Be it an electronic or general music festival, safety of attendees should be at the top of any event organizer’s priority list. In standing with that ideology, the LA County Board has decided that it will play an active role in maintaining and handling any live entertainment event with more than 10,000 attendees. With the city’s past of unfortunate events at festivals such as Hard Summer, it seems that law enforcement and festival organizers are better off teaming up now more than ever.
Hilda Solis, chair of the city’s Board of Supervisors, stated, “The health, safety and well-being of all attendees are of paramount importance and these measures are a step in the right direction to ensure this.” While some Pomona residents supported banning electronic music festivals on the county land all together, these regulations are a great meeting point between those opposed to the festivals and those who love and enjoy the atmosphere created by live music events.
The board plans to draft and implement a “case-by-case” legislation that would allow them to require heightened law enforcement, a higher abundance of water resources, stricter age limits, educational materials and other safety measures before approving an event. Interim director of the LA County Department of Public Health Cynthia Harding noted, “This allows for flexibility, as well as for more restrictions on those events that need to be tighter to protect health and safety.”
Live events that possess a lower possibility of loss of life or harm to participants are less likely to be as regulated as those that do, according to Mary Wickham, lead county counsel. One thing is for sure: the safety of civilians should always be of the utmost importance.
Source:Â San Gabriel Valley Tribune
