities, including Sacramento in January 2018.

Then early last November, the Sacramento team received $600,000 in funding from California’s homeless emergency aid program, Heap, after the city declared an emergency homeless shelter crisis.

Thanks to that funding, four new teams totaling 40 members volunteer in five different parts of the city. Rachel Davidson, director and project manager for Sacramento’s teams, said HEAP funding covered all costs associated with the program, including the stipend that team members receive in exchange for their work.

In November 2018, the city also approved $400,000 from the general fund to help create two full-time positions dedicated to trash clean-up and disposal equipment, said the city’s homeless services coordinator, Emily Halcon. Halcon says these funds also support Sacramento’s Downtown Streets Team, the park maintenance crew, the police Impact Team and other public works employees who encounter homelessness throughout the city.

Bob Erlenbusch, director of the Sacramento Regional Coalition to End Homelessness, criticized the city’s use of the funding. Erlenbusch said it was a missed opportunity to create a “fairly robust homeless employment program.” (Margherita Beale)

2020 viSion While several legal battles ensue over the Trump administration’s proposal for a citizenship question on the 2020 census, California’s main focus remains making sure its residents participate.

On April 10, Sacramento county’s complete count committee hosted a job fair soliciting 200 part-time positions with other local agencies to ensure a full and accurate count.

“We have one goal in mind and that is to count every single resident of Sacramento County,” said Linda Cutler, CEO of the Sacramento Region Community Foundation.

California Attorney General Xavier Becerra took an extra step on April 5. According to a release from his office, Becerra filed a brief urging the U.S. Supreme Court to affirm a district court ruling that the citizenship question was unconstitutional.

Regardless of age, skin color, housing status, documentation status and sexual orientation, Cutler said it was imperative that Sacramento County gets every single person counted in 2020.

More than 25 percent of county residents went uncounted in the last census in 2010, said foundation spokesperson Vasey Coman.

Census data determines how federal grants and U.S. House seats are distributed. The 2020 census will be conducted on Wednesday, april 1, 2020, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

“The reality is that an accurate count is critical for our community,” said Niva Flor, interim chief impact and strategy officer for the Community Foundation. “For funding vital programs and services, and for representation at every level. That’s why we’re kicking off this community-driven effort now.” (Brody Fernandez)

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Pearl Callahan and Kristen DiAngelo stand outside the Upper Land Park home where Callahan’s former pimp burst in shooting 40 years ago. At right, Callahan and DiAngelo in the late 1970s, when they were sex workers in Sacramento.

PhoTo by Raheem F. hoSSeini

Getting away with an almost murder What does a 40-year-old unsolved shooting in Sacramento have to do with sex worker immunity legislation?

by Raheem F. hosseini

Pearl Callahan and Kristen DiAngelo stand at the edge of a cobblestone driveway flashing back to the night a vindictive pimp forced his way into their home and shot two of their friends.

The lies the two women told that To read more about the night 40 years ago allowed the pimp to night a pimp burst into go free. Callahan and DiAngelo, who a Sacramento home bonded as sex workers in Sacramento in firing a handgun, an the late 1970s, say they’re now ready to extended version of share what really happened at that house this story is available at sacblog.newsreview.com because California lawmakers have a chance to prevent it from happening again.

Senate Bill 233 is what has the two women talking. The bill would grant immunity to sex workers who are victims or witnesses of violent crimes. If approved, Callahan and DiAngelo say that workers would be able to help authorities catch the predators, exploiters and traffickers who escape justice because their victims fear prosecution.

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ra h e e m h @ne w s re v i e w . c o m

“This is what happens when we can’t report,” DiAngelo said. “We become targets.”

The main goal of SB 233 is to encourage sex workers to report violent crimes such as rape or assault. Because it deals with the evidence code, it needs support from two-thirds of the Legislature to move to the governor’s desk.

SB 233, authored by Democratic state Sen. Scott Wiener of San Francisco, cleared its first hurdle April 9, when it made it through the Public Safety Committee on a 5-2 vote. Callahan testified at the hearing, telling lawmakers about the evening when the pimp she thought she had escaped broke into her home, firing a handgun.

After the smoke cleared, Callahan and DiAngelo didn’t tell police they knew the shooter. Instead they gave conflicting descriptions of the assailant because they believed they would be the ones going to jail.

That disparity remains true today. In 2019 so far, at least 37 women have been arrested for prostitution-related crimes in the county, compared to five men, two of whom were charged with pimping.

“It’s part of the game. Once you’re in it, you have to keep playing,” said DiAngelo, co-founder of Sex Worker Outreach Project’s Sacramento chapter.

“You’re dealing with people holding you hostage and blackmailing you and shooting people that are trying to help you.”

“And you can’t tell anybody,” Callahan added.

By the time they moved into the cute home in Upper Land Park in the late 1970s, with its peaked roofs and latticed brickwork, Callahan and DiAngelo had survived multiple close calls on Sacramento’s notorious prostitution stroll.

DiAngelo, barely 19, had extricated herself from two pimps. Callahan, just 23 and forced to earn on Ohio’s unfamiliar streets, had recently gotten out from under a pimp.

Coercion of sex workers often takes convoluted forms. In this case, Callahan had a client who let her use his car. Her pimp held onto it, meaning Callahan couldn’t leave him without that being leveraged against her, either with the client or the cops. So Callahan got her friends Pat and Bill to “steal” the car and get it back to the client. It worked. Callahan left. She and DiAngelo settled into their new life, or so they thought.

“We were so stupid. We thought we could just go away,” DiAngelo said.

On a late spring or early summer evening, the women recall, Pat, Bill, Callahan’s brother and her girlfriend were over at the house. They remember a frantic knock at the door. Callahan cracked it to see one of the pimp’s other girls in tears.

Before Callahan could unlatch the chain, the woman was shoved aside and the pimp busted through gun first.

Callahan and DiAngelo managed to slip out. They heard gunshots pop behind them.

They crouched behind a parked car across the street. They saw Callahan’s brother

and his girlfriend slip out, but didn’t see anyone else emerge.

After several long minutes, they crept back through the house, expecting bloodshed in each room they entered. They turned left into the laundry room. The little white room was spattered red.

“Blood everywhere,” Callahan said.

No one was in the room anymore. They waded into the backyard, came to a waisthigh fence and saw what lay beyond it.

“We couldn’t find Pat, but we found Bill,” DiAngelo said, her voice catching.

Bill lay face down in the neighbor’s yard with a gunshot wound in his back.

Helicopters roared overheard. Sirens wailed. The cops had arrived. It never occurred to Callahan or DiAngelo to call them.

“This is how crazy it is,” DiAngelo said. “Almost every house on this block probably called the police once those gunshots went off.”

“But we didn’t,” Callahan said.

Callahan found her brother and his girlfriend. They agreed not to talk to police.

“None of us told the truth,” DiAngelo said. “Can you imagine getting shot through the chest and still not talking? …

If we had protection to tell them or report, it wouldn’t have even gone to this point.”

Callahan and DiAngelo don’t know what became of the pimp. According to online court records, a man with his name twice faced prosecution in Sacramento Superior Court—for misdemeanor theft in 1991 and several counts of identity theft in 2006—but the charges were dismissed each time.

Callahan and DiAngelo didn’t leave their new home. They scrubbed and mopped blood with soap, water and bleach.

They tried to turn a red door white again.

The women have a few other places like this, places they go to remember.

They’re like invisible memorials, honoring private wars.

“I don’t know why you do, but you go back just to go, ‘Yeah, OK, I’m here.

This all was real and I survived it,’” DiAngelo explained. “Because nobody else sees it.” Ω

Refugee window closing Sacramento County is experiencing a sharp drop in SIV admissions

by Mark Heckey and raHeeM F. Hosseini

ra h e e m h @ne w s re v i e w . c o m

Mohibullah Hanifi arrived in Sacramento just The process for getting into the country under before President Donald Trump slammed the SIV program is intensive. After Homeland America’s doors to refugees, asylum seekers and Security approves their petitions, applicants must those who risked their lives aiding U.S. armed interview in person at a U.S. embassy or consulate forces overseas. abroad. Multi-layered security screenings are also The 42-year-old served the U.S. Army as a performed. It can take years to get a visa, and medical interpreter and trained combat medics processing times have only ballooned under the for the Afghan military in his home country. The current administration. risk to his safety wasn’t hypothetical. He says he Those who receive SIVs are admitted as lawful eventually drew the attention of the Taliban, endanpermanent residents and are eligible for the same gering him and his family. resettlement assistance and public benefits as “I found circumstances more and more dangerrefugees. ous,” said Hanifi, the father of six children.

Hanifi is currently enrolled in the medical assisIn 2012, Hanifi petitioned the U.S. Department tance program at Sunrise Tech Center & Creekside of Homeland Security for a special immigrant visa, Adult Center, an adult education program offered or SIV, which is available to Afghan and Iraqi through the San Juan Unified School District. He nationals who worked with the American governsays he was training to be a family doctor back ment as military interpreters or in other capacities in Afghanistan and is hoping to revive that dream and have letters of recommendation from a here. He has his green card and is working superior. toward becoming an American citizen.

Then he and his family waited Another SIV holder and fellow five years. student is Khatera Khushee, who “I found Hanifi arrived in the United arrived from Afghanistan in circumstances States in 2017, just before SIV 2016. Her husband worked admissions nose-dived the as a computer programmer more and more following year by nearly 60 for the U.S. Army in Kabul, dangerous.” percent under Trump. The making him eligible for little more than 8,000 SIVs the special visa and her as Mohibullah Hanifi issued last year to Iraqi and his dependent. They now Special Immigrant Visa Afghan interpreters, translators live in the resettled Afghan recipient in Sacramento and U.S. government workers and community of Creekside, where their dependents were the fewest in she performed so well in an ESL five years, according to data collected by program that the adult school hired her the Congressional Research Service. as a part-time instructional assistant.

The sharp drop in refugee admissions has Khushee says that’s different from her experiwreaked havoc on the nonprofit network that helps ence in her homeland, where she was discouraged them settle in a new land. One local organization from pursuing higher education. dedicated to aiding refugees and immigrants, “I was told that I would never be allowed to Opening Doors, laid off staff due to the loss in teach,” she said. government support that comes with fewer refugee Khushee plans to apply to Sacramento State admissions, said interim CEO Debra DeBondt.

University’s teaching program. Like Hanifi, she “It was traumatic—loss of budget due to the and her husband have green cards and are working sudden loss of refugee arrivals,” DeBondt said. toward citizenship.

The financial picture for Opening Doors and If current admission trends hold, there will be other nonprofits is likely to worsen this year under far fewer of these stories. In the past six months, Trump. That’s especially true in Sacramento the federal government granted entry to only 666 County, which has been among the top destinations refugees in the entire state, according to the Refugee in California for refugees. Between the 2013 and Processing Center. That’s shaping up to mean a 74 2017 fiscal years, Sacramento accepted nearly 5,000 percent drop in refugee admissions in California refugees, third only to Los Angeles (8,515) and when comparing the 2017 and 2019 fiscal years. Ω San Diego (12,063), according to the California Department of Social Services.

Free tickets available at designweeksac.com

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ISSUE

welcome

The New

Emerald City Ngaio Bealum’s annual list of

Top 10 skunky buds to add to your stash

by Ngaio Bealum As k 420@ n ew s r ev i ew . com

let’s jump riGHt into it: In the last year, (I’m on the stoner calendar cycle so April 20 is the start of the year) I have smoked more than 400 different cannabis strains. There may have been some similar ones, but I definitely smoked a lot of different weeds. Thank you, Emerald Cup. This is a list of my favorite California-grown strains this year.

I didn’t include the fantastic Jager

01.

or the Sasquatch Nepalese from Vancouver. Neither will I mention the Mickey Kush from Oregon, nor an excellent Amnesia Haze I found in Barcelona. Also, the Acapulco Gold from Vashon Island near Seattle. Not gonna mention that one at all. Enough preamble. In no particular order, here are my 10 favorite cannabis strains from 2018(ish):

chihuapei

bon ViVAnt FArms, mendoCino County

From the producers of Chocolate Hashberry (one of my all-time faves), Chihuapei is a hybrid cross of Sour Diesel and Very Berry Kush. It has a stinky, almost skunky aroma, with a hint of fruit.

Sounds weird, but it’s delicious. Plus, the buzz is hella pleasant.

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Blue Snow

the costs of doing business too high and driving people back to the black market.

And consumers have ever-more choices in products and how and where they use cannabis.

With so much at stake, there will be many twists and turns on the green path ahead. SN&R will be watching and writing about cannabis in this 420 Issue and every week.

07.

buddy buddy indoor natural’s wild Cherry punch hails from san Francisco.

Blue dream

Anonymous, Humboldt County

demeter FArms, sonomA County

This rare cut was a gift from a friend that is still in the underground cannabis market. Blue Snow is a sweet and powerful strain created by mixing three old-school faves (Northern Lights, Snowcap and Blue Dream) into one great green delight. Smiles and mild couch-lock for everyone!

Blue Dream doesn’t always get much respect. It is easy to grow, and a big yielder. (Heads up to all the novice growers: Starting with Blue Dream is a good way to build your confidence.) And you can find it just about everywhere. But a lot of the commercially grown BD is just OK. I mean, it’s serviceable, but you can’t always taste the love. However, this particular batch from Demeter Farms, grown in the biodynamic style, shows how great this strain can be. The strong blueberry flavor and the quick hitting euphoria made me fall in love with Blue Dream all over again.

04.

BiScotti pre-rollS

FAmily FArms, sACrAmento Finding a good pre-roll is a challenge. Too many prepackaged joints these days taste like cannabis lips and hooves.

However, these locally made doobies are dynamite. The smooth hit, the great cookie flavor and the clean, strong high combine to make this pre-roll a go-to for parties and picnics.

05.

StrawBerry Banana

snowtill, bAy AreA Inspired by the “no-till” techniques of legendary Japanese farmer Masanobu Fukuoka, @snowtillorganics (that’s its Insta handle) grows cannabis indoors, but in a very healthy and living soil. The Strawberry Banana that I tried had clear cut flavors (strawberry on the inhale, banana on the exhale) and a really strong (seriously, really strong) “I just want to sit here with a goofy grin on my face” high.

If I close my eyes, I can still taste it. Mmmmmm.

08.

Soooooo good. Vanilla and berries, with a thick smoke and lingering aftertaste. Great for giant doobies. Makes your house smell great and makes you feel awesome and warm and happy. Listen: I know I said this list is in no particular order, but just between you, me, and the roach clip? This may be my strain of the year.

09.

wild cherry punch

Soooo pretty. Purple highlights and a delicate cherry flavor definitely had me feeling pretty social. Wild Cherry Punch is a worthy addition to all the Cherry Pie and Purple Punch variants on the scene these days. Follow them @ buddybuddyindoornatural.

VanillaBerry pie

AFiCionAdo seeds, mendoCino

douBle oG chem #5 Seed rebel Grown, Humboldt LOUD. As in: Stinky. Like a happy skunk moved in under your house. Like you can wash your hands but it doesn’t really help. Your hands just smell like soap and weed now. This strain came in 12th place in the Emerald Cup, but I had it way higher on my list. This one is hard to describe without using slang terms for weed. Dank. Chronic. Fire. This is a newish strain, but it tastes and feels like a classic.

