Ban on Raves at LA County Venues to be Considered by Supervisors After Two More Deaths

A ban on rave festivals at Los Angeles County venues will be considered Tuesday by the board of supervisors in the wake of two apparent overdose deaths Saturday at the Fairgrounds in Pomona.

"Obviously this is a great concern and it is very tragic," said Supervisor Hilda Solis, whose district includes the fairgrounds and also West Covina, home of Tracy Nguyen, 18, one of the two young
women who were attending the Hard Summer Festival when they collapsed.

Another woman, identified as 19-year-old Katie Rebecca Dix of Camarillo, died of a suspected overdose in a separate case.

"One patron was suffering from cardiac arrest and the other from possible seizure symptoms," according to a statement issued by the event organizers.

There had also been a death one year ago, when the festival was held at the County's Whittier Narrows Recreation Area. A coroner's autopsy determined that Emily Tran, 19, of Anaheim, died of acute intoxication of the recreational drug MDMA, commonly known as "ecstasy" or "Molly."

The drug is popular among a subculture of rave devotees because it can enhances sensations, said psychiatrist Lawrence Genen, MD, founder of the Genen Group. But there are serious consequences and dangers, including disruption of  the body's ability to regulate temperature, potentially more so during daytime at outdoor summer festivals, said Dr. Genen.

Joined by the acting director of County Public Health and the acting County Counsel, Supervisor Solis said she would introduce a motion "to explore prohibiting these kinds of events on County-owned land until we conduct a full investigation into this issue."

Autopsies are pending for the two women who died Saturday.

Whether to permit electronic music festivals at public facilities previously was considered back in 2010, after the overdose death of a 15-year-old at the Electric Daisy Carnival at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. The Commission which operates the Coliseum imposed a ban on such events, which was temporarily lifted when county supervisors adopted guidelines to improve safety
and discourage drug use. Regardless, the ban on raves in the Coliseum was later reinstated.

Solis and acting County Counsel Mary Wickham said they could not comment on whether organizers of the weekend event adhered to the county guidelines, or whether that was even required in the contract.

Festival goers said message boards at entry declared illegal substances were not permitted, and that on entry everyone was searched for contraband. Patrons were told to discard opened items, such as beverages and packages of gum and cigarettes.

"You can't bring anything in," said Justin Flores, 18, of Highland Park. "I can't believe how anyone got anything in."

Flores did not that security and inspections seemed to be even more strict when the festival reopened Sunday, the morning after the deaths.

The fairgrounds property in Pomona is owned by the county of Los Angeles, but operated under lease by the nonprofit organization known as Fairplex. It in turn contracted with the promoters of
Hard Summer. Its parent company is Live Nation Entertainment, one of the major players in live music events.

Fairplex and Live Nation both made statements offering condolences to the families and friends of the deceased. But neither responded to requests for comment after Solis raised the issue of a ban.

Festival goers reacted strongly, arguing that it's not fair to punish those who don't use drugs.

"Everyone I know was there for the music," said Theresa Orellana, 20, of Orange County. "It's like a huge family of strangers coming together.

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