Sasha Rodriguez

How Pasquale Rotella Built His Rave Empire

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

'Bad Ecstasy' Rumors Are B.S.; Even Pure Molly Kills

Four suspected ecstasy overdose deaths on the East Coast in the last week have put the drug, long popular in rave-crazed Los Angeles, back in the headlines. One of the first reactions among ravers and even some medical professionals sympathetic to the substance also known as MDMA or molly is that w ... More >>

Raves Should Be Able to Return to L.A. Coliseum, Garcetti Says

When he takes office in a few weeks, Eric Garcetti will become L.A.'s first EDM mayor. EDM stands for electronic dance music, for those of you who don't know. You see, Garcetti is hip. He's the only mayoral candidate in our memory to hold a fund-raiser in a superclub (Avalon Hollywood) with a super ... More >>

Raves: Insomniac Posts Rebel Response To L.A. Times Ecstasy-Deaths Story At ... 4:20

The nation's biggest electronic dance music promoter fired back at the Los Angeles Times after the paper reported that several people have died after attending Insomniac Events and Go Ventures parties. The L.A. promoter argued that the paper's description of "deaths ... linked to Ecstasy or similar ... More >>

NFL Failures, EDM Greed and Massive Corruption: The Inside Story of the L.A. Coliseum Scandal

10 Raver Deaths in 5 Years: Ecstasy Often Blamed

A Canadian doctor who wants to legalize ecstasy says the drug is safe and that it's only the adulterated version of MDMA you find on the street that can kill you. But doctors at Los Angeles emergency rooms have told us that pure ecstasy can kill, including causing vital oxygen deprivation to organs ... More >>

Ecstasy Is Safe, Dr. Perry Kendall Says: He's An Idiot

A Canadian doctor flew off the deep end this week when he declared that pure ecstasy was essentially safe. While many still debate the safety of MDMA, the jury is still out -- and there's plenty of anecdotal evidence, including deaths in Los Angeles, the rave capital of the nation, to promote cauti ... More >>

Sasha Rodriguez, Late Teen Whose Family Sued Rave, Sneaked Into Electric Daisy Carnival

Updated at the bottom with county leader Mark Ridley-Thomas saying the settlement between Rodriguez's family and the Coliseum should seal the deal for the end of raves at the venue. First posted at 1:05 p.m. Thursday. The 15-year-old girl whose family sued and settled with the L.A. Coliseum and the ... More >>

Sasha Rodriguez's Post-EDC Rave Death: Parents Settle With Promoter, L.A. Coliseum

Rewritten throughout to reflect confirmation from the family's attorney. The parents of Sasha Rodriguez, a 15-year-old girl who died of an ecstasy overdose after attending 2010's Electric Daisy Carnival rave at the L.A. Coliseum, have come to a settlement with the venue and the promoter after they ... 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 >>

Jimmy Luong, L.A. Ecstasy Kingpin, Gets 22 Years Behind Bars

And then there was agony. Jimmy Luong, a 30-year-old from Monterey Park, was somewhat of an Ecstasy kingpin in these parts, responsible for the distribution of at least 1 million pills in just a few months' time, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office in L.A. Now he'll be living in a cell ...

Raves Safety Act Provides Extra Educational Materials, Water in Case You Die

Colin Young-WolffRavers in Vegas.​After a 15-year-old died following an ecstasy overdose at an L.A. rave last year, a lawmaker sprung into action and proposed banning the parties at public venues like the Coliseum, where teen Sasha Rodriguez saw her last night out. But this is a great lesson ... More >>

Raves Might be Reined in Under Fiona Ma's Bill, Which Just Passed The California Legislature

Fiona.​The same day that the family of a teenager who died of an ecstasy overdose after attending an L.A. rave filed suit against public officials, San Francisco state assemblywoman Fiona Ma saw her raves-safety bill pass the legislature. It just needs Gov. Jerry Brown's signature to go into l ... More >>

Raves Might be Reined in Under Fiona Ma's Bill, Which Just Passed The California Legislature

Fiona.​The same day that the family of a teenager who died of an ecstasy overdose after attending an L.A. rave filed suit against public officials, San Francisco state assemblywoman Fiona Ma saw her raves-safety bill pass the legislature. It just needs Gov. Jerry Brown's signature to go into l ... More >>

Rave Promoter, L.A. Coliseum Being Sued by Parents of Ecstasy Overdose Victim Sasha Rodriguez

Sasha Rodriguez.​Updated with reaction from the promoter, whose attorney calls the suit "completely without merit." First posted at 11:29 a.m. The parents of late teenager Sasha Rodriguez, who died of an ecstasy overdose after attending 2010's Electric Daisy Carnival rave at the publicly run ... More >>