10.

buddy buddy, sAn FrAnCisCo

GreensHoCk FArms, mendoCino Must be a good year for skunky weed. Time for some math: Tahoe OG x Nebula x Ultimate Indica = magnificence. A subtle but long and kushy nose in the bag leads to a super smooth smoke that tastes like kush and pepper, with a fast-acting high that makes me want to do stuff—but not overdo stuff. There is a very credible rumor going around stating that Tahoe Nebula is the strain I am going to use to start my line of pre-rolls.

03.

06.

tahoe neBula

02.

California is only just starting to create the new world of legal cannabis.

Entrepreneurs are seeking different ways to cash in—tech solutions for the fast-changing industry, tourism startups, home delivery services and many other ventures.

Regulators are trying to figure out how to protect the public without raising

BlueS chaSer

GreensHoCk FArms, mendoCino

sn&r’s dank diplomat says he’s smoked more than 400 cannabis strains in the last year. now, he lists his top 10—and they’re all from Cali. pictured above: blue snow.

It is rare that a farm will have two strains in my Top 10, but this high-CBD, low-THC (the ratio is 1:1) strain really floats my boat. The buzz isn’t strong, but the high CBD content is great for helping with the aches and pains, and provides a little mental calming when I’ve had a long day. Also, it makes an excellent tincture. Ω

Photos courtesy of buddy buddy indoor natural and ngaio bealum

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Photo by Ken Magri

Green Guide Tours president Stuart Watts (right) and trusty tour guide Joseph Foriska (left) welcome curious stoners to climb aboard and set off to various cannabis destinations in the Bay Area.

Over in the Mission District, Sparc dispensary/lounge allows customers to sit at tables across from the main counter and smoke vape pens, dab rigs or volcano-style inhalers until 4:20 pm. That’s to respect the neighbors, “We hope that due to the smell. But eventually after 4:20, you can smoke anything. counties like On our drive home, Sacramento will my buddy and I fantabegin allowing sized about bus tours in Sacramento. “How consumption about a gold rush tour, lounges, or a Farm-to-Fork especially with tour?” he suggested.

“First we need legal the legislative lounges,” I said. progress of AB “We hope that eventually counties 2020.” like Sacramento Stuart Watts will begin allowing president of Green consumption lounges, Guide Tours especially with the legislative progress of AB 2020,” said Green Guide’s Watts. A new state law, Assembly Bill 2020, now allows local governments to permit cannabis events at venues other than fairgrounds.

Earlier this year, Joe Devlin, Sacramento’s chief of cannabis policy enforcement, asked the City Council’s Law and Legislation Committee to consider venues outside of Cal Expo. But the committee said it was too early.

“We are waiting for the industry to settle a bit,” said committee Chairman Jay Schenirer.

“Before we open on-site to ban cannabis.” The bus erupted consumption to the city as a whole, with gasps and guffaws. current on-site consumption spaces Our first stop was the Harvest need to run seamlessly,” added dispensary on Geary Street. With an Councilman Eric Guerra, citing interior finished in blonde wood and problems with Cal Expo events. chrome, Harvest allows customers Schenirer said the committee will to grab a shopping basket and select reconsider in “six months to a year.” edibles and topicals right off the Can lounges and canna-tourism shelves. You still need a budtender to eventually come to Sacramento? access the smokable products. But the Watts, for one, is looking to normalcy of shopping with a basket, expand his tours. “With or without like a grocery store, is gratifying. lounges, we will continue to provide Harvest has a lounge in back, fun interactive cannabis tours all where we spent a half hour on over California,” he said. Ω couches, passing around pre-rolls.

“Which joint is this one again?” one tourist asked. “The Puna Cookies?

I don’t even know anymore,” said interested in visiting the bay area for a green guide tour? Visit green another. With visitors from New guide.tours for more information on York, New Orleans, Dallas, and Santa times and locations.

Cruz, this was a fun tour group.

All aboard the cannabus San FranciSco allowS buS tourS through itS city to cannabiS loungeS, diSpenSarieS with on-Site conSumption. why not Sacramento?

“A

nyone in the back want more snacks?” asked Stuart Watts, tour guide and president of San Francisco’s Green Guide Tours.

It was a logical question for a bus full of vacationing stoners. Cannabis bus tours give visitors a safe way to experience San Francisco’s dispensaries and smoking lounges, especially if they don’t know how to begin.

“What a brilliant idea,” said my friend, as we drove down for a Saturday tour. “Could Sacramento have something like this?”

Cannabis consumption lounges are a growing trend across the West.

Oakland has several, and Palm Springs authorized its first lounge last November. West Hollywood followed

by Ken Magri

suit a month later. Starting in April, Alaskan dispensaries can operate on-site lounges. Las Vegas and San Diego are also considering them.

The hotel industry knows that travelers with no alternatives will smoke cannabis in their rooms. It’s legal, but owners don’t like it, and tack on a $250 fine if they find out.

To help solve the problem, San Francisco legalized cannabis lounges in 2018. At 10 dispensaries, customers can consume their purchased products in separate areas. Each lounge varies in interior design, from spacious midcentury leather booths at Moe Greens to the Western saloon-stylings of Barbary Coast.

Enter Green Guide Tours, which also educates visitors about the San Francisco cannabis scene. Its four

excursions include a free walking tour, a “bud crawl” and a “Future of Cannabis” version that visits a manufacturer and a grower. We took the $70 “classic” bus tour, which covers the city’s historic relationship with cannabis. You can’t smoke on the 10-seat mini-bus, but the tour stops at two dispensaries/lounges where customers can light up.

Our tour included an on-screen PowerPoint lecture by Joseph Foriska, our tour guide. As he described California Spaniards and 19th century Chinese immigrants who originally brought cannabis to San Francisco, Foriska suddenly turned and asked, “So, what does San Francisco do?”

Nobody knew, so he answered: “We were the first city in the nation

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Simple switches during smoke sessions not only uplift the mind, they can save the environment

by Kevin Cortez When it comes to wellness, it’s difficult to totally align our holistic needs. Toxins are everywhere, pesticides are abundant and pollutants aren’t disappearing anytime soon. Still, changing the overall direction of how we see the environment and our health can happen with incremental steps. Here are some additional positive ways for cannabis smokers to consider to reduce their carbon imprint on the world.

hemp Wick

When using a lighter, every puff of a joint or pull from a bowl leaves the taste of lighter fluid. It’s impossible to dodge.

Butane is a chemical found in all commonly used lighters, and the taste of noxious butane gas doesn’t dissolve before you inhale. In fact, it coats hits and lingers. What’s more, butane exposure, even acutely, is damaging to one’s health. A hemp wick works as the middleman between weed and fire, creating a natural buffer for cleaner, less potent puff. Often coated in beeswax, a hemp wick burns at a lower temperature than butane, meaning you’re burning less cannabinoids. It’s also biodegradable and eliminates all butane taste and flint dust.

Light the hemp wick, then use it to burn a joint or bowl to enjoy a tastier, cleaner hit.

unbleAched pAperS

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eco-friendly pAckAging

According to Plastic Oceans International, there are more than 300 tons of plastic produced each year. Half of that is from single-use plastics, which end up in landfills or the oceans. To help relieve our carbon footprint on Earth, dispensaries should store weed in glass, but due to laws, singleuse plastics are the most common and affordable packaging.

Companies such as Sun Grown Packaging and Nitrogen Cannabis Packaging use tamperfree packages to better serve dispensary clientele, and our planet. Nitrogen Cannabis, for example, uses aluminum metal tins and packs flowers inside of pull-top containers. Be mindful of the cannabis you purchase from a dispensary and pay attention to how it’s packaged.

uSb lighter

Lighters aren’t just harmful because of butane. They’re also harmful to our planet because they’re disposable and the plastic shells stay for years. A switch to a USB-rechargeable lighter will help limit the use of disposable lighters, and save you money in the long run.

Lower-end USB lighters cost about $10 to $25. Not only do these compact lighters charge fairly quickly, they also carry the power to withstand wind.

Some varieties have a nickel coil that heats up to create a flame while others create a free-form plasma torch. And, they’re 100 percent butanefree. Ω

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At SXSW, induStry eXpertS Spoke on the importAnce of cAnnAbiS-Specific tech SolutionS And the future of the induStry

I

n a recent study by Leafly, more than 211,000 Americans are involved in cannabis, making it the fastest growing industry in the United States.

Cannabis, especially in California, has come a long way since the state first legalized medical marijuana in 1996, but there are still many hurdles with ever-changing regulations and the day-to-day challenges of operating a lucrative business.

This year, SXSW launched its first ever Cannabusiness track, a bold move considering cannabis isn’t yet legal in Texas where the festival is held. The sessions acted as a jumping-off point for larger conversations on the evolving trends in the industry, hemp and health and the importance of cannabis-focused tech solutions.

For Emily Paxhia, a co-founder and managing director of Poseidon Asset Management, a Bay Area cannabis hedge fund, it’s those custom tech solutions that are more

More than 211,000 Americans are involved in cannabis, making it the fastest growing industry in the United States. important than ever to help the industry flourish.

“When we first started to examine the market back in 2012-2013, we were struck by the fact that people were running these operations that were cash-flowing, but were using paper and pencil to log the transactions. Things were fragmented. In order to grow, they needed the type of tech solutions that other traditional businesses enjoy.”

Enter entrepreneurs including Keegan Peterson, founder of Würk, a cannabis payroll and HR company, and Cy Scott, founder of Headset, which provides real-time analytics and customer demographics.

by Lauren Jones

It’s key for the cannabis industry to have track-and-trace systems for ingredients that go into consumer, pointof-sale systems and tech that makes sure employees feel safe at work and get paid on time.

“All of these things are critical to not only run your business, but stay compliant,” says Tahira Rehmatullah of MTech Acquisition Corp.

Rehmatullah, the former general manager for cannabis brand Marley Natural, echoes Paxhia on the importance of continued innovation in the industry, recalling her frustration over what gathering data was like in 2014.

“I would call and text dispensaries to get information and send over a formatted spreadsheet in the hopes they would send me back the information,” she says. “But this would never happen. If Headset had existed just a year earlier, it would’ve made my life so much better.”

Peterson said that tech has also made it possible to keep on top of state-bystate policy changes.

“Every day things are changing,” he says. “You have to train your entire staff how to pivot, and because of this, dispensary owners are some of the grittiest business people I’ve come across in my entire career. It’s like every morning you have to figure out a Rubik’s Cube, and every morning the government comes and messes it up.”

Because of that quickly changing business environment, cannabis tech entrepreneurs have had to become very focused on execution.

“It’s not a move fast and break things industry,” Paxhia says. “If you do that, you are putting your clients at risk with the regulators.”

With many tech companies on the horizon, many of which are cloudbased, Scott and Peterson are looking forward to

seeing how traditional tech companies will get involved and how tech developed for cannabis could be used in other industries.

“It’s also been great to also see how the tech used in Headset could work in other verticals such as alcohol, OTC and pharma,” Scott says.

Cannabis is even reaching traditionally conservative industries such as oil and gas.

“An oil and gas company in Denver reached out to us to manage their payroll because we work in a highly complex, highly regulated industry that changes constantly, just as the oil and gas industry does,” Peterson says.

“They couldn’t find a company that could keep up with them.”

Locally, these cannabis innovations are hitting home as well. More than 100 dispensaries exist in Sacramento County, and without new tech solutions, they wouldn’t be able to keep up.

Dispensaries such as RCP Sacramento, which opened as Magnolia Wellness in 2009 and partnered with River City Phoenix in 2010, rely on stringent testing operations.

While much has changed over the last decade, the cannabis industry is still young. What will happen if every state legalizes medical and recreational marijuana? Will cannabis tech companies fizzle once more Fortune 500 players begin to invest?

One thing is certain: Tech developments will always be important. Ω

From left to right: Tahira Rehmatullah, Emily Paxhia, Cy Scott and Keegan Peterson speak on cannabis-specific tech solutions in March at SXSW in Austin, Texas.

Photo by Lauren Jones

Unbleached rolling papers provide a smoother, tastier inhale. Bleached paper coats the flavoring of cannabis much like butane does, making hits slightly rougher in flavor.

Added chlorine typically aids in slowing down the burn of a paper. Switching to unbleached papers, which are sometimes brown and made from natural hemp or rice, help ward away harsh bleach and chemical

flavorings in joints. RAW papers are undoubtedly the most popular brand of unbleached natural rolling papers, but other options are available for those wanting a new favorite, such as Elements, Bob Marley, Pure Hemp and Hempire.

Photo by Lucas fitzgeraLd

Ge tting high … tech

An eco-conSciouS Smoke

THE

The

elevated

While sitting at the tables, watch the purple and pink hues paint across the skies. Inhale a sense of peace with each hit off the spliff.

outdoors

Seven experienceS to embrace while high

O

by Olivia Monahan

ver the last decade, Sacramento has grown in a multitude of ways, mostly for the good: vibrant art, an active music scene, new outdoor recreation areas and a variety of spaces to sit back, roll up and soak in all of the awesome.

Still, over the last few months, the air is heavy with raw pain and emotion as a large part of the community protests police shootings. It’s a form of self-care to stop, take a moment, reflect and remember why we love this city. Here’s a list of amazing places to do that.

01.

Smoke on the water

Floating down the American River on a raft—it’s a Sacramento pastime.

Preferably, with friends, a cooler of Lime-A-Ritas tied behind you and a waterproof container of blunts to share. Here, we are blessed with having not one, but two huge bodies of water running through our city: the Sacramento and American Rivers. While both are prime for daytime floating, I’m more partial to the American River. The scenery alone is enough to entice, but there’s an energy that comes from the beachside parties and boats full of tipsy twerkers that you don’t always find on the Sacramento River. The weather is about to be perfect. Start getting your group together now.

02.

tour ‘improv alley’

Take a journey down the veritable rabbit hole and take in all of the amazing murals in Improv Alley located between I and J streets, running the length of 7th and 8th streets. A walk

Gaze at beautiful views of the Tower Bridge, the river and the downtown skyline from 18 stories above at the Emerald Tower Rooftop Park.

through this alleyway instantly transports you into another world, as it’s covered top to bottom with art from muralists both local and global. Check out homegrown muralist and tattoo artist Norman Ayles, a two-time Wide Open Walls participant known for combining his love of nature with fantastical landscapes. Further along the alley you can take in French artist Hugo Krieger and his surreal mural capturing the essence of time. If you happen to walk up J Street, look up to the skies above Atlantic Bail Bonds.

You’ll spy the Obey Giant left behind

by Shepard Fairey. Can you find it?

03.

yoga on high

Perfect your downward-facing dog pose during the hour-long Syoga class at Hot Pot Studios. Syoga, for those who have yet to discover its magic, is the first biweekly yoga class in town that infuses cannabis use into the practice. Yogi Katy Karns takes you through an intense workout where you sweat out toxins, stretch the muscles and take hits whenever you feel the need. At $10 a class, not only is it affordable, it’s a relaxing and fulfilling experience, so there is no excuse to not give it a try! 1614 K Street, syogaclass.com.

