USE EXISTING LAWS TO ADDRESS PARTIES

County Misplaces Focus In Drafting New Ordinances

In its short-sighted effort to restrict raves -- all-night dance parties,
featuring teens and young adults, that have a reputation for being havens
for easy access to drugs -- the Riverside County Board of Supervisors has
missed the mark.

Supervisors have directed staff to draft an ordinance in an attempt to
limit the parties, which some believe are synonymous with techno dance
music and the illegal drug Ecstasy.

If raves are such a concern, county authorities should be directed to
better enforce existing laws rather than creating new ones that can't -- or
won't -- be enforced.

Supervisors need to determine if it's the dance parties that are the
problem or the illegal drug activity. If it's the latter, there are laws to
deal with that.

The county should make it abundantly clear through enforcement efforts that
drug activity will not be tolerated and that violators will be prosecuted.

In the supervisors' rush to create more bureaucracy, they've lost sight of
the bigger issue, ignoring Nicole Hughes, a senior at Calvary Bible
Christian High School and a 4th District youth council member.

She was the only one who provided a voice of reason.

"The county is focusing on the wrong thing," Hughes said. "I think we need
other resources in the desert to have fun because there's nothing else to
do here."

Therein lies the real challenge for county supervisors. They're taking the
easy way out by creating new and unenforceable laws. It looks like they're
doing something, but in fact, they are ignoring the real issue.

Statewide, the adolescent population is expected to increase about 36
percent in the 10 years ending in 2005.

Riverside County's increase is projected at nearly 47 percent, according to
Children Now, an Oakland-based children's advocacy group.

Like it or not, the county must focus on this growing population because
they are the future population of Riverside County.

The county and its youth would be better served if supervisors focused less
attention on creating red tape and more attention on developing a
comprehensive strategy to enhance the quality of life for its youth.

With a racially and economically diverse teen-age population in the county,
there isn't a quick-fix, one-size-fits-all solution. It will be
challenging, even downright difficult, although not impossible. It will,
however, be worth it.