Coliseum Commission

How Pasquale Rotella Built His Rave Empire

The man behind EDC is not going away, felony charges be damned

L.A. Coliseum Fallout Continues

When John Sandbrook took over the scandal-plagued Coliseum, he found himself in battle with a media-savvy pol.

Nedy Warren, Unsung Hero Of Coliseum Scandal, Wrote Investigative Report That Led To Corruption Charges

This week's L.A. Weekly cover story goes behind the scenes of the L.A. Coliseum scandal.The story details how Pat Lynch, the former general manager, became entangled in financial misdeeds with Tony Estrada, a Cuban-born janitorial contractor who claimed to be working for the CIA.Portions of the stor ... More >>

Rave Promoters Got Low, Even No Rent at Publicly Run Coliseum as They Raked in Millions in Ticket Sales

Updated at the bottom: L.A. County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas says this just shows that it's time to do away with the Coliseum Commission. First posted at 11:54 a.m. Rave promoters at the publicly run L.A. Coliseum and Sports Arena paid decreasing rents as they raked in millions in ticket revenu ... More >>

Rave Promoters Reza Gerami, Pasquale Rotella Plead Not Guilty in Coliseum Corruption Case

Updated at the bottom with indictment details from the District Attorney's office. First posted at 12:22 p.m. Defendants in the corruption scandal at the L.A. Coliseum today pleaded not guilty today. Indictments, the details of which had yet to be revealed to the press, targeted rave promoters Rez ... More >>

Rave Culture Implicated, Wrongly, in Case Against L.A. Coliseum Promoters

In its prosecution of two electronic dance music promoters and four others for alleged corruption at the L.A. Coliseum, the office of Republican District Attorney Steve Cooley also nearly indicted rave culture itself. Cooley, also known for his stance against medical marijuana dispensaries, almost ... More >>

Rave Promoters Paid Millions to L.A. Coliseum Union Workers Under the Table and in Cash, Sources Say

Timothy NorrisYoung faces at the 2009 Electric Daisy Carnival.​More than $2.5 million in cash was paid to union hands who worked concerts, mostly controversial raves, at the publicly run L.A. Coliseum and Sports Arena, according to sources and documents obtained by the Weekly. On Tuesday lawy ... More >>

Top 5 Douches of 2011, L.A.-Style: Kobe Bryant Breaks The Color Barrier

rorjnd.com​This is Los Angeles, douche capital of the world. When you talk douche here, you have a lot to talk about. So it wasn't easy chosing our Top 5 douches of the year. L.A. can go douche-for-douche with just about any global metropolis -- even New Jersey. Perhaps the only place on ear ... More >>

Rave Promoters Gave $40,000 to City Leader Bernard Parks' 4th of July Event: Money Magically Came Off Their L.A. Coliseum Bills

Cesar SebastianRavers at the L.A. Sports Arena.​L.A. city Councilman Bernard Parks has been an ardent supporter of the four-times-a-year raves that were fixtures at the publicly owned L.A. Coliseum and Sports Arena since 1998. Parks, a former LAPD police chief, is a law-and-order guy through- ... More >>

Bernard Parks' Office Owes L.A. Coliseum $40,000 For Fireworks Party: Councilman is a Critic of Venue's Shady Finances

Kim Smith​Updated at the bottom with a response from Parks' office. L.A. Coliseum officials are looking into a $40,000 bill left unpaid by the office of city Councilman Bernard Parks following one of his annual 4th of July community parties at the venue. Documents outlining the outstanding d ... More >>

L.A. Coliseum Commission to Consider Self-Destruction After Rave Scandal: Mark Ridley-Thomas Calls For Discussion on Dissolution

When ravers met politics.​It was one almighty party -- a two-day rave that pulled in 160,000 people, saw 60 arrests, and witnessed more than 200 medical emergencies. And it was the last memory for a 15-year-old girl who soon after died of an ecstasy overdose. In the wake of the controversy ov ... More >>

Reza Gerami, Owner of Rave Promotion Co. Go Ventures, Sees Home, Office Raided in Coliseum Investigation

Go VenturesReza Gerami.​District Attorney's investigators raided the home and office of rave promoter Reza Gerami, owner of Go Ventures, as part of its look into alleged improprieties at the publicly run L.A. Coliseum. Authorities served search warrants at his Malibu home and West Hills offic ... More >>

Electric Daisy Carnival Rave Wants to Return to L.A: After Hollywood Near-Riot 'Los Angeles Times' Says Hell No

