Sketchy's real name is revealed to be Calvin Simon Theodore. Minus the C, that's the names of the three singing Chipmunks: Alvin, Simon, and Theodore.
Sketchy uses the line "the truth is out there" when talking about proving mutants (transgenics) exist after being questioned by government agents. The line was made famous by The X-Files (1993), a series about FBI agents investigating unexplained phenomena.
On hearing the excuse that Max is sick again, Normal sarcastically suggests it might be the bubonic plague. Bubonic plague has been endemic in northern California for almost a hundred years; meaning it is always there - mostly in deer, squirrels, and coyotes. In the U.S., about 10 people a year catch this once feared disease.