LA Coliseum Commission Ends Rave Ban

Los Angeles - The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum Commission today reversed the moratorium it put on raves after the Ecstasy overdose death of a 15-year-old girl who attended the Electric Daisy Carnival at the stadium in June.

The Los Angeles Times reported the action Wedensday night on its website as "a surprise move."

Coliseum General Manager Pat Lynch told The Times commissioners acted after receiving an update about raves that were staged Aug. 21 and Oct. 23 at the Sports Arena, which is also overseen by the commission.

Both events were scheduled before the moratorium was enacted June 30, within 24 hours of teenager Sasha Rodriguez's death.

Lynch said commissioners were satisfied with measures that included hiring doctors and nurses to work at the rave site, enforcing a minimum age of 18 for attendees, and ending events at 2 a.m.

Lynch also said medical staff at the raves had reduced the number of transports to nearby hospitals, according to The Times.

"Our commissioners said we've established some fantastic parameters, so if these preventative measures work and other events have gone off well, then we can lift the moratorium," Lynch was quoted by The Times.

However, some public officials and one commissioner said they were surprised and dismayed by the vote, in part because they said they were not notified that action on the moratorium would be taken at today's commission meeting.

Rick Caruso, appointed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to serve on the joint city, county and state commission, called the decision to lift the moratorium "very disturbing," The Times reported.

Caruso, long opposed to raves at the Coliseum and Sports Arena, said he was "shocked that action was taken." He was absent from the meeting for a family event, and he said he understood beforehand no action would be taken today on the moratorium.

"I strongly disagree with the action of the commission," Caruso was quoted by The Times. "I think it's underhanded. It's not a legal issue. It's morally wrong."

Los Angeles Police Department Deputy Chief Pat Gannon, who expressed concern this summer about the amount of police resources it takes to manage drug arrests and unruly behavior at raves at the Coliseum and Sports Arena, also said he was concerned by today's commission action.

"We're committed to working with the Los Angeles Coliseum and the promoters to make these events -- be they football games, concerts or electronic music festivals -- as fun and safe as we can possibly make them," Gannon was quoted by The Times.

"However, I'm still concerned when it comes to the electronic music festivals, about the level of narcotics usage. The Coliseum, promoters, the police department, fire department, county health and others need to continue to work very hard to reduce the use of drugs such as Ecstasy that has such devastating effects on our young people."