Dennis RomeroCops vs. ravers on Hollywood Boulevard.​We here at the Weekly have gotten some shit for affiliating the premier of a documentary about the controversial Electric Daisy Carnival rave with the chaos that ensued outside the theater last week. EDC organizers say a DJ's free performan ... More >>

Electric Daisy Carnival Rave to Stay Away From L.A. For Five Years

Caesar SebastianEDC.​If a report is true, it looks like the L.A.'s controversial Electric Daisy Carnival has left town for a long time. The website Electric Visions reported over the weekend that EDC's promoter has committed to a five-year contract to hold the annual event at Las Vegas Vegas ... More >>

No Experience Needed to Work Security at Controversial 'Electric Daisy Carnival' Rave in Vegas

Caesar SebastianRavers at EDC.​If you're still looking for work after nearly three years of economic malaise in Southern California, a controversial L.A. rave promoter might have a job for you. An recent ad in Craigslist states that a crowd management company is hiring 700 security guards, ti ... More >>

Rave Promoter Insomniac Claims Troubled 'Electric Daisy Carnival' Had Greater Impact on L.A.'s Economy Than NBA All-Star Weekend

Caesar SebastianRavers at EDC.​A study commissioned by a controversial rave promoter claims that its troubled Electric Daisy Carnival last summer "boosted economic output in Los Angeles by almost $42 million" and had a bigger economic impact on L.A. than the NBA All Star game. The study, cond ... More >>

Raves: Parties, Sporting Events Will Need Special Vote to Happen at L.A. Coliseum, Sports Arena: Venues Get New Temporary Chief, Too

Kids at the coliseum.​Each and every rave -- if there are any more -- will have to be approved by the Coliseum Commission before they can take place at the L.A. Coliseum or Sports Arena. That was the decision of the commission this week as it continued to deal with the fallout from last summe ... More >>

Raves: Underage Drinking, Alcohol Violations Alleged at Electric Daisy Carnival

Caesar SebastianDancing at Electric Daisy Carnival.​More than eight months after the ecstasy hangovers faded, June's Electric Daisy Carnival rave is still making waves. The California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control says this week that it has filed actions against the L.A. Coliseum a ... More >>

Raves: Electric Daisy Carnival Leaving L.A. Coliseum For Las Vegas

Caesar SebastianElectric Daisy Carnival.​Update: City council candidate Forescee Hogan-Rowles is claiming victory over raves, after the jump. See our piece about how raves could be finished at the L.A. Coliseum and Sports Arena here. After a thorough shellacking over their controversial 2010 ... More >>

L.A. Coliseum Commission CEO Patrick Lynch Resigns After he Let Manager Double Dip as Employee of Rave Promoter

Matthieu AubreyRavers love lasers: We're guessing Patrick Lynch doesn't.​Update: Late Tuesday afternoon the Coliseum Commission met behind closed doors and voted unanimously to accept the resignation of CEO/general manager Patrick Lynch; Ronald Lederkramer, the venue's director of finance, wa ... More >>

Coliseum Manager Todd DeStefano Hired Lobbyist to Represent Pro-Rave Argument in City Hall

Caesar SebastianA dancer at Electric Daisy Carnival.​The L.A. Coliseum manager who was doing double duty working for the embattled promoter of controversial raves there had also hired a lobbying firm to fight for organizer's right to throw these parties. L.A. City Ethics Commission website sh ... More >>

Raves: Coliseum Commission Calls Special Meeting Over CEO Patrick Lynch Following Coliseum Manager's Double Dipping With Rave Promoter

Electric Daisy Carnival.​You might call it a Lynch mob, at least if the job of Los Angeles Coliseum general manager Patrick Lynch is up in the air tomorrow. The Coliseum Commission has called a special meeting to discuss his employment after it was revealed that the Coliseum events manager, T ... More >>

Was Coliseum Manager Todd DeStefano Also Responsible for Making Sure IDs Were Checked at Electric Daisy Carnival, Other Raves?

Ravers at the L.A. Coliseum.​One of the bigger issues with raves at the publicly owned L.A. Coliseum and Sports Arena has been underage party-goers. Even some of the most ardent rave proponents admit that having 15-year-olds overdose on ecstasy, as was the case for Sasha Rodriguez at the Colis ... More >>

Raves: Coliseum Commissioner Rick Caruso Says Rave Ban Back on the Table, Electric Daisy Carnival Still up in the Air

The crowd at EDC.​Following revelations that the L.A. District Attorney's office is investigating an L.A. Coliseum official for working on the side for a rave promoter who's been lobbying the public venue to continue his controversial events there, Coliseum Commission member Rick Caruso says a ... More >>