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checkmate and SpliffS

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McClatchy Park in the Oak Park neighborhood around the chess tables is my spot. It’s best right as the sunset begins to crest on the horizon. Call me biased, but I grew up down the street, and this is my favorite park in the city, made more so because the picnic tables now have chess boards built into them. There’s something nostalgic about chess tables in parks, something that hearkens back to a time when life felt simple and when community would come together to talk politics, laugh and play together.

05.

cold kickin’ it

06.

hazy Skyline

07.

Solace of Silence

The outdoor patio of 1810 Gallery on 14th Street comes to life as music blasts, graffiti artists create magic out of Krylon and plywood and others break dance in the corner. 1810 Gallery, run by the creative minds behind ArtHotel and ArtStreet, is a free-form space that feels reminiscent of Andy Warhol and The Factory. Bringing together some of the best, freethinking, independent artists for events on First Friday and Second Saturday, this should be first on your list of “places to see art while high” locally. You’ll thank me later.

The Emerald Tower Rooftop Park on 3rd and Capitol. Confession time: I have been back in Sacramento for a decade, and I had no idea this park existed until very recently. Located 18 stories above the city, it’s like a secret haven where you can sneak away at lunch, take in some amazing views of Tower Bridge, the river and the downtown skyline and breathe in deep as the sky-high breeze carries the smoke off into the heavens.

There truly is no place like home.

The Sacramento Historic Cemetery on Riverside Boulevard has been a secret fascination of mine since I was a kid. Telling a veritable history of Sacramento in its headstones, this is an odd but strangely peaceful spot to enjoy and absorb the past while you absorb the THC. There are a ton of notables buried here, but my favorites are probably Elisabeth Zimmerman, a survivor of the Donner Party, and Edwin Crocker, founder of our beloved Crocker Art Museum.

Yet I’m more often at the Odd Fellows cemetery next door, home to Sacramento deejay and artist Daniel Osterhoff’s grave. Nestled between evergreens, his headstone acts as a beacon. Littered with sharpies, PBR cans and other offerings, it acts as an altar to the imprint he left on so many, and a safe space to sit, reflect and smoke without judgment. Ω

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“We didn’t see a huge female or minority presence, and not to say that’s bad, but it’s an avenue to explore.”

don’T Call iT a ComebaCk The High Times Cannabis Cup returns to Cal Expo just in time for 420

by Ngaio Bealum / as k 420@ n ew s r ev i ew . com

High Times is back! After solving the problems that caused the cancellation of its scheduled event last October in Sacramento, the folks who invented the “Cannabis Cup” more than 30 years ago are coming back to Cal Expo with another smoke-filled extravaganja.

This will be the second time that the High Times Central Valley Cannabis Cup will be hosted at Cal Expo, and event producer Jon Cappetta says it will be better than Disneyland.

“This is truly the happiest place on Earth. We will have exhibitors, a farmers market, panels and space for people to meet growers and cannabis experts,” Cappetta told SN&R. “We had a great time last year, and I’m very excited to be back in Sac.” Having produced more than 40 High Times events, Cappetta says it’s never a dull moment.

“We are even going to have a beer garden run by Cal Expo a little bit away from the main event, but I don’t think folks will get too drunk,” Cappetta said. “Usually the worst thing that happens is people get sunburned.”

In addition to all the cannabis and cannabis accessories, (hopefully, hash maker extraordinaire Frenchy Cannoli will bring his handmade hash and “giant octopus” hookah) the Cup has booked a hip-hop heavy musical slate.

Rae Sremmurd, Schoolboy Q and Bay Area rap legend Too $hort are among the acts scheduled to perform.

“Hip-hop resonates with our crowd,” Cappetta said. “It’s popular and hip-hop and cannabis have a long history together.”

He also said he was busy lining up weed-lebrities to make appearances, but didn’t divulge any names.

With all the weed and entertainment, it would be easy to forget that the High Times Cup is in fact a cannabis competition.

Growers and extract makers from all over the Central Valley will be seeking recognition.

Last year, Friendly Farms of Sacramento took home three

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awards: second place for Best Sativa Concentrate and first place in both Best Product and Best Vape Pen Cartridge.

So it’s no surprise that Friendly Farms CEO Darrin Gatto loves the High Times Cup. As a small, privately owned business, Gatto and co-owner Chaz Smith, who both grew up in Sacramento, say they can’t pass up this hometown event. Gatto also said that Friendly Farms plans to bring back its $1 dab donation deal to benefit local homeless charities. Last year, the two donated $1,400 and hope to do even better this year.

When asked about advice for first-time Cannabis Cup attendees, Cappetta said: “It’s a marathon. Pace yourself. No need to get too high in the first hour.

Come with an open mind, and be prepared to meet up and get high with people from all different walks of life.”

This writer’s advice: Wear comfortable shoes, bring sunscreen, make sure to stay hydrated and maybe have some high CBD strains or edibles around in case too much THC makes you feel a little anxious or disoriented. There will also be a food court. So munchies shouldn’t be an issue.

As cannabis legalization starts to bloom around the state, it’s refreshing to see cities embrace large-scale cannabis events, which require way more paperwork and permits than other festivals. Cannabis should no longer be a big deal. One day, Cannabis Cups and tasting parties will be as ubiquitous as Oktoberfests and Bacon Weeks.

In fact, if someone were to produce a bacon and weed fest, it would probably sell out before you could say “cannabis-infusedcandied-pork-belly.” Sacramento is taking a bold step with this event, and hopefully it will once again prove that stoners know how to party. Safely. With good snacks.

Want to attend the high times Cannabis Cup? the two-day event begins April 20 at the Cal expo fairgrounds, 1600 exposition boulevard. Visit cannabiscup.com.

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Melina Brown co-owner, Crystal Nugs

Delivery divas

Photo by Ashley hAyes-stone

THE

Maisha Bahati (left) and Melina Brown (right) are the owners of Crystal Nugs.

The women behind CrysTal nugs aim high as one of The firsT female-owned Cannabis delivery serviCes in The area

S

acramento businesswoman Melina Brown and fashion designer Maisha Bahati walk to a warehouse off Richards Boulevard. The two enter the vacant building, where the first thing they come across is cardboard hanging from the ceiling and concrete walls cracked down to the dirt-covered cement floors. Most people would turn around and run for the hills, but Brown and Bahati’s eyes filled with excitement because it ended a yearlong search to find a place for their new business.

It took a contractor, drained bank accounts and nine months to get the dilapidated building up to code. But at last, the new warehouse was ready to store products for what they say is Sacramento’s first all-female owned cannabis delivery service, Crystal Nugs.

Launched in March, Crystal Nugs offers a variety of cannabis products: edibles such as peach and sour grape gummies, pineapple lollipops, cinnamon-and-sugar cookies and, of course, pre-rolls, vapes and flowers.

The two also seek out unique cannabis goods such as THC-infused bath bombs, CBD body butters and

by Ashley Hayes-Stone

cannabis nonalcoholic “beer.” Bahati, who has shown her original threads on the runway during Sacramento Fashion Week, is also designing and producing cannabis-related apparel.

It’s a small team, for now, with Brown and Bahati taking orders and delivering to 14 cities in Greater Sacramento, spanning Woodland to Rancho Cordova and Citrus Heights to El Dorado Hills.

Once California voted to legalize recreational marijuana in 2016, the two began the long process of opening Crystal Nugs. It included countless hours of paperwork to obtain their license and the search for a location that was compliant with California’s strict regulations, not to mention Sacramento city and county zoning rules.

During that time, Brown and Bahati ventured to local dispensaries for ideas about the cannabis industry and came to one conclusion: “The dispensaries that are open, we didn’t see a huge female or minority presence, and not to say that’s bad, but it’s an avenue to explore,” Brown says.

Bahati and Brown sent letter to the city of Sacramento to seek benefits

from its Cannabis Opportunity Reinvestment and Equity Program, known as CORE, which assists potential business owners who are limited due to cannabis-related crimes or a low income. In May, Bahati and Brown will find out if they qualify.

The two hope to hire more delivery drivers, expand product varieties and offer faster delivery times. They say they want to bring something new to Sacramento’s burgeoning cannabis scene.

“Our goal is to have a dispensary,” Bahati says. “We want to be the first minority-run dispensary” in Sacramento.

As Bahati and Brown reflect on their journey so far into the cannabis industry, they’ve both learned some important lessons.

“Don’t give up, ask questions and don’t be intimidated, which could be hard, especially for women,” Brown says. “But I say don’t be guarded and just do it.” Ω Follow Crystal nugs on Instagram @Crystalnugs916.Visit crystalnugs.com to re-up on your stash, delivered right to your door.

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Six recipes to try when you’ve got the munchies

by STePh RodRiguez and JeRemy WinSloW

Bong appetit ste p h r @ ne wsr e v ie w.c o m

C

ooking is a rewarding experience, especially while high.

Trying out ideas and creating concoctions like a wizard producing potions is part of the allure. Weed not only heightens the experience by elevating creativity, but it also enhances your taste buds. It may take a little longer to complete the cooking process, but the rewards are gratifying. Here are six simple recipes that are great additions to any household’s rotating munchies menu. Grab your ingredients, grab your weed and get ready to enjoy. Also: Don’t forget to set a timer—you know why.

Bake

25 minutes These pull-apart pizza sliders are delectably cheesy, savory and quite addicting. Pace yourselves.

until both you and the rolls

for about

Photos by stePh RodRiguez

22 | SN&R | 04.18.19

are toasted.

sloPPy taCos

Queso diP

Sloppy Joes are delicious, but boring. So what if you combine them with a taco? You get an experience that’s familiar and unfamiliar. For this deceptively simple dish, you only need four ingredients: meat, Manwich sauce, cheese and taco shells. Thoroughly cook ground beef (or an alternative meat, if that’s your thing), add Manwich sauce and stir consistently to incorporate the two. Once finished, take a big scoop of your Manwich mixture, plop it in a taco shell and sprinkle some cheese on top.

It’s unconventional and looks weird, but the taco shell adds an unexpectedly satisfying crunch to a household staple. You can add more to it— garnishes such as cilantro or lime zest, additional toppings such as chopped tomatoes or olives—but all you need are the basics when you’re stoned. J.W.

What’s better than a piping hot bowl of delicious queso? Nothing, that’s what. This recipe will lead to many dipping possibilities in the kitchen with whatever you have available. What you’ll need: 2 tablespoons butter, 2 tablespoons flour, 2 cups whole milk (or milk of choice), 3 cups each of cheddar and Monterey Jack cheese. Add butter to a non-stick skillet on medium heat and melt before tossing in the flour. Whisk for one minute. (You’re making a roux, how fancy!) Now add in the milk slowly while whisking to incorporate it nicely for about 3 minutes. Start sprinkling in cheese little by little while continuing to stir, stir, stir. You know it’s done once the mixture is smooth. All there’s left to do is open a bag of tortilla chips and dip to your heart’s content. Elevate it by adding in tomatoes, jalapeños or herbs. Bong appetit! S.R.

Pull-aPart Pizza sliders

Broad City -insPired fireCraCkers

Everyone loves pizza—especially stoners. Now, imagine a compact pizza in the shape of a hamburger.

It sounds like a different experience, but the flavor profile and satisfaction are identical. It’s a simple recipe: a 12-pack of dinner rolls, butter, mozzarella, pepperoni slices and pizza sauce. Preheat the oven to 350 F, cut the dinner rolls pack in half (don’t separate them yet) and place in a lightly buttered glass dish, layer the toppings, set the other half of the rolls on top and lightly brush with melted butter. Bake for about 25 minutes until both you and the rolls are toasted. Let them cool for a minute, then pull apart. What you get is the best of cheesy pizza with the convenience of a hamburger, effectively avoiding the mess that comes with gorging on pizza, all in under 30 minutes. J.W.

In the episode “Wisdom Teeth” from the comedy series Broad City, Ilana takes care of her pal Abbi after her wisdom teeth get removed. It’s not only hilarious, but it also includes a step-by-step demonstration on how to make what Ilana refers to as “firecrackers,” which are chocolatly, potent weed edibles.

What you’ll need: six graham crackers to make three firecracker “sandwiches,” plus Nutella, peanut butter and about 1 gram of ground-up weed. Spread Nutella and peanut butter on each graham cracker, sprinkle weed on three. Top each weedy graham with its cookie partner to make three firecrackers.

Microwave for 30 seconds, then wrap each sandwich in foil, place on a cookie sheet and bake at 300 F for 22 minutes. I accidentally set my oven too high and dried out my firecrackers. (I may have been elevated.) Luckily, in this particular episode of Broad City, Ilana turns her recipe into a milkshake because Abbi can’t chew. Eureka! I threw the stoney treats into a blender with some almond milk and a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Problem solved. Don’t be like me. Follow each step and don’t forget to check your oven temperature—or else you’ll be milkshakin’ it too. S.R.

Dark clown comeDy

See artS & culture

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PIXeS + weeZer lIve = ’90S blISS See muSIc

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meta murDer myStery See StaGe

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From left to right: Lexy and Jeremy Winslow let no brownie batter go to waste when baking munchies.

Above: The beginnings of a Firecracker inspired by the Comedy Central series Broad City.

Below: Check out that caramel drizzle on this chocolaty brownie ice cream treat.

Grownup piGs in a blanket

brownie ice cream sandwiches

Adults can eat lunchtime snacks from childhood, too. No shame. But as our taste buds grow to love different flavors, we get a little more creative. What you’ll need: Andouille sausage or your favorite hot link or faux-meat frankfurter and a pack of store-bought crescent rolls. Preheat the oven to 375 F. Unwrap each crescent triangle onto a non-stick cookie sheet. Quarter each sausage by slicing it down the middle and then slicing across. Distribute one piece of sausage per crescent triangle and wrap the dough around. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until golden brown.

All there is to do now is dip your munchies in honey or ground mustard, ketchup, Sriracha or … that queso! S.R.

Brownies are a stoner’s go-to, especially when you’re looking to drown in the fluffy chocolate center. But if you cut your brownie in half and add some ice cream, you get a different drowning effect.

Ingredients: box brownie mix—and everything necessary: eggs, vegetable oil, water—and ice cream. Mix the brownie mix together and stir until the texture is smooth. Pour mixture into a greased or non-stick pan, put it in the oven and bake. (Pun intended.) Once cooked, pull the brownies out, let them sit for 10 minutes or so.

A little impatient? Smoke a J. You’ll be alright. Once cooled, cut the brownie in half, take a scoop of ice cream—I prefer vanilla—and squish it between the two halves. The warm brownie will melt the ice cream, delivering a decadently melty chocolatey experience. Don’t worry about the mess. You’re stoned. J.W.

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by Jennah booth

Photo by lucas fitzgerald

Where does caleb duffy end and Wino the clown begin?

Circus of the absurd

Caleb Duffy’s dark, whimsical, clown-fueled comedy

New Location Coming Soon!

(916) 735-5143

www.CrepesAndBurgers.com 6720 MAdison Avenue FAir oAks, CA 95628 24

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Comedian Caleb Duffy looks like James Franco’s double in Pineapple Express if he rode a unicycle.

Rolling up on one wheel, arms flailing to keep a wobbling center of balance steady and grinning behind sunglasses, Duffy props his unicycle on a chair outside of Temple Coffee Roasters on a recent spring morning.

“This weather is great,” he says. “You can’t juggle or unicycle if the weather is bad out.”

