Prosecutors to review L.A. Coliseum official's employment with rave company

Prosecutors will investigate whether any laws were broken when a top official for the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum Commission helped plan and oversee security and emergency services for a huge rave while also working as a paid consultant for the company producing the event.

The Times reported Wednesday that Todd DeStefano, who was the commission's longtime assistant general manager for events, went to work for the rave producer about two months before last June's Electric Daisy Carnival, which was marred by numerous drug overdoses and the death of a 15-year-old girl.

A spokeswoman for the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office said Wednesday that authorities there would investigate the circumstances surrounding DeStefano's double employment. He quit the commission's staff in January.

In an interview Wednesday, Coliseum Commissioner Rick Caruso called for the resignation of Patrick Lynch, the commission general manager who gave DeStefano permission to work for the company, Insomniac Inc.

"The Coliseum Commission was lied to by our staff about how the security for the raves was planned," Caruso said. "We have now learned the fox was guarding the hen house, since the staffer in charge of planning security was also secretly working for the rave organizer."

Telephone calls to DeStefano and Lynch for comment Wednesday were not immediately returned.

RELATED:

L.A. Coliseum official also worked for rave firm

-- Andrew Blankstein, Ron Lin and Paul Pringle

Photos: Top, Todd Stefano at a Los Angeles Coliseum Commission meeting on Feb. 2. Bottom, Rick Caruso at the same meeting. Credit: Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times

Comments

[the Q]

I remember in the 80s, after and SC football game, someone was assaulted and killed walking back to their car.

Thank god the Colisseum commission decided to ban all football games after that because of this senseless act and we haven't had football there for the last 3 decades.

Ummm, wait, this just in....you mean we have had football by the Rams, Raiders and Trojans since that murder????

Oh, yeah, thats right, it must have been because one of the commissioners at the time used to play football right???

And I see they no longer play basketball games at staples center after the gruesome riots attendant with the Lakers winning the title....

[Woodward and Bernstein]

The LA Times has a responsibility to cover all angles, but unfortunately there’s a thinly-veiled agenda at work here…

Bernard Parks has vehemently defended these music festivals for the fiscal benefits, as have the Fire and Police departments. Where are those voices? www.neontommy.com/news/2011/02/bernard-parks-defends-against-rick-carusos-criticism-raves-public-venues

Ahhh, but the LA Times loves Rick Caruso because he’s worth $2 billion, owns half of LA (both Groves), and will likely be our future Mayor. www.dailynews.com/news/ci_16146673

And Rick Caruso is on the Board of Trustees for USC. www.usc.edu/about/administration/trustees/

So it’s no real surprise that the President of USC put out this memo for students to avoid raves...two months after a student fell to his death following a rave. Does it usually take a college president two months to write a memo, or was it because the meeting about continuing Electric Daisy was only five days away? www.ktla.com/news/landing/ktla-usc-raves-warning,0,3642701.story

And if Electric Daisy is shut down, the Coliseum would no longer operate in the black. The state and city would then sell it off, at a discount, to...wait for it...USC. http://losangeles.cbslocal.com/2010/12/08/usc-could-become-coliseum-sports-arenas-new-landlord/

Bottom line: Rick Caruso wants to squash this rave, to close the Coliseum, so it’ll be sold to USC, who will be a major ally in Caruso’s bid to become Mayor of Los Angeles, where the city’s biggest newspaper is struggling to stay afloat. This guy is just the latest scapegoat. It’s despicable to me that these politicians are using Sasha Rodriguez, the USC student, and the general safety of all kids as a facade to cover their own agendas. Shame on you for perpetuating their efforts, LA Times.

[Robert]

Really? Someone actually planned security for that travesty? Maybe this guy should be prosecuted for criminal incompetence, as well as corruption and negligent homicide.

[Robert]

Do people really think making money at the Coliseum is important enough to turn it into an open-air drug market where children die? Better to shut the thing down than to make the whole city complicit in these "festivals."

[Carma Dillon]

There is this common business practice call "due diligence". You failed.

[Raf]

That 15 year old girl was gonna die sooner or later when a 15 year old goes to a RAVE that kid is half way in his/her grave so its not DeStefanos fault or the coliseum fault its the "kid" and the Parents to be blamed for.

[dirty club promo]

DeStefano sure looks like a guy who is above board.. Yep, uh-huh...

[notdeadyet]

I'm sorry that your kids aren't smart enough to either abstain from drugs or be responsible with them. Not fair that everyone else is losing a venue. If these kids aren't ODing here, they'll do it somewhere else. It's not like EVERYONE at EDC died.

Those kids showed up with money that they probably got from their parents to buy drugs or they were given to them by friends. Children shouldn't even BE there in the first place. And of course, the underage girls are always the ones who are dressed in almost nothing (referred to as prostitots).

Talk to your kids about age-appropriate activities... how to dress... and give them the drug talk.

Stop blaming your faulty parenting on everyone else.

Sincerely,

WENT TO EDC AND DIDN'T DIE

[The Answer]

Raves should be banned period. It is impossible to control the crowds of brain dead young people that attend these mindless events.

[Donald Russell]

How can these people talk about "drug use" at a rave when they just tried to legalize drugs, or at least A drug, just a few months ago. The reality is these kids who are doing the drugs are going to do it no matter if its a rave, concert, or some other event. It sucks that someone died, but bad things happen sometimes, and when they do, you find the problem and correct it. These raves have been going on for years with no deaths, and you don't shut them down because ONE happens. I guess next we should close Disneyland because someone died on a ride, or maybe cancel Christmas and New Years Eve because someone gets killed by an idiot drunk driver. Banning it from its current location also won't change anything either, since all we are doing forcing it to a new location.

