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Rave ban lifted at LA Coliseum, Sports Arena








John Hartung

EXPOSITION PARK, Calif. (KABC) -- The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum Commission has lifted the ban on raves at the stadium and the nearby L.A. Sports Arena.

The rave ban was lifted Nov. 3, but the vote was taken in the absence of at least two panel members were missing at that meeting, some of whom are greatly opposed to the idea of holding raves in Exposition Park, especially after the death of an underage girl who was let into a rave over the summer.

The Coliseum Commission met at 2:30 p.m. Wednesday to discuss whether or not the moratorium should be lifted. However, a vote was note made.

Those who did not get a chance to vote on Nov. 3 said they were not notified of such a vote.



"We're having a lot of discussion and paperwork about how many police, how many paramedics, how many doctors, how many nurses," said Commissioner Rick Caruso. "Why are we planning that knowing that the likelihood of somebody getting hurt or dying is very high?

"I know there's a revenue connection to this, but the revenue connection that the Coliseum needs does not outweigh justify the risks."

The Los Angeles Police Department and the Los Angeles County Task Force said they were also not aware of such a vote.

In its defense, the commission said new safety measures have been put in place, including more thorough checks of IDs and having medical personnel on standby during the events. But the changes have not satisfied opponents.

In a statement, Pasquale Rotella of Insomniac Events, which puts on the raves, said, "We are very pleased with the decision of the Coliseum Commission to once again allow Electric music festivals at the Coliseum and Sports Arena. It is clear that the Commission recognized the effectiveness of the new safety measures that we have already implemented, including thorough checks of identification and having medical personnel on standby during the events."

At the Electric Daisy Carnival held at the Coliseum in June, the minimum attendance age was 16, but younger teens were making their way in, including 15-year-old Sasha Rodriguez. She unknowingly ingested the drug Ecstasy that night and died as a result.

City News Service contributed to this report.

(Copyright ©2010 KABC-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.)



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