Weed delivery driver by day and comedian by night, Duffy is first an entertainer at heart and a stoner by proxy. The end of a three-month marriage sparked his comedy, which is fueled by a creative chaos that he channels into a one-man show featuring his alter ego, Wino the Clown.

Often, Duffy’s work, which also includes hosting a monthly comedy night, veers into the absurd, but it’s about making people happy.

“Like, it’s kind of ridiculous to be unicycling, but you see cars stop and smile,” Duffy says.

Off stage, Duffy is pleasant and laid-back. On stage, he embodies Wino who, he says, is a true foil of himself—a dark and drunken clown.

“I am pretty happy and I try to be [a] source of light and a source of joy,” he says. “[But] Wino the

Clown is pretty much an alcoholic, heartbroken mess.”

Duffy didn’t always want to be a comedian.

As a teen living in Citrus Heights with his parents, he dropped out of high school to pursue mixed martial arts. He went pro at 19 and destroyed his knees, hips, shoulders and jaw in the process.

Duffy endured six surgeries within one year. Procedures that were meant to heal him, however, pushed him to use over-prescribed pain killers and left him unable to walk for almost nine months.

“The opiates make your breathing become very shallow and they make you feel like you’re drowning,” he says.

Cannabis offered a respite. “Weed has always been like this voice in my head that’s like: ‘Breathe! Breathe deeply!’”

Duffy says that pot, Kid Cudi and juggling were psychological preservers during his stay at rock bottom. He eventually pulled himself from that mental loop after marrying his ex-girlfriend just three days after reconnecting with her.

Post-nuptials, the couple trimmed weed on a farm in Colfax—a skill passed on to Duffy by his father as a teen.

The marriage ended after just three months, and that’s when Duffy’s comedy career launched. He found doing stand-up therapeutic.

“I think that’s why there’s so much selfdeprecation in comedy, because if you can shine this light on this dark part of you, and it makes them laugh, it makes that part of you completely OK,” he says.

Duffy spent the next few years working open-mics and honing his one-man show. In 2018, he took off his clown nose to tour as an opener for Hobo Johnson and the Lovemakers.

The opportunity gave Duffy a whiff of success, playing to his largest crowds and inspiring him to refine his craft.

Now, Duffy hosts the monthly Kava Comedy Kick Back show at the Root of Happiness in Rancho Cordova and Davis, with David Samuel, a local comedian and writer.

Samuel says his friend’s skills set him apart from other local comedians: “He just has so many talents it’s unbelievable.”

Both comedians paint Wino the Clown’s show in fragmented scenes of giving birth, Wino berating audience members and comedian Alfonso Portela dressing as a baby.

“It’s circus, stand-up comedy and music,” Duffy says about the late night, public descent into the wildest parts of his brain. “I put everything I have into them.” Ω Check out the Kava Comedy Kick Back show at 8 p.m., Friday, April 26 at the Root of Happiness Kava Bar, 1949 Zinfandel Drive in Rancho Cordova.

BUY 1 GET 1 1/2 OFF

Back to the ’90s

Buy any dinner entree at regular price, get the second for HALF OFF! Must present coupon, cannot combine with other discounts. One per table. Valid Mon-Thu only. Expires 05/08/19.

Weezer and Pixies sets at Golden 1 Center draw on inspiration and innovation

by Rachel leibRock

Happy Hour

ra c h e l l @ne w s re v i e w . c o m

Monday–Friday 3–6pm Voted “Best of Sacramento” 3 years in a row!

1315 21st St • Sacramento 916.441.7100

Thai Food & gluten free options

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Mutilation” and “Where is My Mind?” with a sizable chunk of new songs such as the tense, edgy “Graveyard Hill” and “This is My Fate.”

The Pixies remain cult favorites—a Velvet Underground among Beatles.

Critical and revered, but not necessarily marketable.

Which brings us to Weezer, the slick dude-bros of alt rock who manage to be pleasantly banal hitmakers and occasionally just weird enough to find musical salvation.

Cuomo kicked off the show with guitarist Brian Bell, bassist Scott Shriner and drummer Patrick Wilson, Weezer frontman Rivers cuomo (left) and sans instruments, to deliver flawless bassist Scott Shriner wailing away at Golden 1. harmonies on the band’s barbershop quartet version of “Beverly Hills.”

Then, as a replica of the Happy Days diner set “We wouldn’t be here without the Pixies.” dropped down behind the band, Weezer took to its Weezer frontman Rivers Cuomo’s nod to the gear to launch into “Buddy Holly,” its 1994 slice of iconic band wasn’t polite deference, it was rock ’n’ preppy, peppy nostalgia rock. roll truth.

From there, the band segued into “My Name is Weezer may have headlined the Golden 1 Center Jonas” and “Into the Garage,” with a poorly timed show on April 9, but it was the supporting act, the autoshop set-change that only served to highlight that, Pixies, that helped define a generation and arguably in its weaker moments, Weezer sometimes feels like inspired Weezer’s very existence. a gimmick—’90s irony epitomized.

The night’s music, performed to a nearly Its recent penchant for straightforward covers, packed arena of geriatric rockers, middle-aged collected on its latest record, the Teal Album, hipsters and fresh-faced kids, created underscores this with mixed results. an aural snapshot of ’90s rock.

Weezer’s chart-topping rendition The Even the opener, the U.K.-based of Toto’s “Africa,” for example, Pixies are Basement, evoked the era with seems purposeless. Why a grungy, dirgey sound. cover such a famous song art school weirdos The Pixies kicked off note-for-note? who know how to craft with “Cactus,” from its Not that the Golden 1 jagged, hook-laden songs 1988 debut Surfer Rosa. crowd minded—indeed, a With lyrics including pair of slick dude-bros fistwoven together with “Bloody your hands on bumped as Weezer played the provocative imagery: the a cactus tree / Wipe it on song’s first notes.

Old Testament, space your dress and send it to There were plenty of actual me,” the song embodies the fist-bump worthy highlights, aliens and wicked band’s arid surrealism. Fronted especially when Cuomo took a sex. by vocalist-guitarist Black Francis, spin in the “S.S. Weezer,” a one-man the Pixies are art school weirdos who pirate ship that sailed around the arena as know how to craft jagged, hook-laden songs he ripped into Black Sabbath’s “Paranoid” with woven together with provocative imagery: the Old zeal. Likewise, the band’s mashup of the Turtles’ Testament, space aliens and wicked sex.

“Happy Together” and Green Day’s “Longview” was These days, the band is rounded out by original inspired, while later the band’s encore take on TLC’s members Joey Santiago (guitar) and David “No Scrubs” felt like an homage and a fresh take on Lovering (drums), with bassist Paz Lenchantin, the ’90s hip-hop gem. who ably occupies the vocal range vacated by The show played to Weezer’s strengths: Clever, Kim Deal (and briefly filled by Muffs’ singer Kim zippy and 100 percent there to serve the audience.

Shattuck).

That speaks to the band’s longevity, if not its origiThe band’s set tightly wound through classics nality. Ω including “Here Comes Your Man,” “Wave of

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ReviewS

4

Hollywood Arms

Reaching for the heights

by JIm Carnes

Photo courtesy of theatre In the heIGhts

cough, yawn, or even help remove themselves from the stage. It’s all intentional, whether in the script or ad-libbed, according to director Tom Bost.

The game cast also includes Laure Olson, who has performed in many Shakespeare productions, as Audrey and multiple other roles; Ronnie Duska Fowler, who purposely steals (or tries to steal) the show as Thelma; and Shana McCarl shining as Felicity and as Pawn, the butler. Ω

Sweet fifteen

How hard can it be to solve a murder or two?

Farndale Murder Mystery

3

fri 8pm, sat 8pm. through 5/5; $15; theatre in the heights, 8215 auburn Boulevard in citrus heights, (916) 509-3445; theatreintheheights.com.

Is it supremely reckless or super confident for a community theater company to perform a play about a notoriously bad community theater company performing a bad play? In the case of Theatre in the Heights, it’s a brave attempt to show how adventurous a young theater company can be.

The play is The Farndale Avenue Housing Estate Townswomen’s Guild Dramatic Society Murder Mystery, a farce about a dedicatedly inept theater group staging a murder mystery.

Playwrights David McGillivray and Walter Zerlin Jr. wrote 10 similar comedies before Zerlin’s death in 2001.

Mrs. Reece (Shirley Sayers in a note-perfect performance) struggles to manage the ladies and Gordon (the equally talented Brian Boyle)—the stage manager pressed into playing the defective detective who tries to solve an ever-increasing number of murders.

The comedy is broad—sometimes more broad than the actors’ accents—and there are mishaps aplenty: missed cues, flubbed lines, makeup fails, falling scenery and “dead” characters who may 26

Known for bringing in fresh, innovative plays to Sacramento, Capital Stage Artistic Director Michael Stevenson unveils the lineup for the theater’s 15th anniversary season.

“I’ve chosen six amazing scripts that moved me, challenged me and made me laugh out loud,” said Stevenson. The season is called Going Home, because the plays reflect the notion of “home,” or as Stevenson explains: “How it’s the foundation of each individual’s life, and the complex relationship of family, identity and love that forges your personality.”

Stevenson gives an overview of the season that starts at the end of August: Between Riverside, a 2015 Pulitzer Prize winner, starring local Celebration Arts Artistic Director James Wheatley, about the struggles of keeping open one of New York City’s last great rent-stabilized apartments; The Humans, the story of a family Thanksgiving dinner in shadow of 9/11 and the widening class rifts in America; Alabaster, the discovery of an unknown folk artist hiding away on a small farm in North Alabama; Admissions, a scathing comic satire of the college admissions process, eerily current in the light of the recent admissions scandals; Pass Over, an extraordinary urban riff on Waiting for Godot, with two young black men trying to escape the streets of an unnamed American city in search of their own home; The Great Leap, a beautiful, hilarious and tragic tale of a young Chinese-American basketball player in San Francisco in the 1980s who yearns to play with the U.S. team in China.

—Patti RobeRts capital stage’s 15th anniversary season begins august 28, 2019 and ends July 17, 2020. call for ticket pricing, capital stage, 2215 J street, (916) 995-5464; capstage.org.

The rags-to-riches story of comedian Carol Burnett is told in this slightly altered autobiography. The names have been changed, but they can’t protect the guilty: Somewhat unsavory characters doing what it takes to get by. Nanette Michael Rice as Burnett’s beloved grandmother is especially good. Fri 8pm, Sat 2pm &

8pm; Through 4/20; $19-$22;

Chautauqua Playhouse, 5325 Engle Road in the La Sierra Community Center; (916) 489-7529; cplayhouse. org. J.C.

5

When We Were Colored: A Mother’s Story

This original play by Sacramentan Ginger Rutland, based on a memoir by her mother Eva Rutland, is the history of an AfricanAmerican family moving from the segregated South to Sacramento in the early 1950s and finding that things are tough all over, and one must persevere to succeed. An excellent cast and a talented director bring the story to life. Wed

7pm, Thu 2pm & 7pm, Fri 8pm, Sat 2pm & 8pm, Sun 2pm & 7pm; Through 4/28; $17-$40; Sacramento Theatre Company, 1419 H Street, (916) 443-6722, sactheatre. org. J.C.

1 2 3 4 5 fouL

faIr

Good

weLL-done

short reviews by Jim carnes.

suBLIme don’t mIss

Photo courtesy of Broadway sacramento

You’re a wizard—I mean, a demigod, Percy.

It’s all Greek to me Percy’s just your average teenager, until he’s blamed for stealing Zeus’ lightning bolt and attacked by a slew of mythical creatures. Broadway Sacramento brings to the stage The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical, an adaptation of the YA novel series Percy Jackson and the Olympians. Thrust into a whole new realm where he discovers that he’s half-god, half-human, it’s up to Percy to clear his name and prevent a war from breaking out. It’s the classic hero’s journey, like that one time Odysseus set sail for Ithaca after the Trojan War, but with less wandering and more musical dance numbers. Thu 4/18, 8pm; Fri 4/19, 8pm; Sat 4/20, 2pm & 8pm; Sun 4/21, 2pm; Through 4/21; $25-$77; Broadway on Tour, Community Center Theater, 1301 L Street; (916) 557-1999; broadwaysacramento.com.

—Rachel Mayfield |

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P

garden

plAce

Visit

Super blooms After wet winter, wildflowers fill gardens with color

Over 1000 Daylily Varieties & Full Nursery 22001 Shenandoah School Road | Plymouth 209.245.6660 | amadoRfloweRfaRm.com | oPen 9am - 4Pm daily

by Debbie Arrington California poppies bloom at Fremont Community Garden in Midtown.

Photo by Debbie Arrington

California’s state flower will pop up often on the ninth annual Gardens Gone Native tour, which showcases the many ways to grow natives in the Sacramento area. Set for April 27, this free event invites visitors to 24 private gardens planted with mostly native species.

Gardeners and docents will be on hand to share their secrets to blooming success. Last year, about 1,000 people took the tour, another project of Sac Valley CNPS. “Everything’s been kind of late [blooming] because of the weather,” said organizer Colene Rauh, noting the cold spell in March.

“But these warm days are really good. The ceanothus is out now. Irises are looking beautiful. Monkeyflowers are starting to bloom.

Blue-eyed grass and woodland strawberries love this weather. The sages are doing well. By the tour, there will be a lot to see.”

One gardener on the tour created his own frontyard super bloom. Mark Lum in North Highlands turned his former lawn into a field of wildflower dreams.

“It focuses on bringing the beauty of the wild California super blooms into a neighborhood setting,” said Lum, who started his lawn conversion in 2017 and now grows more than 50 native plants.

“The land needed to retain more water, so I created two rain swales and a mounding landscape.”

“The garden is heavy in annuals such as the Sky Lupine that has a pleasant floral smell when enough are present,” he added. “But unique perennials like the fiery tips of the Indian Paintbrush also bring in the spring with color.”

Flower lovers don’t have to trek to the hills to see California poppies gone wild. “Super Bloom” has come to Sacramento.

Gardeners throughout suburban Sacramento have embraced California native plants. Just like their untamed wildflower cousins, these natives have enjoyed a wet winter and now are blooming like crazy wherever they can.

“My plants are so happy!” said Chris Lewis, director of Elderberry Nursery. “They got extra rain. ... It allows perennials to get their roots down deep.

It’s a fabulous thing.”

Lewis, who lives and gardens in Carmichael, runs Elderberry Nursery at Soil Born Farms’ American River Ranch in Rancho Cordova. The Sacramento Valley chapter of the California Native Plant Society operates Elderberry to propagate native plants while also educating the public how to grow them.

Native plants love winter and spring rain. Most Gardens Gone Native Tour: 9:30 a.m.- 4 p.m. April of California got a deep soaking. In response, annual 27. Free. See 24 private gardens in Sacramento wildflowers carpeted the state’s valleys and hillsides and neighboring communities on this self-guided from Lake Elsinore to Oroville. tour. For a map and garden descriptions, register at Since January 1, Sacramento rain totaled about 16 GardensGoneNative.eventbrite.com. For details, go inches, more than 50 percent above normal. That’s to sacvalleycnps.org. spurred green growth and abundant blooms from all sorts of plants, but particularly native species.

California Native Plant Society’s Elderberry Nursery “Native plants will just have a phenomenal year,” at Soil Born Farms: 2140 Chase Drive, Rancho Lewis said. “We had so much rain, the water table is Cordova. 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Wednesdays. For details, up so nice and high. There’s a lushness we haven’t go to soilborn.org. Ω felt in a long time.”