Electric Daisy Carnival Sees Two More Possibly Ecstasy Related Deaths Connected to its Dallas Parties

Kevin TodoraEDC Dallas.​Updated with revised statement from EDC's promoters, at the bottom. Two more deaths have been possibly linked to Electric Daisy Carnival, the L.A.-bred rave that has been under fire following the death of 15-year-old Sasha Rodriguez at the Los Angeles party last year a ... More >>

Electric Daisy Carnival Death in Dallas Prompts Vegas Official to Call For Reevaluation of Policies Related to Rave's Move to Sin City

wfaa.comDallas raver Andrew Graf died at EDC -- the second teen to do so in a year.​At least one Las Vegas official says "policies and procedures" related to an L.A. promoter's controversial rave in that city next weekend will be "reevaluated" following the death of a teenager at the Dallas ed ... More >>

Rave Ban at California-Run Venues is Off: Assemblywoman Fiona Ma to Introduce Compromise Rules For Parties Tomorrow

SF Weekly photo illustrationFiona Ma, center, as a raver.​Updated after the jump: Fiona Ma officially waters down her bill, calls it the "Raves Safety Act." A state assembly committee passes the bill. It looks like a proposed ban on raves at state-owned venues will be watered down and allow t ... More >>

Raves: Controversial Electric Daisy Carnival to be Held at Las Vegas Motor Speedway?

Caesar SebastianThe scene at EDC.​Unconfirmed reports have L.A.'s controversial Electric Daisy Carnival rave happening at the Los Vegas Motor Speedway the weekend of June 24. The rave discussion board Plurlife is buzzing with the news, and the Los Angeles Examiner website says it's true but o ... More >>

Raves: L.A. Coliseum and Sports Arena Parties Such as Electric Daisy Carnival Could be Done For Good

EDC: Massive.​As the most controversial rave pulled out of the publicly owned L.A. Coliseum for June, it seems possible that the parities are finished at the stadium and its sister venue the L.A. Sports Arena. The promoter of the 14th annual Electric Daisy Carnival announced late Thursday tha ... 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: Pro-Marijuana Group Drug Policy Alliance Supports Coliseum Raves and L.A. County's How-to-Take-Ecstasy Fliers

Caesar SebastianRavers at Electric Daisy Carnival.​The Drug Policy Alliance, an influential pro-marijuana group that supported the pot legalization initiative in California last year, is backing the L.A. County Department of Public Health's controversial how-to-take ecstasy fliers that were to ... 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 >>

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 >>

Overdose Victims at Next Electric Daisy Carnival Rave Will be Held On-Site and Kept Away From L.A. Emergency Rooms

Does this guy need to visit the emergency room? A scene at Electric Daisy Carvinal 2008, posted at the website Ravelinks.​One of the scarier aspects of public officials' attempts to whitewash some of the seedier facets of raves (young people passed out, overdosing and in need of physicians' ca ... 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 >>

Electric Daisy Carnival Cut To 75,000 Ravers

EDC ravers.​By Dennis RomeroThe officials who control the publicly owned Los Angeles Coliseum on Wednesday gave the green light to a controversial annual rave, Electric Daisy Carnival, with the caveat that only 75,000 ravers are allowed per day.That's down from the 100,000 who crammed into the Col ... More >>

L.A. Promoter Of 'Electric Daisy Carnival' Rave Likely To See Lawsuit Over Ecstasy Death Of Underage Teen Sasha Rodriguez

Sasha Rodriguez.​A lawyer representing the family of a 15-year-old girl who died from an ecstasy overdose following a summer rave at a publicly run venue in L.A. told the Weekly the parents expect to sue the promoter, Insomniac Events, along with the Los Angeles Coliseum Commission. "When we ... More >>

Ravers Say 15-Year-Old Overdose Victim Sasha Rodriguez, Parents Are To Blame For Her Death And The Subsequent Controversy Over The Massive Parties In L.A.

Electric Daisy Carnival ravers.​Our story this week about how the family of a 15-year-old girl ecstasy-overdose victim filed a $5 million claim against the city and county of L.A. has drawn a lot of passionate response -- mostly against the teen's parents. Sasha Rodriguez died a few days afte ... More >>

California Anti-Rave Legislation Moving Forward

Raver Fiona: They used to call it "empathy," you know.​Update: The bill was "read" on Monday and remains on "active" status. See the deets here First posted at 1:03 p.m. Despite reports elsewhere, the Anti Raves Act of 2011 bill by San Francisco Democrat Fiona Ma is moving forward, her spokes ... 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 >>

Megaraves in the News

Death, Money and Megaraves

Why Los Angeles politicians embrace a growing Ecstasy phenom that kills

Top 10 LA Weekly News Stories Of 2010: Sex, Drugs, One Absurdly Long Tongue And The 'Attempted Lynching' That Shook Los Angeles

