3 hours ago
1
The co-founder of the pot farm where migrant kids as young as 14 were working has dolled out thousands of dollars to Governor Gavin Newsom and other local Democrats, records show.
Graham Farra is co-founder and president of Glass House Farms in Ventura County, the largest pot farm in California, which had been lauded as a pioneer in “green” — that is environmentally friendly — cannabis.
ICE rounded up 361 undocumented workers last Thursday, including 14 underage kids – eight of them unaccompanied — in a raid that turned violent after protestors clashed with agents and one worker died after falling from a greenhouse.
Farra previously donated to various Dem candidates and causes in the Golden State, including giving $10,000 to Gavin Newsom in 2018.
He also donated to the Santa Barbara County Democratic Central Committee’s federal PAC and Rep. Salud Carbajal (D-CA), campaign finance records show.
He was even photographed presenting an oversized check to local school officials for a scholarship fund, the LA Times reported in 2019.
“Glass House has never knowingly violated applicable hiring practices and does not and has never employed minors,” the farm’s parent company, Glass House Brands, posted to X.
“We are focused on taking care of our people and our plants,” Farrar himself said in an X post reported by FOX News before it was deleted.
Glass House Brands, co-founded by Farra and Kyle Kazan, had a market cap of $300 million last year, according to business blogger Alejandro Cremades.
Kazan is a former cop and teacher, and the company says he supports President Trump, according to the LA Times.
The company did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
It has built its brand on claims of using sustainable and ethical business practices, including low-carbon, water-sustainable farming methods.
“It’s a saga of passion, perseverance, and a profound belief in the positive impact of cannabis on individuals and society,” Cremades wrote of Farra’s career.
But the federal government tells a different story — at least when it comes to labor practices.
Assistant DHS Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said the conditions for the children looked “like exploitation, forced child labor, and potentially human trafficking or smuggling while facing assault and even gunfire.
Mexican illegal immigrant Juan Duarte-Velasquez, who had a rape and DUI conviction, was also arrested on one of the farms.
Newsom did not immediately respond to the Post’s request for comment on the donation by Farrar.
He did blast FOX News’ coverage of it, pointing out the outlet’s ties to the Trump administration.
“Sure is rich for Fox News and the Trump Admin to point to campaign donations to Democrats, when in fact, the CEO is a Trump supporter who donated to my recall and has given to more Republicans,” the governor posted to X.
English (US)