The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors introduced a proposed ordinance on Tuesday that calls for a case-by-case threat assessment of events — including music raves — expected to draw 10,000 people or more on county property or in unincorporated areas.
The proposal will return to the board for consideration and possible adoption next week.
The county fair, as well as large-scale indoor events with assigned seating, are excluded from the ordinance because officials say they don’t pose the type of health and safety risks they fear.
The ordinance — which follows the drug overdose deaths of two teens who attended the HARD Summer music festival last August — calls for promoters to request a county threat assessment at least 120 days before any planned large- scale event.
If the assessment team determines that “there is a strong probability that loss of life or harm to the participants could occur,” then the promoter will be required to work with county staffers on an action plan to manage health and safety concerns.
The plan may limit capacity, ban or otherwise limit alcohol sales, set a minimum age of 18 or 21 for participants and detail medical and law enforcement resources required for the event.
Backpacks and large purses may be banned and searches of participants may be mandated.
The Electronic Music Festival Task Force offered these and other recommendations to improve safety.
Undercover police, drug-sniffing dogs and “amnesty boxes” for drugs may also be required at some events.
Some advocates warned the board during an earlier public hearing that undercover police and drug-sniffing dogs might lead some festival-goers to take all the drugs they have at once.
Residents living near the county fairgrounds in Pomona had pressed for a outright ban on music raves, citing the widespread use of alcohol and drugs and talking about finding kids passed out on lawns the day after a rave event.
Fairplex is the home of the county fair and dozens of other events, including swap meets, athletic events, car and dog shows and various expos. The county receives a share of revenues generated by such events.
Tracy Nguyen, an 18-year-old UCLA student from West Covina, and 19-year- old Katie Rebecca Dix of Camarillo died last August after attending the HARD Summer music festival at the Pomona fairgrounds.
The county coroner confirmed that Nguyen’s death was caused by an overdose of Ecstasy. Dix, a Cal State Channel Islands student, is also suspected to have died from a drug overdose.
Those tragedies were preceded by the overdose death of 15-year-old Sasha Rodriguez at the 2011 Electric Daisy Carnival at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. The Electric Daisy Carnival has since moved to Las Vegas.