“It’s a great year for flowers,” she added.

“Redbuds are having a very nice time. Evening prim- Debbie Arrington, an award-winning garden writer and lifelong gardener, is co-creator of the Sacramento Digs gardening blog rose will be around a lot longer. California fuchsia and website. will be very happy. And of course, the poppies.”

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ILLuSTrATION BY kATE MITrANO

Swirls of sweetness babka loaf, SoloMon’S delicateSSen

What a spread: Garlic Noodles with Mango Habanero, Garlic Parmesan, 7-Spice and Saltand-Pepper wings. Celery and carrot sticks for good measure.

PHOTO BY ILLYANNA MAISONET

Many customers are probably already huge fans of the dense, doughy bagels Solomon’s Delicatessen offers daily. They may be so enamored with the bagels, they’ve missed the quiet, unassuming dessert menu. Well, I’m here to give some love to Solomon’s cinnamon Babka Loaf ($13.99). Delicious strands of sticky cinnamon are swirled into a dry-ish bread just as dense as the bagels. I brought a loaf home and tried it both plain and warmed up with some butter. I’ll admit Babka tastes best (for some reason) when pinched covertly in chunks from its bag, and thrown hastily into one’s mouth as if raiding Grandma’s secret stash of sweets. 500 First Street, Suite 9, in Davis (Sacramento soon), solomonsdelicatessen.com.

Delectable nooks and crannies Wings City

by Illyanna MaIsonet

5555 Skypark Way, Suite 243; (916) 594-7659 Good for: Eating wings with large groups Notable dishes: 7-Spice chicken wings, City Wings Nachos, Garlic Noodles

$$$

Asian American, South Sacramento

There’s a chance you’ve never even accidentally passed

by Wings City, located on the corner of Sky Parkway and 65th Expressway, because the exterior seems nondescript.

But once you walk inside, it’s instantaneously noticeable that the owners of Wings City have invested love and labor into their dream. Wings City is the first independently owned chicken wing eatery in South Sacramento.

Childhood friends Vay Lu and Tommy San, both South Sac natives, opened its doors in November 2018.

The inside is spacious and modern. There’s a newly painted Sacramento Kings mural by artist Kristina Letson.

But the Kings aren’t just in the artwork; during the NBA season, they’re on at least one of the many flat-screen TVs. It’s definitely a place where you can bring a large group of people, have some wings, a couple of beers and watch a game.

My go-to is the family pack ($26): 20 bone-in wings in three flavors (Lemon Pepper, 7-Spice, Orange Chicken), fries, veggie sticks and your choice of two different dips. Order the wings breaded, for an additional $1. This ensures that they stay crispy much longer under the weight of each sauce. And more than likely, you’ll want to try the sweet-and-spicy Mango Habanero, the unique Peanut Butter & Jelly (wings tossed in peanut sauce, topped with grape jelly and crushed peanuts) and the Cheesy Money 28 | SN&R | 04.18.19

(wings topped with crushed Cheetos, sour cream and scallions). The last option tastes like a Cool Ranch Doritos version of Cheetos. The breaded wings are so satisfyingly crispy, and all of those little jaggedy nooks and crannies are the perfect vehicle for dipping into a large bucket of Wings City’s house-made blue cheese sauce.

The real sleeper on the menu: the Wings City Nachos ($12.99). Ay, caramba! The secret to this dish is, what I suspect: thick-cut and deep-fried tortilla chips. They’re crispy and tender, but can withstand the weight of the warm cheese sauce and rib-eye bits. The meat has that addictive flavor of both slightly sweet and umami. It’s topped with pico de gallo, but leave it off as it guarantees soggy city, pronto. If you’re not feeling tortilla chips, you can get the same components on top of cross-cut fries if you order the Wing City Fries ($12.99). Also, don’t sleep on the tender Garlic Noodles topped with Parmesan cheese ($6.89).

Wings City is the type of all-purpose space that makes sense. You can have two completely different experiences, but it doesn’t seem discombobulated. Go early in the afternoon when there’s plenty of space to stretch out and the music isn’t too loud so diners can speak with the owner and the employees.

If you go in the evening, there are usually families relaxing together, watching sports and sharing a meal.

This is a place where all the little touches and nuances go a long way. The customer service is so personable; there’s no rush, so you can actually enjoy your time, food and company. Everything is made to order. They even hand cut their celery and carrots. In fact, the food is so craveable, that even when I can’t make it into the restaurant, I’ll order through DoorDash. Ω

—aMy bee

Taste the rainbow Mixed Vegetable Juice, Sunflower driVe-in Tired: Eating plain, ordinary vegetables. Wired: Sucking the lifeblood from vegetables’ fibrous veins until they lose pigment, like the beloved vampiric rabbit, Bunnicula.

Wait, you’re not a mysterious fictional rodent, and you don’t have a juicer? Sunflower Drive-In’s Mixed Vegetable Juice ($3.29 for a small) is a pretty good substitute. Served chilled, it’s a triple threat of freshly juiced celery, red cabbage and carrot, which gives it a sweet aftertaste. There’s also an option to add in any of the other juices from the menu, including apple, pineapple and orange. It’s a demonic lagomorph’s dream.

10344 Fair Oaks Boulevard, sunflowerdrivein.cafe.

—rachel Mayfield

PlANET v

Fast food goes vegan Vegans will remember 2019 as the year fast-food chains fell all over themselves to woo plant-based diners—and our growing market share. In January, Taco Bell staked an early claim by announcing a vegetarian menu (with customizable vegan options). Then Carl’s Jr., Del Taco, Burger King and KFC jumped into the race. This month, Taco Bell is testing new vegetarian items—including a Crunchwrap Supreme and a Quesarito in Dallas. If Texans approve, Nor Cal will have them later this year. Until then, ask PETA what vegans eat at Taco Bell. (Visit: peta. org/living/food/vegan-at-taco-bell) Or try my vegan road-trip staple: Double Decker Taco with no meat, sub beans, make it Fresco. (“Fresco” is Taco Bell slang for “no dairy,” but I’ve been served enough accidentally cheesy burritos to know you’d better say “no cheese” too.) And, yeah, of course you want hot sauce.

—becca coStello

THE

ISSUE

Photo by Ken Magri

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The tCheck2 potency tester measures THC levels in canna-butter and cooking oils for easy, low-dose edibles.

Potently delicious

by Ken Magri

The trick to homemade cannabis edibles is getting a proper low dosage. Edibles take as long as two hours to kick in, and discovering that you ate too much THC can cause paranoia, anxiety or panic. But by taking the steps to infuse cannabis into butter or cooking oils, the measurements are more accurate, which allows home cooks to get creative with an endless possibility of stoney recipes. Here are some tested and reliable steps for making edibles at home: First decarboxylate: Decarboxylation, or decarbing, is a

warming process that activates the THC and increases potency. This first step is optional, but recommended.

Pre-bake finely ground cannabis at 225 F on a cookie sheet for 20 minutes or until brown.

Green butter: Melt 4 ounces of butter, 1/4 cup of water

and 7 grams (1/4 ounce) of decarbed cannabis in a saucepan. Stir well, then let it simmer on the lowest heat setting for three hours. Separate the canna-butter from plant matter by straining it through a cheesecloth then refrigerate. Once cool, divide the butter into seven sections. Each one should weigh 0.57 ounces and contain 1,000 milligrams of THC. I used homegrown Alien Tarantula for my batch and relied on a tCheck2 testing device to determine its potency. With just drops of butter, oils or alcohol it accurately measures the strength of the cannabis infusion in less than a minute. Needless to say, it’s highly helpful. Although this home test kit is expensive (nearly $300), it’s portable and does work well. My canna-butter batch tested at 18.2 percent potency.

For something savory, I put 1/4 teaspoon of leftover decarbed cannabis onto water crackers with cheese

Eat. Drink.

Be Merry.

Repeat.

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slices and sour cream and toasted them. A whiff of cannabis scent was there, but the taste and texture got lost in the blend. (Butter recipe from the Dutch Government, ncsm.nl/english/information-for-patients/ cannabutter-oil-recipe.)

Fresh canna-oil: Dispensary-bought concentrates are

already measured and tested. I used 1 gram of Opus Nectar live resin, labeled 70.7 percent THC, and 707 milligrams. After decarbing at 225 F for 10 minutes, the liquefied resin could be blended directly into hot cooking oil.

After adding a half-gram of live resin to a half-cup of vegetable oil, my Betty Crocker brownie mix made 30 canna-brownies, each containing 23.5 milligrams of 70.7 percent THC. The remaining half-gram of live resin was blended into 8 ounces of olive oil, infusing 58.8 milligrams of THC into each fluid ounce, which can be diluted as needed. With infused olive oil, the culinary possibilities are vast: roasted potatoes, sauteed veggies and marinated meats. As always, be mindful.

(Recipe sourced from The Cannabist magazine.)

Feel-good advice: Don’t give homemade edibles to

others as tolerance differs greatly from person to person. Store any tempting sweets away from children.

Also, it’s important to remember that milligrams and potency percentages are two different measurements.

So determine your proper dosage by micro-dosing and start low and slow (no more than 5-10 milligrams over two hours). The popular cannabis site Leafly has a comprehensive dosing guide that is truly helpful. Just search: dosing chart. Happy baking! Ω

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foR the week of apRil 18

by maxfield morris

POst eveNts ONliNe FOR FRee at newsreview.com/sacramento

mUSiC THURSDAY, 4/18 eaRl sWeatsHiRt: This famously sold-out show with the rapper from Los Angeles is almost guaranteed to be sold out. He’s on tour for Some Rap Songs, and Liv.E and MIKE are getting in on the performing fun. 7pm, $32. Ace Of Spades, 1417 R St.

GalaXY BROaDCast sYsteM: Performing with Panic Talk, Galaxy Broadcast System will be broadcasting its music exclusively in the music venue. 8pm, $10-$12. Momo Sacramento, 2708 J St.

Cannabis Cup 2.0

tiCKet WiNDOW

The Ray Charles Project, a sextet forged from the passion of six Bay Area musicians and through the imitation of the inimitable style and sound of Ray Charles. 7pm, $30. Sofia Tsakopoulos Center for the Arts, 2700 Capitol Ave.

FRiDAY, 4/19 estelle: The Londoner with the voice of gold, the talents of a Crystal Gem and a birth name that was good enough to elevate her to the big time is coming to town. 11pm, $25$30. Harlow’s, 2708 J St.

OH sleePeR: The Agony Scene, from Tulsa, Oklahoma, is performing with Oh Sleeper, from Fort Worth, Texas. They’re both metal bands that got together in the early years of this century. 6pm, $13-$15. Holy Diver, 1517 21st St.

Cal Expo, noon, $50-$403.50 Another year, another April 20. For those of us squares, it’s just another day— but for our friends who Festivals smoke, it’s a celebration of cannabis. How lame is explaining 4/20?

Very lame. Join the biggest celebration in town with High Times’ Cannabis Cup. Back again after some trouble with the city, the cannabis-vending celebration

PHOTO COURTESY OF JESSE FAATZ/HigH TimES

0 2 GH tHROU 21

Their cup runneth over with bud.

tHe RaY CHaRles PROJeCt: Come experience

and contest to see who’s got the best product kicks off this Saturday. With musical guests Rae Sremmurd, Schoolboy Q, Too $hort and potentially Soulja Boy, it’s going to be a very lit time. Come join the crowd and be one in literally thousands of people kicking off their 4/20 weekend. 1600 Exposition Boulevard, cannabiscup.com.

Purchase something or stay bored.

sOCCeR MOMMY: Singer-songwriter from Nashville comes to Sacramento. Local enthusiasts attend the show, remark about how it was good. Boy Scouts from local troops show up over a misunderstanding based on the opening act’s name. Their name? Boy Scouts. 7pm, $15-$18. Harlow’s, 2708 J St.

Y&t: They say that Hayward is the sixth largest city in the Bay Area, but they don’t mention that 1970s rockers Y&T come from there? Or that the city is home to California’s first Japanese gardens? Brush up on your Hayward history and go watch Y&T. 7:30pm, $37.95. Thunder Valley Casino, 1200 Athens Ave. in Lincoln.

SATURDAY, 4/20 DANNY gLOVER There are still tickets

available to sit down and listen to the genuine Hollywood actor guy and activist, Danny Glover. You’re not too old for this— come on out and look, love and listen.

4/29, 7:30pm, $32-$68, on sale now. Harris Center in Folsom, harriscenter.net.

ViJAY iYER SExTET The “polymath”

and “genius” composer and musician is coming to Davis. Catch the talented sound maker while you can. 5/7, 7pm, $12.50-$65 on sale now. Mondavi Center in Davis, tickets.mondaviarts.org.

BAD COmPANY This group avoided

the one-hit-wonder anonymity by naming their signature song after themselves.

Catch them in Lincoln. 6/7, 7:30pm, $49.95$69.95, on sale now. Thunder Valley Casino Resort in Lincoln, ticketmaster.com.

30 | SN&R | 04.18.19

WWE SmACKDOWN Want to watch

professional wrestlers go to town on each other in an official purview? Look no further. purview? Look no further.

Golden 1 6/11, 4:45pm, $35-$300, on sale now. Golden 1 Center, ticketmaster.com. ticketmaster.com.

FOREigNER There are plenty are plenty

BRYAN ADA ADAmS Canadian, big in the

of “classic rock” bands touring touring this summer. Why not make the make the band known for “Cold as Ice” and as Ice” and “Juke Box Hero” a little happier happier by gracing them with your your presence? Andrew Hagar Hagar will also be there. 6/14,

7pm, $39.95-$79.95, on sale now. Thunder Valley

Casino Resort in Lincoln, Lincoln, ticketmaster.com.

DUDE PERFECT The immensely

talented YouTube sports entertainers are coming to the Bay Area. 7/12, 7pm, $28-$58, on sale 4/19 at 10am. Event Center at at San Jose State University, vividseats.

San Jose com.

Win the West, Snoop.

1980s 1980s and coming to a town near your and coming town. town. He’s Bryan Adams, of “Summer He’s Bryan of of ’69” fame. ’69” fame. 9/15, 8pm, on sale 4/19 at Toyota 10am. Toyota Amphitheater in Wheatland, concerts.livenation.com.

SNOOP DOgg How was the West won? Snoop won? Snoop intends to find out with Ice Cube on the Ice Cube How the West was Won tour. Warren G, Too Short tour. and Luniz are also trying to find and out. out. 10/12, 7pm, on sale 4/19 at 10am. Toyota Amphitheater in Wheatland, concerts. in livenation.com.

saC UNPlUGGeD Feat. CHRistiNe sHielDs: Christine Shields is unplugging everything in sight for this performance, then performing acoustically. Bring your ears and experience music the way it was before electricity was adopted and the modern power grid became the gold standard for increasing productivity across the globe. 6pm, $10. The Library of MusicLandria, 2181 6th Ave., Sacramento, CA 95818.