L.A. Coliseum Manager Todd DeStefano Took Money Working For Electric Daisy Carnival Promoter Even As Raves Were on Thin Ice With His Bosses

Caesar SebastianA dancer at Electric Daisy Carnival.​We thought the review of plans for the next Electric Daisy Carnival megarave was a little too cozy at the Coliseum Commission last week. Police, fire and, yes, L.A. Coliseum officials fell over themselves to declare how safe and legit the ec ... More >>

Raves: L.A. County Leader Mike Antonovich Wants to Pull Plug on How-to-Take-Ecstasy Education Fliers

Raver down at Electric Daisy Carnival.​After LA Weekly brought them to light, an L.A. County leader has asked its Department of Public Heath to stop distributing fliers that essentially teach young people how to trip on ecstasy more safely. The fliers tell ravers to "aim low (dose AND frequen ... More >>

L.A. District Attorney Probing Public Employee Todd DeStefano, Coliseum Manager Who Also Was Paid by Rave Promoter on the Side

Caesar SebastianElectric Daisy Carnival.​The Los Angeles District Attorney's office is looking into possible wrongdoing in the relationship between a public official who helps oversee the L.A. Coliseum and a rave promotion company that puts on events at the venue. "Our Public Integrity Divisi ... More >>

Raves: Forescee Hogan-Rowles, Challenger to Bernard Parks' South L.A. Seat, Says He Should Block Upcoming Electric Daisy Carnival Rave

Councilman Bernard Parks says yes to raves (but he doesn't call them that).​No other politician in town has spoken up for raves like city Councilman Bernard Parks has. In his role as a member of the Coliseum Commission, which runs the publicly owned L.A. Coliseum and Sports Arena, he has been ... More >>

Raves: Electric Daisy Carnival Promoter Bans LED Lights at Upcoming L.A. Area Parties

raveprints.comA raver enjoys a light show at 2007's Electric Daisy Carnival.​L.A.'s embattled mega-rave promoter Insomniac Events has banned bright LED lights from its parties, stating that they present a negative image of the events when "groups of music fans are sitting or lying on the floor ... More >>

How to Take Ecstasy: L.A. County Health Officials Teach You How

Raver down at Electric Daisy Carnival in 2008.​One of the more bizarre aspects of officials sanctioning raves at the publicly owned L.A. Coliseum and Sports Arena is that Los Angeles County health authorities have actually embarked on a campaign to teach young people how to take ecstasy safely ... More >>

Raves: How Do You Get L.A. Politicians to Get Behind Parties and Ecstasy? Here's How ...

Caesar Sebastian / InsomniacRavers at 'EDC.'​It was a day of magical thinking Wednesday at the L.A. Coliseum, where officials essentially said yes to another edition of a two-day rave that saw 60 mostly drug-related arrests, more than 200 medical emergencies and the ecstasy-related death of a ... More >>

Raves: Controversial Electric Daisy Carnival Expanding to 3 Days at the L.A. Coliseum This Year?

EDC expanding to three days?​Update: A representative of the promoter says the party will only happen two days (despite the venue calendar, after the jump). The lies, half truths and wool-covered eyes have been in full effect this week as public officials reviewed and renewed plans for a cont ... More >>

Raves: Controversial 'Electric Daisy Carnival' Planned for June to Get a Look-See by L.A. Coliseum Officials

The crowd at 'EDC.'​Los Angeles Coliseum officials will take a look at plans for June's Electric Daisy Carnival rave next week. The Coliseum Commission will likely give the plans a thumbs up or down. The two-day party, which drew about 160,000 people to the publicly owned venue last year, dre ... More >>

Raves: USC President C.L. Max Nikias Warns Students Not To Attend Ecstasy Parties

Young people at Electric Daisy Carnival.​USC's president this week warned students to stay away from raves, which take place four times a year at the adjacent Coliseum and Sports Arena. The events have earned public scrutiny after a 15-year-old ecstasy overdose victim attended Electric Daisy ... More >>

Raves Will Likely Go On If USC Buys L.A. Coliseum, Sports Arena

Ravers.​USC is hoping to the buy the nearby Los Angeles Coliseum and Sports Arena from its public owners -- the city, county and state. But that probably won't change the controversial raves hosted and both venues four times a year. USC's woman in charge of land management, Kristina Raspe, to ... More >>

Red Medicine's Medicine

#TAO: Not All IDs Were Checked At L.A. New Year's Eve Rave Despite Orders From Officials; 33 Mostly Drug-Related Arrests Made At Party

