Residents Not Raving About Raves

County Supervisor Janice Rutherford proposed that the county end its agreement with Live Nation to host EDM events at the venue as the result of residents’ complaints of noise, trespassing, lewd conduct and public intoxication, according to The Sun.

LN and promoters Insomniac Events have organized the annual Nocturnal Wonderland and Beyond Wonderland at the amphitheatre since 2013. Numerous attendees have since been arrested, many requiring medical attention, and two people died of drug overdoses.

Two board supervisors were absent for the vote. The remaining three-member board encouraged county staff to negotiate with LN with the possibility of ending the raves at 11 p.m. instead of 2 a.m. The staff was directed to put together an agenda item suggesting a task force “similar to what the L.A. County Board of Supervisors recently approved” after two overdose deaths at Pomona Fairplex during the HARD Summer music festival, The Sun reported.

The board opposed the ban because of the revenue generated from the shows “helps other county parks and infrastructure.” Other supporters said in addition to revenue for the county the events offered employment. LN pays $1.4 million a year for the space, and the county receives a percentage of profits from ticket sales while employing “1,200 people in 10-hour shifts” during the shows, according to The Sun.

Some locals were repulsed by what they considered the “profits over people” mentality and said LN has been aware of the problems yet failed to take any action. If the missing board members want to terminate the contract with LN, the issue can be brought before the board for reassessment.