warning Hi, we've moved to USCANNENBERGMEDIA.COM. Visit us there!

Neon Tommy - Annenberg digital news

Rave Ban Across California Called For By Assemblywoman Fiona Ma

Paresh Dave |
December 22, 2010 | 12:14 p.m. PST

Executive Producer

UPDATED 6:50 p.m. with comment from Insomniac and 2:15 p.m. with comments from Ma's spokesman.

Electronic music events commonly regarded as raves could not be held at public venues and could be regulated at private locations, under legislation introduced Tuesday by State Assemblywoman Fiona Ma (D-San Francisco).

The proposed law, AB 74 or the Anti-Raves Act of 2011, would end controversy in Los Angeles sparked by the death of a 15-year-old girl who overdosed on Ecstasy at the Electric Daisy Carnival in June. Raves seem to come hand in hand with illicit drug use, with Ecstasy being one of the favorite drugs. The event was held at the Los Angeles Coliseum, and the public commission that oversees the storied venue has struggled to reach a consensus on how to limit the number of people ended up at hospitals after raves.

A month before EDC, two people died at a rave in Daly City's Cow Palace--an area which Ma represents. Dozens of people require medical attention at each event, with more overall attendees generally leading to more hospitalizations.

“Raves are a state-wide problem and require a state-wide approach,” Ma said in a statement e-mailed to the press. “It’s time that the legislature says enough is enough and provide law enforcement with the tools to shut down events that have displayed a pattern of fostering youth drug use.”

She said raves are too taxing on the resources of law enforcement and emergency medical responders. Bay Area law enforcement officials pushed the idea of outlawing raves, and her bill comes partly in response to their worries. Her bill could be debated in committee next month. Ma plans to work with rave promoters, county officials and first reponsders to amend the bill as necessary.

Insomniac, one of the leading electronic music event promoters, said there's nothing criminal about such events.

"We are disappointed with the assemblywoman’s decision to introduce a bill that ignores our First Amendment rights," Insomniac founder Pasquale Rotella said in a press release. "We share her concerns about safety and that’s why we have worked so closely with local government and law enforcement to develop effective guidelines for safe events.”

Insomniac put on the Electric Daisy Carnival. The company's next event--Together As One--is hosted on New Year's eve at the Los Angekes Sports Arena in partnership with fellow promoter Go Ventures.

Assemblyman Mike Davis, who represents the Exposition Park area where the Coliseum is located, was not available for comment because most of his staff is on vacation until Jan. 3. A call was placed to State Senator Curren Price, who also represents the Exposition Park area, and he's deciding whether or not to comment. On Tuesday, Price was part of a group that halted the state's sale to USC of several acres of land under the Coliseum and Sports Arena. A spokesman for Ma said both Davis and Price have been asked to help improve the bill.

The legislation proposed by Ma would make it a misdemeanor to hold a public event between sunset and sunrise that features prerecorded music and lasts more than 3.5 hours. The punishment would be a fine of "$10,000 or twice the actual or estimated gross receiptsfor the event, whichever is greater."

Those with a business license to run "a bar, club, theater, entertainment venue, or other similar business, or to conduct sporting events" would be exempt. A spokesman for Ma said the intent is to bar raves at abandoned warehouses or other businesses that do not specifically exist to hold large entertainment events.

The Cow Palace, which is owned by the state, and the Los Angeles Coliseum and Sports Arena, which are owned jointly by the state, County of Los Angeles and City of Los Angeles, would not be exempt. Anyone who holds a rave at these venues, even with approval, would face the criminal charges.

For all of the publicly-owned venues, electronic music concerts appear to be very important income-generator. For the cash-strapped Sports Arena, three events a year bring in several thousand dollars in rent.

The federal government has attempted to pass a handful of measures during the last decade to curb raves and the use of club drugs such as Ecstasy, but only the least stringent of the legislation has become law.

Cities such as Toronto, Chicago, Seattle, San Francisco and New Orleans have explored or enacted regulations on raves during the past two decades, but this appears to be the first-ever statewide proposal.

Ma hopes her proposal will also bring out reports from other cities in the state that may be having underreported problems with raves.

For our previous coverage of raves, click here.

Reach executive producer Paresh Dave here. Follow him on Twitter: @peard33.



 

Buzz

Craig Gillespie directed this true story about "the most daring rescue mission in the history of the U.S. Coast Guard.”

Watch USC Annenberg Media's live State of the Union recap and analysis here.

 
ntrandomness