SUNDAY, 4/21 BiG sMO: Did you know that the country music star Big Smo is also a director of films? It’s true—come watch as the San Diegan performs under his stage name, because John Lee Smith lacked marketability. 7:30pm, $17-$20. Goldfield Trading Post, 1630 J St.

snr c a le nd a r @ ne wsr e v ie w.c o m

Online listings will be considered for print. Print listings are edited for space and accuracy. Deadline for print listings is 5 p.m. Wednesday. Deadline for NightLife listings is midnight Sunday.

Send photos and reference materials to Calendar editor maxfield morris at snrcalendar@newsreview.com.

TUESDAY, 4/23 GeNesis tRiBUte MUsiCal BOX: Genesis is headed to Sacramento—the music of Genesis, that is! That’s right, the wait is over for the much-awaited performance of The Musical Box. They play Genesis á la Genesis and have purportedly won the approval of Phil Collins—which isn’t easy to do. Believe me, I’ve tried. I’ve really tried. 7:30pm, $35-$55. Crest Theatre, 1013 K St.

FESTiVALS THURSDAY, 4/18 OaK PaRK BlOCK PaRtY: St. HOPE is celebrating the opening of Esther’s Park, a new park born on the former site of Esther’s Pastry Shoppe. Show up for some fun with the community, some food and some folks, all for free and open to the public. 4:30pm, no cover. Esther’s Park, 3408 3rd Ave.

FRiDAY, 4/19 elK GROve BReWFest 2019: Beer festivals in Elk Grove have a somewhat new face and name, and that name is Elk Grove Brewfest. Since four years ago, beers have been offered for perusal and tasting at the Brewfest.

This year there are more than 60 brewers offering brews—try one drink from every single brewer. Or maybe fewer. VIP tickets are sold out, but they get a bigger tasting cup than you. 6pm, $50. Old Town Plaza in Elk Grove.

SATURDAY, 4/20 CaNNaBis CUP: Check out the cannabis-themed event highlight on this page, over on the left. Noon, $50-$403.50. Cal Expo, 1600 Exposition Blvd.

CURtis PaRK eGG HUNt & PaJaMa PaRaDe: Want to hunt for eggs but don’t feel like getting all dressed up in your egg-hunting best? Join the Sierra Curtis Neighborhood Association for the annual egg hunt and pajama parade. 9am, no cover. Sierra 2 Center, 2791 24th St.

eGGstRavaGaNZOO: Some folks like their egg celebration to be held at the Sacramento Zoo. If you’re one of those people, check out the event highlight on page 31. 10am, $11.50-$16.50. Sacramento Zoo, 3930 W. Land Park Drive.

FOOD & DRiNK SATURDAY, 4/20 saCRaMeNtO BeeR aND CHili Festival: These two things go together like beer and ice cream, beer and fajitas, beer and anything— it’s a chili cook-off with beer. Check out the event highlight on page 32. 1pm, $25$40. Roosevelt Park, 1615 9th St.

saCRaMeNtO RiveRtRaiN OlD viNe eXPRess: Trains are great for getting from point A to point B, then back to point A again. This train event accomplishes that basic goal, and ups the ante by having the train act

Saturday, 4/20

Eggstravaganzoo Sacramento Zoo, 10am, $11.50-$16.50

Your weekly Saturday morning trip to the zoo is about to get a little interesting. Instead of the typical visit, where there are just a couple of eggs hidden around the zoo, there will be hecka many FEstivals eggs hidden.

Included in the price of admission, you can celebrate the pagan ritual of finding the colorful ovoid treats.

PHOtO COurtESy OF aNNIE SPratt With different age brackets to ensure a balanced competition, this is a great place for kids to hone their egg hunting skills. 3930 West Land Park Drive, saczoo.org.

as a wine tasting extravaganza. With 15 different wines for you to titillate your palate with, you’re guaranteed to have some wine and to be on a train. 5:30pm, $50-$75. Sacramento RiverTrain, 400 N. Harbor Blvd.

SuNday, 4/21 aPRil 2019 saCRaMENtO COMMUNitY POtlUCK BRUNCH: Join Shakti Rising for a vegetarian potluck brunch. Bring a vegetarian dish to share and see what Shakti Rising is all about. 10am, no cover. Luna’s Cafe & Juice Bar, 1414 16th St.

FILM tHurSday, 4/18 MONtY PYtHON’s liFE OF BRiaN 40tH aNNivERsaRY sCREENiNG: Approximately 40 years after its release, the classic biblicalish comedy is returning to screens in restored condition. Relive the magic that is this Monty Python film. 7pm, $15. The Tower Theatre, 2508 Land Park Drive.

iMaGE BOOK: Movies on the Verge presents Jean-Luc Godard’s presentation of Image Book, a social commentary of an edited scrapbook film. 7:30pm, $7-$9. Verge Center for the Arts, 625 S St.

tuESday, 4/23 tHE itO sistERs: aN aMERiCaN stORY: Join KVIE and Viewfinder in this screening of The Ito Sisters: An American Story. Three sisters share their experience as Japanese Americans in America during World War II. The piece was created by Antonia Grace Glenn, the granddaughter of one of the three sisters featured in the film. 5:30pm, no cover. KVIE Public Television, 2030 W. El Camino Ave.

COMEdy laUGHs UNliMitED COMEDY ClUB: The World Series of Comedy Satellite Competition.

Catch one or many of the six nights of comedy shows going on as part of The World Series of Comedy. With local comedians and imports from all over the state, there will be

plenty of people trying to make you or the person next to you laugh. through 4/27. $22$45. 1207 Front St.

PUNCH liNE: Melissa Villasenor. The SNL cast member and comedian touted for her impressions is coming to perform in Sacramento. through 4/20. $25. Stephen Ferris Presents The Amazing Wonders of Comedy. Join Stephen Ferris, not the rugby player, for this evening of comedic wonders. Wednesday 4/24, 8pm. $16. 2100 Arden Way, Suite 225.

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staB! COMEDY tHEatER: Rainbows & Shit-A Queer Comics Showcase. Local queer comedians perform in this showcase. Amy Estes hosts. Friday 4/19, 9pm. $8. Late Week Leftovers Open Microphone. Open-mic night. sunday 4/21, 8pm. $5. 1710 Broadway.

ON StaGE CaliFORNia staGE COMPlEX: Lickspittles, Buttonholers and Damned Pernicious Go-Betweens. Resurrection Theatre presents this grossly named show about Denmark and members of the royal court. through 5/11. $20. 2509 R St.

Jill sOlBERG PERFORMiNG aRts CENtER: DREAMERS. Dance is the medium, and the unique performances are inspired by dreams—both of the mind and of the aspirations we weave. Come live in the world of dance for but a brief moment in time. through 4/26. $15-$20. 1999 Iron Point Road in Folsom.

lUNa’s CaFE: Sac Unified Poetry Slam. See what slam poetry poets of Sacramento are cooking up at this event. Friday 4/19, 8pm. No cover. 1414 16th St.

saCRaMENtO tHEatRE: Disaster!. It’s a bold move, running a show called Disaster! at your theater—think of the headlines.

Anyway, the subject of the show is disaster films and their over-the-top plots and characters. through 5/12. $30-$40. 1419 H St.

tHE CENtER at tWENtY-tHREE HUNDRED: Girl of the Golden West, a New Ballet. This ballet from the Sac Civic Ballet and the Deane Dance Center concerns a Gold Rush mining town in California. Loosely based on the

CalENDaR listiNGs CONtiNUED ON PaGE 32

04.18.19 | SN&R | 31

See more eventS and SuBmit your own at newSreview.com/Sacramento/calendar

Saturday, 4/20

century. This is a matter of indisputable fact. Using this as a jumping-off point, it can be assumed that these creatures did things in their spare time. Head to the cemetery to hear how pioneers and animals got along in early-ish California. Saturday 4/20, 10am. no cover. 1000 Broadway.

verbal assault BRickhouse aRt GalleRy, 8Pm, $5

SaCramento HiStory muSeum: Gold Spike

Are you ready to watch local poets unleash a word of hurt upon other local poets? The slam session is real as Spoken Word Federation’s Verbal Assault comes to Brickhouse, thanks to AndYes Poetry.

Catch the matchup of Ike Torres and Coon the Poet as PHoto courteSy oF SPoKen word Federation they spar with bars—witness Grace Loescher and J-Rowe as they go SportS & outdoorS toe-to-toe on with flow. It’s a pro-wrestling atmosphere, but with less chair smashing and more poems. 2837 36th Street, thebrickhouseartgallery.com.

CaLendar LiStinGS Continued From paGe 31

wareHouSe artiSt LoFtS: Creativity and Reinvention Christi Black Davis and Taryn Thru-U. Christi Black Davis and Taryn Thru-U share this speaking engagement for a detailed look at reinvention in the creative process. Davis is a business executive and Thru-U is a drag queen. thursday 4/18, 5:30pm. no cover. 1108 R St.

Puccini opera, the ballet is teeming with historic Sacramento references. through 4/20. $10-$15. 2300 Sierra Blvd.

tHe Community Center tHeater: The Lightning Thief. It’s the Percy Jackson musical that likely is having a tough time finding its theater-going audience, as Percy Jackson goes out to find Zeus’ lightning bolt and sings some fun songs along the way. through 4/19. $25-$72. 1301 L St.

artSpaCe1616: Out the Window. Kim Scott shares some new work on a subject not quite as old as time—birds. These birds are the birds you see all over, the winged folks that have agendas we can only dream about.

Those are the subject of this exhibit. through 4/28. no cover. 1616 Del Paso Blvd.

art muSeumS

kennedy GaLLery: The Rose Show. There are flowers all over, and that means you should go inside and look at artistic depictions of flowers. With plenty of different artists’ takes on the flowers, you’d be hard-pressed to find a better place to see roses. through 5/4. no cover. 1931 L St.

CaLiFornia automoBiLe muSeum: Sunday Drives. Hop into a vintage car that isn’t yours. Do it. Why not? It’ll be fine, because this usually not-allowed social interaction is the whole point of this activity. Come to the Cal Auto Museum and you’ll be able to ride around in the downtown area of Sacramento, the city we live and drive in. Sunday 4/21, 10am. $5-$10. 2200 Front St.

penCe GaLLery: Stuart Dunkel Mouse in the House. The comedic paintings of Stuart Dunkel are very comedic. These ones in particular are very fun to look at, featuring themes such as “mouse” and “house.” through 4/28. no cover. 212 D St. in Davis.

CaLiFornia State raiLroad muSeum: Experience the Union Pacific Rail Car Available for Free Tours April 19-22. To celebrate the relatively recent completion of the Transcontinental Railroad—relative to the War of 1812, say—the Railroad Museum is opening the Union Pacific Rail Car to the public. It’s an exhibit that tells the 150-year old story of the railroading of the American West. through 4/22. no cover. 111 I St.

SaCramento State: Art and the Afterlife Fantasy Coffins. The Ghanaian artist Eric Adjetey Anang will be putting on a workshop to make fantasy coffins. The traditional carved art form, abebuu adekai, are made into designs that honor an interest or trait of the deceased person. thursday 4/18, 1pm. no cover. City of Refuge-Refugees in Sacramento. Sacramento is the city of trees, but it’s also a city of refugees. For decades, the city has taken in thousands of refugees, paid tribute to in this exhibit via shared memories of local refugees. through 4/26. no cover. 6000 J St.

CroCker art muSeum: Night at the Museum.

Hop into your pajamas and then hop into a cab. Next, tell the cab driver to take you to the Crocker Art Museum, because it’s Night at the Museum Night there! She’s not interested, she’s got other things going on today in her own life—but that’s okay, because you’re headed to a fun night at the museum.

There will be costumes, performances, animals, characters and more, all inspired by the movie Night at the Museum. thursday 4/18, 5pm. $12. 216 O St.

tim CoLLom GaLLery: Kelsey Burke “Walking on Water.” Chalk pastel is the name of the game, and Kelsey Burke is the one playing it. She’s sharing some of her faith-inspired artwork in this show. through 5/2. no cover. 915 20th St.

SaCramento HiStoriC City Cemetery: Animal Tales. There were, of course, animals that lived in the Sacramento era during the 19th

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Lecture: A Legacy in Brick & Iron. Do you remember when the Transcontinental Railroad was completed? Me too. Good times! Let’s commiserate over that exciting time in our lives 150 years ago with this lecture on that gold-tinged spike used to mark the polymerization of the two railroad lines. thursday 4/18, 7pm. $7-$14. 101 I St.

SPortS & outdoorS Saturday, 4/20 SaCramento iriS SoCiety pLant SHow and SaLe: Irises—weird looking flowers, don’t you think? No? You like them? You think they’re very pretty, and you actually wish you could go to a plant show that sells them? Sheesh, fine, go to this event then. Just don’t expect to be invited to my quarterly meeting of the Iris Detractors Club of the Greater Sacramento Area. 1pm, no cover. Shepard Garden and Art Center, 3330 McKinley Blvd.

Spoken word Federation verBaL aSSauLt: Spoken word meets wrestling vibes in the event featured to the left and up a little. 7:30pm, $5. The Brickhouse Gallery, 2837 36th St.

taKe action tHurSday, 4/18 3rd annuaL FaSHion For a CauSe!: Join Macy’s and My Sister’s House for this fashion show benefiting My Sister’s House. Community leaders will model Macy’s fashion for a good

cause. 5:30pm, $35-$75. Macy’s Sacramento Downtown Commons, 414 K St.

ConteSted CitieS a Community ConverSation: Participate in this discussion about Oak Park, its history, its future and the issues concerning its development. Come join the conversation about what the Oak Park of the future will look like. 4:30pm, no cover. Classy Hippie Tea Co., 3226 Broadway.

wedneSday, 4/24 renterS’ riGHtS LoBBy day: Take to the state Capitol again, this time to lobby for renters’ rights. Join Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment, the Western Center on Law and Poverty, Public Advocates and PICO California—what PICO stands for, I have no idea, and I looked for a while. The goals are to stabilize housing for renters, provide more rental protectors and preventing unfair practices. Show up to support. 9am, no cover. California state Capitol, 1303 10th St.

claSSeS tHurSday, 4/18 Hood HeaLinG ediBLe weedS: You might look at wild plants growing in the ground and see weeds; plants that persevere despite their status as plantae non-grata. Take a closer look. Plenty of those weeds are edible, and more than that, they’ve been used by humans for thousands of years. Join Judith Yisrael for this urban foraging class that walks you through the worthwhile weeds we overlook. 5:30pm, $5. The Yisrael Family Urban Farm, 4505 Roosevelt Ave.

Saturday, 4/20 HandStyLin’ CaLLiGrapHy workSHop: Daniel Paniagua leads this calligraphy workshop walking you through handstyle and how calligraphy is used around the world.

Don’t settle for having second-rate penpersonship—learn how to make the art of writing more beautiful than you

Saturday, 4/20

Sacramento Beer and Chili Festival Roosevelt PaRk, 1Pm, $25

Do you like festivals but wish they catered more to your unique chiliand-beer-enjoying lifestyle? Well, you’re in luck, because your tastes are not unique, they’re very popular.

Get a ticket to this event and drink some beer, try some cook-off chili and hang out Food & drink with some pals.

Don’t like one of the two offerings?

