The Million-Dollar Halloween Party

Last year, Isla Vista turned into a ghost town on Halloween weekend after a minor rainstorm drenched the Central Coast. It cost the Sheriff’s Office $485,600. UCSB doled out $520,000 for law enforcement and events from donor funds, according to the university.

Authorities declined to estimate this year’s expenses, but hundreds of cops are expected to descend on Isla Vista streets. Of those, UCSB will contribute at least 80 police officers from other campuses. For the past several years, Halloween festivities produced hundreds of arrests and citations, chiefly for alcohol-related crimes, but they were considered relatively tame by authorities. Attendance levels have trended down in the past few years. In 2013, about 15,000 people showed up to Isla Vista. In the past year or so, the powers that be collectively launched a campaign to discourage residents from inviting their out-of-area friends from joining the party.

This year, UCSB’s Associated Students (AS) is bringing rapper, actor, and original cool Snoop Dogg to the Thunderdome for five bucks a ticket. According to UCSB spokesperson George Foulsham, the artist’s fee is to-be-determined as things are still being planned for this weekend. Last year, AS brought Young the Giant, which cost $60,000 from student fees.

Cars parked along three blocks of Del Playa, the 6500 block of Trigo, and a few blocks of Camino del Sur, Camino Pescadero, and El Embarcadero must move by Friday. For more information, AS created this handy info sheet.

According to Sheriff’s spokesperson Kelly Hoover, the department is implementing a zero tolerance policy. In particular, Hoover said, law enforcement will be looking for alcohol violations, as most I.V. crimes are alcohol-related. “Addressing violations early on can deter more serious crimes later,” she said.

In addition, Hoover said, California Highway Patrol will also bulk up its force to look for impaired drivers; UCSB students will set up water stations; fire investigators will break down parties that violate occupancy rates; a medical tent and triage center will be set up at the top of “the loop”; Emergency Medical Services will be standing by for hospital transports; and the mounted unit will be there to conduct crowd control.