Deltopia Not a Disaster

Considerably fewer people showed up Saturday to Isla Vista’s sixth annual street party known as Deltopia, but the number of arrests and citations — mostly alcohol-related — were close to the figures from last year when hundreds of rioters chucked bricks and bottles at cops firing tear gas and rubber bullets.

While about 10,000 people were present on Saturday, authorities deemed Deltopia tame compared to last year’s turnout of 25,000. Plus, on Saturday, the crowd had downsized to about 500 people by 9:30 p.m., according to Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Kelly Hoover. In 2013, the crowd was between 15,000 and 18,000 at that time.

Hundreds of law enforcement officials from a host of agencies such as the UC Police Department and the state’s Alcoholic Beverage Control agency assisted in the efforts. Students made an effort to discourage out-of-towners from traveling to I.V., according to Hoover.

The university held on-campus events during the day and evening and sent out letters to area junior high and high schools to discourage teenagers from attending. Hoover said that an ordinance restricting music after 6 p.m. and the parking permit program in neighborhoods in Goleta were both helpful in controlling the event.