Don’t worry, you can buy a chilionly or beer-only ticket. You can try industrial chili, individual chili, vegetarian chili—and even network with chefs if you want to. Show up and really indulge. 1615 9th Street, sacramentobeerandchilifestival.com.

know what to do with. 11am, $15-$25. Sol Collective, 2574 21st St.

indiGenouS GardeninG: Make some salsa, learn about gardening and join in this morning of indigenous gardening. The Colonial Heights Library Teen Advisory Board will be presenting, as will Tarahumara and Ruth Angela Marquez-Washeleski. There will be a community potluck, there will be activities and there will be you. Register in advance. 10am, no cover. Colonial Heights Library, 4799 Stockton Blvd.

pLant parentHood aLL tHinGS HouSepLantS: Can’t you see that you’re tearing these plants apart? Your neglect, your overwatering, your inhospitable apartment hutch—they’re all killing your plants. You’re not happy about it. In fact, it’s tearing you apart. Stop worrying. Come to this houseplant seminar to get your thumb a little greener. Shevaun Zakhir will lead this gardening primer. noon, $25. Broad Room Creative Collective, 2311 S St.

turnip your BaCkyard Garden witH CHanowk yiSraeL: Your backyard garden is about to get lit. Learn what’s new and fun in the world of growing your own produce, and actually get your hands dirty with a little bit of good, old-fashioned, fun gardening. Register in advance, and the topic for the week is soils and compost. If that’s interesting to you, show up and gather some dirt about the topic. 1pm, $25. The Yisrael Family Urban Farm, 4505 Roosevelt Ave.

monday, 4/22 FeeL Great naked: There’s enough going on in your life. You work hard, you care about the people you love, you’re alive and kicking.

You deserve to feel great naked. That’s the theme of this class, but it’s also a good meditation for you. Even if you don’t attend this gathering, you should still find your own way to feel good about the body that you’re in, the one that lets you interface with the world. Pretty neat. 6:30pm, $47. Time & Space Boutique and Gatherings, 414 Vernon St., Suite 110 in Roseville.

THURSDAY 4/18 ArmAdillo music

207 F ST., DAvIS, (530) 758-8058

BAdlAnds

Poprockz 90s Night, 9pm, no cover

BAr 101

Bandera, 6:30pm, no cover

Blue lAmp

Drunk Poetry, 8pm, no cover

2003 k ST., (916) 448-8790 101 MAIN ST., ROSEvIllE, (916) 774-0505 1400 AlHAMbRA blvD., (916) 455-3400

Oh, Sleeper with the Agony Scene 6pm Friday, $13-$15 Holy Diver Metalcore

SATURDAY 4/20

Alternative Motives, 7pm, no cover

Itlookslikeablackhole, 7pm, no cover

Fierce Fridays, 7pm, call for cover

The Green Ball, 10pm, call for cover

SUNDAY 4/21

MONDAY-WEDNESDAY 4/22-24

B.P.M. & Sunday Funday Remixed, 4pm, call for cover

Trapicana, 10pm, W, no cover Open-Mic, 7:30pm, W, no cover; Monday Night Trivia, 6:30pm, M, no cover

L.A. WITCH, Death Party at the Beach and more, 7pm, $12

Uada, Wormwitch, Cloak and Barren Altar, 8pm, M, $12-$15

The BoArdwAlk

The Ellusive Furs, Speakeasy, Damaged Things and more, 8pm, $10

Voyager and Savannah Blue, 8:30pm, $10

Exiled From Grace, A Waking Memory and more, 7:30pm, $10

Telltale, the Outside, Blind Medusa and more, 7pm, T, $8

cApiTol GArAGe

Capitol Fridays, 10pm, no cover before 10:30pm

Dinner and a Drag Show, 7:30pm, $5$25; Karaoke, 9:30pm, call for cover

Boot Scootin Sundays, 8pm, $5

Geeks Who Drink, 8:30pm, W, no cover

Leo Dan, 7pm, $86-$109

The Musical Box: A Genesis Extravaganza, 7:30pm, T, $35-$55

Every Damn Monday, 8pm, M, no cover; Noche Latina, 9pm, T, no cover

9426 GREENbAck lN., ORANGEvAlE, (916) 358-9116

PHOTO cOURTESY OF SOlID STATE REcORDS

FRIDAY 4/19

1500 k ST., (916) 444-3633

cresT TheATre

1013 k ST., (916) 476-3356

FAces

Faces Karaoke, 9pm, call for cover

Easter Weekend, call for time and cover

Easter Weekend, call for time and cover

Funday Frolic, 3pm, no cover; Yvie Oddly, call for time, $5-$10

FATher pAddY’s irish puBlic house

Guy and Carol, 6pm, call for cover

Cuttin the Chord, 8pm, call for cover

Papa Day Blues, 8pm, call for cover

Easter Brunch, 10am, call for cover

Fox & Goose

Steve McLane, 8pm, no cover

2000 k ST., (916) 448-7798 435 MAIN ST., WOODlAND, (530) 668-1044 1001 R ST., (916) 443-8825

GoldField TrAdinG posT

The Lil Smokies and Michigan Rattlers, 6:30pm, $15-$18

1630 J ST., (916) 476-5076

hAlFTime BAr & Grill

5681 lONETREE blvD., ROcklIN, (916) 626-3600

hArlow’s

2708 J ST., (916) 441-4693

Open-Mic Night, 7:30pm, M, no cover; Pub Quiz, 7pm, W, no cover

Keyser Soze, Nina Cole and DJ Esef, 9pm, $10 Big Smo and Good Ol’ Boyz, 7:30pm, $17-$20

Let’s Get Quizzical, 7pm, T, no cover; Cornhole, 6pm, W, $10

Brian Lee Bender Acoustic, 9pm, call for cover

College Night, 10pm, call for cover

Chuuwee & Trizz, Bru Lei and Kidd Doxx, Soccer Mommy and Boy Scouts, 7pm, 6:30pm, $15-$45 $15-$18

B-Legit, J Stalin and Black C, 9pm, $45-$50

Estelle, 11pm, $25-$30

hideAwAY BAr & Grill hiGhwATer

Soccer Mommy with Boy Scout 7pm Friday, $15-$18 Harlow’s Pop rock

Cuffin, 9pm, $5

1910 Q ST., (916) 706-2465

holY diVer

YBN Almighty Jay, 7pm, $20

kupros

Dylan Crawford, 7pm, no cover

1517 21ST ST.

1217 21ST ST., (916) 440-0401

lunA’s cAFe & Juice BAr 1414 16TH ST., (916) 737-5770

Stand Up Science with Shane Mauss, 8pm, M, $15-$17

Shitshow Karaoke, 8pm, M, no cover; Record Roundup, 8pm, T, no cover

2565 FRANklIN blvD., (916) 455-1331 PHOTO cOURTESY OF FAT POSSUM REcORDS

The 1st Annual Sacramento Air Sex Championships, 7:30pm, M, $7-$10

Oh, Sleeper, the Agony Scene, Earth Groans and more, 6pm, $13-$15

Joe Montoya’s Poetry Unplugged, 8pm, $2

Sac Unified Poetry Slam, 8pm, no cover

live MuSic 5/3

billy williams

5/4

toast & Jam

5/10

banJo bones

5/11

bongo furys

5/17

Jacob westfall

5/18

nate grimmy

5/24

dylan crawford

101 Main Street, roSeville 916-774-0505 · lunch/dinner 7 days a week fri & sat 9:30pm - close 21+

/bar101roseville

Lorna Shore, Enterprise Earth, Bodysnatcher and more, 6pm, $15

Powerman 5000, Control and Graybar Hotel, 6:30pm, $18

DaBaby, 7pm, W, $22

Trivia Factory, 7:30pm, no cover

Michael Ray, 5pm, T, no cover

Nice Monster and Richard March, 8pm, call for cover

Jazz Jam with Byron Colburn, 8pm, W, $5

voted best dance club in sacramento by kcra a list 2016-17-18

WeDnesDay

hot country college nights

thursDay

industry night $3 U call it for industry guests

FriDay & saturDay

free line dance lessons 7pm dancing 8pm karaoke Up front 9pm

sunDay

18 and over college nights

1320 Del paso blvD in olD north sac

2 steps from downtown | 916.402.2407 stoneyinn.com for nightly drink specials & events

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subMit your CalenDar listings for free at newsreview.CoM/saCraMento/CalenDar THursDay 4/18

friDay 4/19

Midtown Barfly

1119 21sT sT., (916) 341-0277

MoMo sacraMento

DJ Julian Pierce, 10pm, $10

Souljah, 10pm, $10

Bourbon & Blues: New Orleans Piano Night, 6:30pm, W, $8

old ironsides

Open Acoustic Jam, 8pm, no cover

FMK, King and War & Mind, 8:30pm, $8

Lipstick We Are Your Friends Dance Party, 9pm, $5

Live Music with Heath Williamson, 5:30pm, M, no cover

Live on the Y, 9pm, call for cover

670 fulTOn ave., (916) 487-3731

PalMs PlayHouse

13 Main sT., WinTers, (530) 795-1825

Ben Hunter & Joe Seamons, 8pm, $12-$20

Commander Cody Band, 8pm, $12-$24

Placerville PuBlic House

The Albertson Duo, 8pm, call for cover

Plaid City, 8pm, call for cover

Grateful Dead Night, 7pm, T, $5

Fast Times, 10pm, call for cover

Neon Playboys, 10pm, call for cover

Karaoke, 8:30pm, T, call for cover; 98 Rock Local Licks, 9pm, W, call for cover

414 Main sT., Placerville, (530) 303-3792

PowerHouse PuB

614 suTTer sT., fOlsOM, (916) 355-8586

Amy Wilcox, 9:30pm, call for cover

tHe Press cluB

9pm Friday, no cover Shady Lady Jazz

Pop 40 Dance with DJ Larry, 9pm, $5

Sunday Night Dance Party, 9pm, no cover

Reggae Night with DJ Dweet, 9pm, T, no cover

Joe Mazzafero, 9pm, no cover

Current Personae, 9pm, no cover

Alex Jenkins, 9pm, no cover

Layrssa Birdseye, 9pm, W, no cover

Bunny Love, 10pm, no cover before 11pm

DJ Scooter, 10pm, no cover before 10:30pm

Sunday Funday, 9pm, no cover 21+

College Night Wednesdays, 9pm, W, $5-$10

2030 P sT., (916) 444-7914

sHady lady

1409 r sT., (916) 231-9121

Harley White Jr. Orchestra, 9pm, no cover

social nigHtcluB

1000 K sT., (916) 947-0434

tHe sofia

The Ray Charles Project, 7pm, $30

Al Stewart Duo and Dave Nachmanoff, 7pm, $55

Tom Rigney & Flambeau, 7pm, $30

stoney’s rockin rodeo

Salsa Nights, 8pm, $5-$7

Grown Up Easter Egg Hunt, 7pm, $5-$10

Grown Up Easter Egg Hunt, 7pm, $5

Pato Banton and Zion Roots, 6pm, $12-$14

Chicago The Tribute and Maxx Cabello Jr., 1pm, $8-$10

Patrick Contreras El Violin, 9pm, $8

Daniel Castro, 9pm, $10

2700 caPiTOl ave., (916) 443-5300 1320 Del PasO BlvD., (916) 927-6023

swaBBies on tHe river

5871 GarDen HiGHWay, (916) 920-8088

tHe torcH cluB

904 15TH sT., (916) 443-2797

Motel Drive, 9pm, $7

yolo Brewing co.

PHOTO cOurTesy Of Daniel casTrO

all ages, all the time

9pm Saturday, $10 Torch Club Blues

ace of sPades

1417 r sT., (916) 930-0220

sHine

1400 e sT., (916) 551-1400

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Michael Ray Trio, 8pm, T, call for cover

Back To Your Roots Fitness Presents: Bootcamp and Brew Vol. 3, 10am, $20

1520 TerMinal sT., (916) 379-7585

Daniel Castro

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Factor IX, 9pm, call for cover

MOnDay-WeDnesDay 4/22-24

Galaxy Broadcast System and Panic Talk, 8pm, $10-$12

on tHe y

Joe Mazzaferro

sunDay 4/21

Club Necromancy with Seabound, 9pm, $5-$8

2708 J sT., (916) 441-4693

1901 10TH sT., (916) 442-3504

PHOTO cOurTesy Of JOe MazzaferrO

saTurDay 4/20

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The Shine Jazz Jam, 8pm, no cover

Band of Coyotes, Icarus Falling and Water Bear, 8pm, $8

Michael Schenker Fest, 8pm, $53-$133

Failure & Swervedriver, 7:30pm, $33, M; Tech N9ne, 6:30pm, T, $50

Sac Culcha Nite Variety Show, 8pm, no cover

The Songwriter Circle at Shine, 7pm, W, $10

For more cannabis news, deals & updates visit capitalcannabisguide.com

normalize cannabis use

see capital cannabis guide

37

security alert! see goatkidd

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golf this weekend with friends and then we might have somebody coming in with cancer, and we just want to be really mindful and be sensitive about the people around us.” pro tip: Keep the Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure-banter to a minimum.

silence the cellphone

don’t harsh the vibe, man How to keep it mellow in dispensaries

by Danielle McKinney

when a number of sacramento cannabis dispensaries received their recreational business licenses, longtime consumers witnessed eager first-time buyers pack waiting rooms during the first weeks of January 2018.

But with more adult users (you must be 21 years or older) visiting dispensaries, there’s something to be said for common courtesy, especially when it comes to better preparing for a trip to pick up some pre-rolls and edibles. The budtenders will thank you, and so will other customers.

SN&R turns to the experts behind the counter for some tips on dispensary etiquette to help make the experience a positive one for all involved.

be mindful A trip to a dispensary can be a new and exciting experience. For some, it may even feel like entering a 420-version of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. But it’s also important to be aware that there are medical patients who are there to pick up prescriptions to help treat serious illnesses.

Customers buy everything from CBD salves to help relax muscles to cannabis flowers that promote appetite after chemotherapy.

“Everyone is in the dispensary for different reasons,” says Danny Kress, dispensary manager at A Therapeutic Alternative in Midtown. “We might have somebody who is there because they have

No one wants to be stuck listening to someone’s loud phone conversation. And it’s especially annoying when you’re in a confined space.

“Dispensaries are a no cellphone zone,” says Forrest Heise, dispensary director at Green Solutions. “You can text in the lobby, browse the internet, be on social media—that’s cool. But no phone calls in the building at all.”

Feel free to quietly enjoy your screen time while you wait in the lobby, but in the budroom there’s a different set of rules. “Definitely no cellphones at all in the budroom. If you’ve got your phone out and you’re taking pictures, I think you’re casing the place. I get paranoid,” Heise says. “It’s a courtesy thing.” pro tip: Don’t look suspicious. Silence cellphones and keep them in a purse or pocket when in the budroom.

bring cash Although cannabis is legal at the state level, it’s still illegal under federal law, cutting dispensaries off from major banks and credit card companies. Therefore, bring cash. Most dispensaries operate on a cash-only basis. For those who forget, some conveniently have ATMs on site. But not all of them do, so hit the bank before you visit. pro tip: Avoid the ATM fees and bring Andrew Jackson along for the ride.

calm and collected It’s totally normal to feel nervous, especially if you don’t know what to expect from one dispensary to another.

But hey, overthinking doesn’t help ease the mind. Head into the dispensary with a positive attitude and an open mind, and your visit is sure to be a more enjoyable one.