[Marc]

The Commission employee in charge of security planning was also an employee of the private company that had to pay for security. This was blatant.

[drzoon]

there is only one thing that happens at a Rave...

everyone gets high and tries to survive the evening (into the next morning).

for the life of me... i have no idea why in the world the city would be in the Rave business!!!!!

they should ALL BE SUED to here and back! (every last commissioner who voted for this or was absent for the vote)

WHAT IN THE WORLD IS GOING ON NOW DAYS?

(and you don't go to a football game to get high... or a basketball game either "Q". that is just a numbskull thing to say)

[drzoon]

after reading a few of these brainless comments insinuating that its "alright" to use drugs and to keep the city in the business of providing a venue for it..

SHUT IT DOWN... SHUT IT ALL DOWN.... and who cares if it goes broke? What is the price we are paying? its not even a question that needs to be answered and now i'm motivated to get involved in some serious letter writing and get in the face to face conversation at some of the commissioners at the meetings.

i'm a parent.... two young boys... and this is parenting. you're right whoever said its up to the parents. so .... this will be the parenting. its time for parents to shut this down ... and NOW.

[kgoddess]

This at least gives the APPEARANCE of something corrupt. However, I believe it is wrong to issue a flat out ban on raves.

[ShannyP]

So far we have heard one side and the headline and subsequent meatless story certainly sell; however it seems rather apparent - Caruso is looking for a scapegoat to launch his political career and the LA Times is just desperate enough to accommodate.
A little girl died and this is a tragedy, but to shamelessly attempt to lay it at the feet of one person in order to establish your lackluster political chops is a harmful abuse of tragedy only trumped by those who would provide a bully pulpit for this worthless and transparent sleaze...
Where was Caruso's proactive input prior to the festival? I wonder how many Coliseum Commission Meetings Caruso actually bothered to attend? Is his only answer to shut down a festival that fills up downtown hotels and businesses and provides jobs and pleasures to tens of thousands? Is Caruso a problem solver, or is he and desperate politicians like him only contributing to the problem? It's apparent the only person he is representing is himself.
Let's get real LA - we are greater than this and headlines and slanted news stories won't define us... our intentions and actions will. It's not up to the Rick Caruso's of this world to establish what is and what isn't a proper cultural event. We are a huge and diverse city capable of hosting huge and eclectic events. The only way to make them safer is to learn from them and evolve them - not to turn tail and run, because Rick Caruso wanted to make a name for himself. Peace and Prosperity - ShannyP!

[Marcus Bush]

So good, I had to post it again. Thank you Woodward and Bernstein:

"The LA Times has a responsibility to cover all angles, but unfortunately there’s a thinly-veiled agenda at work here…

Bernard Parks has vehemently defended these music festivals for the fiscal benefits, as have the Fire and Police departments. Where are those voices? www.neontommy.com/news/2011/02/bernard-parks-defends-against-rick-carusos-criticism-raves-public-venues

Ahhh, but the LA Times loves Rick Caruso because he’s worth $2 billion, owns half of LA (both Groves), and will likely be our future Mayor. www.dailynews.com/news/ci_16146673

And Rick Caruso is on the Board of Trustees for USC. www.usc.edu/about/administration/trustees/

So it’s no real surprise that the President of USC put out this memo for students to avoid raves...two months after a student fell to his death following a rave. Does it usually take a college president two months to write a memo, or was it because the meeting about continuing Electric Daisy was only five days away? www.ktla.com/news/landing/ktla-usc-raves-warning,0,3642701.story

And if Electric Daisy is shut down, the Coliseum would no longer operate in the black. The state and city would then sell it off, at a discount, to...wait for it...USC. http://losangeles.cbslocal.com/2010/12/08/usc-could-become-coliseum-sports-arenas-new-landlord/

Bottom line: Rick Caruso wants to squash this rave, to close the Coliseum, so it’ll be sold to USC, who will be a major ally in Caruso’s bid to become Mayor of Los Angeles, where the city’s biggest newspaper is struggling to stay afloat. This guy is just the latest scapegoat. It’s despicable to me that these politicians are using Sasha Rodriguez, the USC student, and the general safety of all kids as a facade to cover their own agendas. Shame on you for perpetuating their efforts, LA Times."

^^^TRUTH^^^

[Tim]

@ DRZOON -

Its just asinine to think that these promoters would spend millions of dollars to organize these events simply as a place for people to do drugs ... in turn they cannot be blamed when the attendees make the conscious decision to do drugs since the promoters do their best ( Well more than their due diligence ) to keep illegal substances out and warn the crowd about the dangers of drug use.

It makes no sense to think any promoter would risk everything just to provide a bunch of strangers a place to get high. HELLO! These are not fly by night business's ... they are million dollar corporations!

Now considering that these events are all 18+ now the type of NAZI parenting you want to enforce doesn't make any sense either. What would though is ifParents like yourself actually spent the time to PARENT and LOVE your children so they make positive decisions and do not feel the need to do drugs.

You probably know as well as I do that even the best parenting cannot keep every kid from experimenting with things as they grow up. This is still not a reason to stop music events since the EVENTS ARE NOT THE REASON PEOPLE DECIDE TO EXPERIMENT!

Now I would keep going here but you obviously lack the common sense and intelligence to understand these things!

I feel sorry for your children!

[kuruc]

rave on, let the kids enjoy themselves!

[H Bird]

Rick Caruso wants to be mayor. He is a rich politician who thinks that this will get him the office. His "holier than thou" attitude is arrogant and self serving.