Caesar Sebastian / Insomniac EventsTogether As One 2010.​After months of deliberation, criticism and debate, the officials who run the Coliseum and Sports Arena allowed controversial raves at the venues to go forward, but with strict new guidelines: That each person entering is at least 18, an ... More >>

Family Of Late Teen Sasha Rodriguez Files $5 Million Claim Against City, County For Allowing Electric Daisy Carnival Rave To Happen

FacebookSasha Rodriguez.​This was bound to happen. The family of a 15-year-old girl who died after attending a rave on ecstasy has filed a $5 million claim against the city and county of Los Angeles. June's Electric Daisy Carnival was held at the publicly owned Los Angeles Coliseum, which is ... More >>

Lawmaker Fiona Ma, Who Wants To Ban Raves At Publicly Owned Venues, To Go Raving Herself

Her raver name is Assembly Speaker Pro Tempor-E.​Fiona Ma, the San Francisco assemblywoman who wants to ban raves at publicly owned venues in California, is going raving. That's according to our sister publication SF Weekly, which reported last week that the Democrat, who would outlaw the par ... More >>

62 Medical Emergencies, 25 Arrests Related To New Year's Eve Rave '#TAO' At L.A. Sports Arena

christinaaabla'Together As One' goes off at the Sports Arena.​Updated after the jump with a statement from the event's co-promoter. First posted at 2:31 p.m. Saturday. See a video clip about 2010's megarave controversies here. Ecstasy-fueled parties at public venues like the L.A. Sports Arena ... More >>

Death, Money and Megaraves

Why Los Angeles politicians embrace a growing Ecstasy phenom that kills

200 Extra LAPD Officers Deployed At Sports Arena Raves: You're Paying

Coliseum CommissionElectric Daisy Carnival.​Updated after the jump with corrected numbers for the cost of officer deployments at raves and with a rough estimate of Electric Daisy Carnival's revenues. First posted at 12:58 p.m. Raves attract crime. That much is clear. So do football games, roc ... More >>

Will.i.am To Star In Los Angeles County Public Service Announcement About Ecstasy And Raves

blackeyedpeas.comWill.i.am says let's NOT get e-tarded.​We're not sure if e-tards will look at a public service announcement and renounce their drug-taking ways, but your tax dollars will be put to work to that end anyway. The county of Los Angeles is producing a public service announcement t ... More >>

SoCal Public Commission Made A Sneaky Move In Approving Raves At L.A. Coliseum, Sports Arena

Coliseum CommissionRavers filled up the Coliseim for Electric Daisy Carnival.​So the public body known as the Coliseum Commission made a move this week that surprised a lot of people: It gave the green light to raves at taxpayer-run venues including the Los Angeles Coliseum and the Sports Aren ... More >>

Raves Back On At Los Angeles Coliseum, Sports Arena

Coliseum CommissionElectric Daisy Carnival brings big money to a public venue.​Looks like the taxpayers might have been snookered on this one: The Los Angeles Coliseum Commission unexpectedly voted Wednesday to allow raves to be held at its venues -- the Coliseum and the Sports Arena included ... More >>

Monster Massive Rave In L.A. Sees As Many As 40 Arrests, 37 Medical Emergencies

Ravers are under the microscope in Los Angeles.​It was a spooky scene for as many as 40 people who were put in the back of police cars at the Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena, where the annual Monster Massive rave attracted about 16,000 other law-abiding dance music fans. The arrests were mo ... More >>

Pasquale Rotella, Promoter Of Controversial 'EDC' Rave, Claims Success In San Bernardino With 'Nocturnal'

Curious Josh​Updated with photos from Curious Josh. First posted at 9:08 a.m. The promoter of summer's controversial Electric Daisy Carnival in Los Angeles says that despite the fear of ecstasy-crazed kids overrunning such public venues, his other parties have gone off without a hitch. His la ... More >>

Eighty Arrested At Exposition Park Rave Called 'Love Festival'

​More than 80 people were arrested, most for suspected drug offenses, at an Exposition Park rave over the weekend, police said. The number of injuries was hard to calculate because the promoter used private ambulance crews to help treat and transport patients. The Love Festival was billed as ... More >>

Los Angeles County Calls For Moratorium On Raves At The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum

View photos from the mega-rave in the "Electric Daisy Carnival: 60 Most Memorable Moments" slideshow and "Electric Daisy Carnival: The greatest show on earth?" slideshow. Twitpic​Following the death of a 15-year old girl at a weekend rave at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles Cou ... More >>

Unsung Heroes of Rams Football Integration

Greg Nelson seeks historic status for Washington, Strode and Harding