There will be no more rave-type events at the Cow Palace for the time being after the venue’s board of directors voted Tuesday to discontinue music and dance parties in the wake of a number of drug-related illnesses and deaths in recent months.
Local elected officials are pleased with the move, but say they still want more to happen to ensure safety.
"It’s a huge first step, and I applaud the board for taking the action they’ve taken,” Daly City Councilman David Canepa said.
"We still don’t know a year or two from now what’s going to happen,” Canepa said.
State Sen. Leland Yee, whose district includes Daly City, responded to the board’s decision in a statement.
"While I am pleased that the Cow Palace has placed a moratorium on these types of events, it is imperative that we find a long-term solution to ensure proper oversight, accountability and public safety.”
In late October, as many as 17 people were taken from Live 105’s "Subsonic Spookfest” at the Cow Palace to hospitals in San Francisco and San Mateo counties with alcohol- and drug-related illnesses.
Five months ago, nine people were hospitalized following the "etd.POP 2010” music festival on May 29. Two later died.
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Police suspect those illnesses were caused by overdoses of the drug ecstasy, Daly City police Lt. Jay Morena said in May. The overdoses sparked a debate among county officials and police about whether to institute a ban on electronic music events at the venue.
Undercover law enforcement officers from local, state and federal agencies, including the FBI, confiscated about 800 tabs of ecstasy from "etd.POP 2010” attendees, according to a resolution adopted by Daly City’s City Council last week.
The resolution requested that Assemblywoman Fiona Ma and Yee draft legislation that would give local authorities the power to regulate Cow Palace events.
"I want to make it law that Daly City has control over the Cow Palace,” Canepa said.
The venue is currently under state control.
He added that Tuesday’s action by the Cow Palace board of directors indicates there may not be much opposition to state legislation granting such control.
"I’d be very surprised if they were opposed to the bill,” Canepa said.
Cow Palace CEO Joseph Barkett was not immediately available for comment.
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