Swam2dayWe get it: You like your news with a side of sexy​How better to determine the Top 10 news items of the year in our wonderfully fucked-up, always aggravating but certainly never boring City of Angels than by raw click count? The following stories may not be the most important of the y ... More >>

Ravers Take To Facebook To Protest Proposed Law That Would Ban Raves On Public Land In California

Ravers at Electric Daisy Carnival, held at the publicly owned Coliseum.​Updated after the jump with responses from the lawmaker herself. First posted at 8:38 a.m. Ravers got on their feet this week to "protect your right to dance" after a state lawmaker proposed a ban on raves at public venue ... More >>

Death Of L.A. Teen Raver Sasha Rodriguez Inspires Assemblywoman Fiona Ma To Propose Statewide Rave Ban

Sasha Rodriguez.​The L.A. Coliseum Commission voted earlier this month to let the raves go on at the publicly run Coliseum and Sports Arena. A San Francisco assemblywoman begs to differ when it comes to the safety of the events. Legislation introduced this week by Assemblywoman Fiona Ma, a D ... More >>

The Next Electric Daisy Carnival Rave At The Los Angeles Coliseum Will Have To Be Approved By Politicians

Electric Daisy Carnival.​We reported how the Los Angeles Coliseum Commission made a sneaky move and voted to lift its temporary ban on raves earlier this month when no one was looking (and when some of its more rave-wary members were clearly unable to attend). Well, the body on Wednesday gave ... 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 >>

Will.i.am's New Say-No-To-Ecstasy PSA : Your Tax Dollars At Work

blackeyedpeas.com​Via Dennis Romero and our own Informer blog: L.A. County's Department of Public Health taps the Black Eyed Peas' Will.i.am and Deadmau5 collaborator Kaskade for an anti-ecstasy PSA to prevent future incidents like the death of Sasha Rodriguez at June's Electric Daisy Carnival ... 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 >>

Mother Of Sasha Rodriguez, Girl Who Died Of Ecstasy Overdose Following A Night At Electric Daisy Carnival Rave, Says Teen Didn't Know She Was Taking E

Facebook.Sasha Rodriguez didn't know she was taking E?​Sasha Rodriguez is the young raver who might have changed everything, but not before losing her life to ecstasy. After attending L.A.'s Electric Daisy Carnival in June the 15-year-old died of an apparent ecstasy overdose. Her mother, Grac ... More >>

'EDC' Raver Teen Sasha Rodriguez Died From Ecstasy Use

FacebookSasha Rodriguez.​The death of a 15-year-old girl a few days after she attended the controversial Electric Daisy Carnival Rave in June was ruled to have been the direct result of ecstasy use, according to the Los Angeles County Coroner's office. Sasha Rodriguez died of "complications o ... More >>

Following Post-Rave Death Of Teen, U.S. Attorney's Office Cracks Down On Alleged Ecstasy Ring; $17 Million In Pills Seized

U.S. Attorney's OfficeTuan Vu, at-large.​Fifteen suspects were indicted this week following a federal investigation in the Los Angeles area that led to the seizure of 1.1 million tablets of ecstasy -- $17 million worth, the U.S. Attorney's Office in L.A. announced Thursday. The U.S. Attorney i ... More >>

Has Teen Sasha Rodriguez's Death Following 'Electric Daisy Carnival' Put A Chill On L.A. Raves? One Venue Pulls The Plug

​Operators of a public venue pulled the plug on an Eastside rave this weekend, ostensibly as a result of unruliness at the massive Electric Daisy Carnival event at the Los Angeles Coliseum -- and the subsequent death of a 15-year-old girl who had attended the party. The Whittier Daily News re ... More >>

Teen Girl Who Died After Attending 'EDC' Rave Likely Took Ecstasy

FacebookSasha Rodriguez.​The 15-year-old girl who died after attending last month's Electric Daisy Carnival rave took one dose of ecstasy, according to people close to the girl or her friends. One friend told LA Weekly that Sasha Rodriguez took one ecstasy pill and then collapsed. Another you ... More >>

Autopsy On Body Of Teen Who Died After Attending 'EDC' Rave Completed; Results Deferred

Ravers at 'EDC.'​An autopsy on the 15-year-old girl who died after attending an Exposition Park rave was completed this week but the results were "deferred," a county coroner's official told the Weekly. Sasha Rodriguez died at Los Angeles hospital Tuesday after she attended the two-day Electr ... More >>

Raves Temporarily Banned At Los Angeles Coliseum Following Problems At Electric Daisy Carnival

​ 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. The president of the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum Commission has temporarily banned raves at the venue following the d ... More >>