“Dispensaries can be intimidating as a thought,” Kress says. “A lot of places

new canna-laws on the horizon see ask 420

39

it’s very welcoming, very warm. It’s a comfortable environment that should be something that people look forward to coming in to, not something that builds anxiety. This is the place to get away from that.” pro tip: Think about all the products made to calm nerves and anxiety such as CBD gummies and massage oils.

do the research

Heise says that much has changed over the last 20 years—and with that roar of change brings a million questions.

For people who have stayed away from cannabis up until legalization, the spectrum of offerings can be overwhelming. If you don’t know where to begin, simply browse a dispensary’s website, which often includes a menu that showcases its latest inventory. There, you can get a pretty good idea of the different types of products and their uses.

“We’ll answer some questions over the phone,” Heise says. “If you’ve got a million questions, come down and talk to us. I don’t mind doing a little phone consultation but for the full experience come in and we’ll answer all your questions.” pro tip: Visit a dispensary’s online menu to get familiar with products in stock.

ask questions Whether you refer to them as budtenders or cannabis counselors, any professional working behind the counter at a dispensary is an expert in cannabis and is there to tend to your medicinal—or recreational—needs.

A lot of dispensaries host workshops on plant care and cultivation, and wellness classes such as reiki and sound therapy.

Budtenders are constantly expanding their knowledge as cannabis culture evolves. But as informed and knowledgeable as they are, you won’t get the answers you’re seeking if you don’t ask questions.

“Come in with questions. There’s no bad questions or stupid questions,” Kress says. “Come in looking for an education.

The person that you’re talking to should be able to answer your questions.” pro tip: Asking questions is a great way to build a relationship with your budtenders. Ω

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THE

ISSUE Dan Vanderpool says now that California has legalized cannabis it’s time to normalize it.

Photo by Maria ratinova

How cannabis helped kick bad habits

by Dan VanDerpool

2018, it was as someone wanting to witness Hi. My name is Dan. I’m an alcoholic. history. The War on Drugs was beginning to This is the part where you say, “Hi, Dan.” crack, or at the very least change shape. But OK. Pleasantries out of the way, let’s something happened that day that I did not begin. expect—I bought a vape pen. And exactly I only mention my issues with substance two weeks later, I ran out of cigarettes. This abuse because I have a not-so-secret secret time though, after 15 years of smoking, I that I’ve been trying to come to terms didn’t buy another pack. I still haven’t had with: Can I really claim to be sober if I use another cigarette more than a year later. cannabis?

I’ve lost many to the ill effects of tobacco, Since my decision to attempt to clean up most notably my father six years ago. You my act in July 2017 and live a more positive would think witnessing what the end of my existence, I’m constantly checking my habits. story would look like if I continued smoking I evaluate what is truly bringing positive would have been enough to quit cold turkey. value to my life. Sobriety is, after all, about Nope. I kept puffing away. bettering yourself, which in turn is Running was a healthier habit hopefully going to lead to a more that I picked up as a way to peaceful life. improve my lifestyle, while So I don’t drink. I don’t Can I really also expending the incredible do illegal drugs. I don’t even claim to be amount of energy and aggressmoke cigarettes anymore. sion that was constantly But since legalization sober if I use brewing after I quit drinking. happened last January, I do cannabis?

But with that sort of high use cannabis. (Edibles being impact came pain. But even my favorite method, but that’s over-the-counter pain relievers are for another time.) hard on my body. With cannabis, I I grew up in the late ’80s and early don’t have to worry about the adverse effects ’90s. “Just Say No.” DARE. Red Ribbon when I stop using.

Week. These were common themes in rallies I guess what I’m coming to terms with is all throughout elementary school, along with there is a difference between self-medicating the infamous “This is your brain on drugs” and self-care. Being mindful of what I put TV commercial. The messages were constant into my body has empowered me. and consistent in my young mind: As soon Quitting alcohol can be the best thing I as I smoked cannabis, I’d end up on harder ever did without that vape purchase being the drugs, ruining my life as well as those around catalyst to my undoing. me.

We’ve legalized cannabis, but I’d like to So when I walked into Harborside, a see it normalized. Ω dispensary in Oakland, on New Years Day

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as k 420 @ne w s re v i e w . c o m

Get rid of ‘weed deserts’ Hey can I get an update on any new cannabis laws being considered in California?

However, these goals can only be fully realized if enough licenses are granted to meet existing demand.

This bill will ensure the legal market can succeed.”

I agree with Ting. Why should folks in Butte County have to drive —Lee GLeaGLe all the way to Sacramento just to get legal pot? If the goal is to reduce the black market and to increase the Yes, you can! There are a few tax base, this bill is a great idea. AB interesting things going on right now.

1356 is scheduled to be heard by the One of the most intriguing bills Assembly Business and Professions on the docket right now is Assembly Bill 1356, which would go a long way Committee on April 23. Please contact your state legislators and let toward getting rid of all the “weed them know you support this bill. deserts” in California. According to There are a few other good the text of the bill: “if more bills winding their way than 50% of the electorthrough committee. ate of a local jurisAB 1465 would diction voted in Why should folks allow retail sales favor of AUMA at cannabis [Proposition in Butte County have lounges. Senate 64],[this to drive all the way to Bill 475 would bill] would Sacramento just to get legal allow cannabis require a local businesses jurisdiction pot? If the goal is to reduce to hand out to issue a the black market and to samples. SB minimum increase the tax base, this 627 would number of local allow veterinarilicenses authobill is a great idea. ans to recommend rizing adult-use cannabis for pets. or medicinal retail These are all good cannabis commercial ideas. Everyone should activity within that talk to their elected reps about jurisdiction.” cannabis all the time. Kidding, but In other words, all these holdout not really. If you want to stay up cities and counties ignoring the will to date and track the progress of of the voters would have to allow these and other bills, check out this cannabis clubs to exist in their juriswebsite: leginfo.legislature.ca.gov. dictions. Looking at you, San Joaquin I am not sure if any of the bills County. And Sacramento County, but currently on the docket will pass, but not the city—the city is doing great!

I will say that it is good to see the If this bill passes, cities and counties Legislature working to improve the would have to allow at least one legal cannabis industry. It wasn’t that canna-business for every four liquor long ago that they were trying to put stores. us all in jail. Ω Assemblyman Phil Ting, a San Francisco Democrat and author of the bill, posted this statement to his Ngaio Bealum is a Sacramento website: “Californians voted for comedian, activist and marijuana Prop. 64 to replace the illicit market expert. Email him questions at with a legal system that would grant ask420@newsreview.com.

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Free will astrology

ask joey

For the week oF April 18, 2019

the other woman

ARIES (March 21-April 19): French writer Simone

by JOey GARCIA

@AskJoeyGarcia

My wife left me for a woman. i don’t know with boundaries. Have you seen a how to face people who pretend to be therapist?” concerned but who are actually digging And remember, what they think of you for gossip. i don’t know how to deal with really is none of your business. How you the people who act as if her choice is an care for yourself, is. appraisal of my masculinity. if i can accept what happened to my marriage, why can’t My 44-year-old brother has been seeing everyone else just mind their own effing a woman for four months. She convinced business? him to go to counseling with her. i told People around you are avoiding their him that if a relationship isn’t working own disappointments, lack of control and out after just four months, it’s better to brokenness by focusing on the changes in move on. i’m worried for him because he your life. Their egos rely on a hierarchy falls hard and recovers more slowly from of suffering to feel better. That’s why each breakup. what should i do? they’re so invested in a “he’s got it Nothing. Your brother is an adult. worse than me” attitude. By If you’re trying to protect him turning you into a pariah, from heartbreak, ask yourthey’re using you. It’s self why. Most likely it’s a The people who ugly. I’m sorry it’s habit of co-dependency. happening. behave as though By making him the The good center of your attenyour wife’s exit offers news is that tion, you restrict your insight into your virility these gossips ability to see yourself. only control the or lack thereof are Without clarity, it’s story they tell hard to evolve into your naive about sex and themselves. They best self. sexuality. don’t have power When you learn to step over your narrative back from his life and into until you ask for an your own, your brother can opinion or choose to believe develop the skill of rescuing himself. their version of your life. So when As he does, the two of you will be able to you have an inkling that someone is relate as equals. Are you ready for that? fishing for a salacious tidbit, engage in My book, When Your Heart Breaks, It’s self-care. Say: “If you have questions for Opening to Love: Healing and finding (your former partner’s name here), please love after an affair, heartbreak or divorce, ask her directly. I also want you to know can help. Ω I’m not interested in casual conversation about my personal life. It’s so easy for people to gossip and turn simple situaMeditAtion oF the week tions into ridiculous spectacles. Don’t you agree?”

You’re not responsible for sating “Most people have to talk so anyone’s curiosity. You are responsible they won’t hear,” said May for being kind to yourself as you move Sarton. Who are you listening through this transition. The people who to when the person in front of behave as though your wife’s exit offers you is talking? insight into your virility or lack thereof are naive about sex and sexuality. They are operating from limiting beliefs of Write, email or leave a message for what it means to be a man or a woman.

Joey at the News & Review. Give It’s “all or nothing” thinking: Either your name, telephone number you’re all man or you’re not a real man. (for verification purposes only) and question—all Again, you don’t owe them answers. correspondence will be kept strictly confidential.

If someone asks a question that feels Write Joey, 1124 Del Paso Boulevard, Sacramento, CA 95815; call (916) 498-1234, ext. 1360; or email invasive and disrespectful, call them on askjoey@newsreview.com. it. Say: “It sounds like you’re struggling 50

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04.18.19

by ROb bRezsny

de Beauvoir sent a letter to her lover, Aries author Nelson Algren. She wrote, “I like so much the way you are so greedy about life and yet so quiet, your eager greediness and your patience, and your way of not asking much of life and yet taking much because you are so human and alive that you find much in everything.” I’d love to see you embody that state in the coming weeks. In my astrological opinion, you have a mandate to be both utterly relaxed and totally thrilled; both satisfied with what life brings you and skillfully avid to extract the most out of it; both at peace with what you already have and primed to grab for much more.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): The Beat Generation of American poets arose in the late 1940s as a rebellion against materialistic mainstream culture and academic poetry. It embraced sexual liberation, Eastern spirituality, ecological awareness, political activism and psychedelic drugs. One of its members, Jack Kerouac, tweaked and ennobled the word “beat” to serve as the code name for their movement.

In its old colloquial usage, “beat” meant tired or exhausted. But Kerouac reconsecrated it to mean “upbeat” and “beatific,” borrowing from the Italian word beato, translated as “beatific.”

I bring this to your attention because you’re on the verge of a similar transition: from the old meaning to the new.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): “Scattered through the ordinary world, there are books and artifacts and perhaps people who are like doorways into impossible realms, of impossible and contradictory truth.” Argentinian author Jorge Luis Borges said that, and now I’m passing it on to you—just in time for your entrance into a phase when such doorways will be far more available than usual. I hope you will use Borges’ counsel as a reminder to be alert for everyday situations and normal people that could lead you to intriguing experiences and extraordinary revelations and life-changing blessings.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): The Free Will Astrology Committee to Boldly Promote Cancerians Success is glad to see that you’re not politely waiting for opportunities to come to you. Rather, you’re tracking them down and proactively wrangling them into a form that’s workable for your needs. You seem to have realized that what you had assumed was your fair share isn’t actually fair; that you want and deserve more.

Although you’re not being mean and manipulative, neither are you being overly nice and amenable; you’re pushing harder to do things your way. I approve! And I endorse your efforts to take it even further.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Many experts who have studied the art and science of running fast believe that it’s best if a runner’s legs are symmetrical and identical in their mechanics. But that theory is not supported by the success of Leo champion sprinter Usain Bolt. Because he has suffered from scoliosis, his left leg is a halfinch longer than his right. With each stride, his left leg stays on the track longer than his right, and his right hits the track with more force.

Some scientists speculate that this unevenness not only doesn’t slow him down, but may in fact enhance his speed. In accordance with current astrological variables, I suspect you will be able to thrive on your asymmetry in the coming weeks, just as Bolt does.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Virgo adventurer Jason Lewis traveled around the world using transportation powered solely by his own body. He walked, bicycled, skated, rowed, pedaled and swam more than 46,000 miles. I propose that we make him your role model for the next four weeks. You’re primed to accomplish gradual breakthroughs through the use of simple, persistent, incremental actions. Harnessing the power of your physical vitality will be an important factor in your success.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Curcumin is a chemical found in the plant turmeric. When ingested by

humans, it may diminish inflammation, lower the risk of diabetes, support cardiovascular health and treat digestive disorders. But there’s a problem: The body is inefficient in absorbing and using curcumin—unless it’s ingested along with piperine, a chemical in black pepper. Then it’s far more available. What would be the metaphorical equivalent to curcumin in your life? An influence that could be good for you, but that would be even better if you synergized it with a certain additional influence? And what would be the metaphorical equivalent of that additional influence? Now is a good time to investigate these questions.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): “I have the usual capacity for wanting what may not even exist,” wrote poet Galway Kinnell. How about you? Do you, too, have an uncanny ability to long for hypothetical, invisible, mythical and illusory things?

If so, I will ask you to downplay that amazing power of yours for a while. It’s crucial for your future development that you focus on yearning for actual experiences, real people and substantive possibilities. Please understand: I’m not suggesting you’re bad or wrong for having those seemingly impossible desires. I’m simply saying that for now you will thrive on being attracted to things that are genuinely available.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): “Sometimes I have kept my feelings to myself, because I could find no language to describe them in,” wrote Sagittarian novelist Jane Austen. I’m guessing you’ve had that experience—maybe more than usual, of late. But I suspect you’ll soon be finding ways to express those embryonic feelings. Congrats in advance! You’ll discover secrets you’ve been concealing from yourself. You’ll receive missing information whose absence has made it hard to understand the whole story. Your unconscious mind will reveal the rest of what it has thus far merely been hinting at.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): All over the world, rivers and lakes are drying up. Droughts are becoming more common and prolonged. Why? Mostly because of climate change. The good news is that lots of people are responding to the crisis with alacrity. Among them is an engineer in India named Ramveer Tanwar. Since 2014, he has organized efforts leading to the rejuvenation of 12 dead lakes and ponds. I propose we make him your role model for the coming weeks. I hope he will inspire you to engage in idealistic pursuits that benefit other people. And I hope you’ll be motivated to foster fluidity and flow and wetness everywhere you go. The astrological time is ripe for such activities.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): A blogger named Caramelizee offered her definition of elegance: “being proud of both your feminine and masculine qualities; seeing life as a non-ending university and learning everything you can; caring for yourself with tender precision; respecting and taking advantage of silences; tuning in to your emotions without being oversensitive; owning your personal space and being generous enough to allow other people to own their personal space.” This definition of elegance will be especially apropos and useful for you in the coming weeks.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): You have been summoning heroic levels of creative intensity.

You’ve been working extra hard and extra smart. But it seems that you haven’t been fully recognized or appreciated for your efforts. I’m sorry about that. Please don’t let it discourage you from continuing to express great integrity and authenticity. Keep pushing for your noble cause and offering your best gifts. I’m proud of you! And although you may not yet have reaped all the benefits you will ultimately sow, three months from now I bet you’ll be pleased you pushed so hard to be such a righteous servant of the greater good.

What is a stoners idea of a balanced diet? A joint in each hand!

04.18.19

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SN&R

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