Rave Debate Continues

Another member of the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum commission has stepped forward to voice displeasure over a recent decision to overturn a moratorium on raves at the facility.

Los Angeles County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky, in addition to Commissioner Rick Caruso, said there was no advance notice the moratorium would be lifted during a recent meeting the men missed, according to the Los Angeles Times.

The moratorium was put in place after a teen concertgoer died during the Electric Daisy Carnival in June and the two commissioners apparently feel the public wasn’t adequately alerted of the vote.

“This is not going to be the last time this is discussed at the commission,” Yaroslavsky told the paper. “I want people to have an opportunity to be heard.”

Officials that did attend the meeting were updated regarding two recent raves at the Los Angeles Sports Arena that were scheduled before the ban. They were reportedly satisfied with increased safety measures at the events that included doctors and nurses on site, 18-and-older crowds and 2 a.m. curfews.

Commission VP David Israel defended his decision to lift the moratorium to the Times.

“It’s delusional to think that electronic dance festivals aren’t going to occur. What I want to prevent happening is for them to return to back alleys and warehouses,” he said, adding that the potential loss of revenue didn’t play into the commission’s decision.

Caruso wasn’t so certain.

“They are scraping the bottom of the barrel to get events,” he said. “But we don’t have to do things that are foolish. The Coliseum is a great venue. We should be more competitive.”