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Rave Legislation Proposed After Bay Area Deaths At Cow Palace

SACRAMENTO (KCBS) _ Legislation will be introduced in Sacramento Wednesday afternoon that would establish strict safety guidelines for raves and other large events on state-owned property. It comes in response to several deaths last year, including a few at the San Francisco Bay Area landmark, Cow Palace.

KCBS' Anna Duckworth Reports:

Each of the 37 fairgrounds that are publicly owned by the state, are run by their own governing board, which means that each has different rules for holding public events.

"Last year, for example, at the Los Angeles Coliseum, there was no age limit, which lead to the death of a 15-year-old, and many folks under 21 overdosing," said Assemblywoman Fiona Ma.

After the 15-year-old girl's death, and the deaths of two young men who went to raves at the Cow Palace, Ma began work to establish statewide standards. The standards would require each facility's board to ensure several criteria are met ahead of time.

"There are regulations on the ratio of police officers, how to control drug use, health and safety concerns such as the accessibility of free water, and of course whether it's an age-appropriate event," said Ma.

The standards would apply to events with 10,000 or more people.

(© 2011 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

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