Listening to the Moms for More Safety in Isla Vista

When I was 12, the age my son is now, my dad carpooled me and my neighbor friends to Santa Barbara Junior High. He’d drop us off on busy Cota Street and routinely call after me, “Be careful crossing streets!” I’d nod my head, embarrassed, hoping no one else could hear. But now I totally get it.

As a parent you spend most of your waking hours of your kid’s first years of life trying to keep them alive by preventing accidents; you’re constantly thinking about things that never occurred to you before — choking, falling, cars, drowning, electrical plugs — you name it. Those worries fade, thank goodness, but never really go away.

So many people have been working to make the bluffs of Isla Vista safer for years and years — much longer than I have. They tell me that the accidental death of Benny Schurmer over the Labor Day weekend hit them particularly hard. Perhaps it is because this is now the 13th fatality we know of on those very cliffs, with the dangerous trend increasing to nearly one a year. Perhaps it is because he was so young — just 19 years old — with such a bright future ahead of him as the upcoming star in theater production at Santa Barbara City College (SBCC). Or perhaps it is because it gives us all that sinking feeling that if it could happen to Benny, it could happen to anyone. Our kids.

Understanding that there are a variety of factors leading to these accidents — including impaired judgment from drugs and alcohol — my team and I are 100 percent committed to doing what is possible to prevent another fatal fall. Working in close partnership with the Isla Vista Community Service District, we are pursuing an eight-point plan to move swiftly and take common sense actions.

I have learned so much from a few of the mothers who have lost their children, and I am grateful for their advocacy and courage. This plan is informed by these moms as well as other caring members of the community who have reached out to share their constructive ideas.

I heard firsthand from students that higher fencing is the top priority to prevent cliff falls. It’s simply too easy to hop a four-foot fence, which is the current requirement. Increasing fence heights to at least six feet is common sense, plain and simple. I will be bringing this regulation change to the Board of Supervisors on November 7. If passed, it will apply to both county land and private property owners by providing incentives.

The next seven components of my eight-point plan are described in detail at my 2nd District website: countyofsb.org/1668/Second-District. To summarize: they include better lighting, since all the accidents happened at night; more secure warning signs, since many get torn down as silly souvenirs; effective horticulture that prevents people from trespassing; bathrooms so that people don’t use the cliffs as a place to relieve themselves; a memorial to honor the lives lost and serve as a searing reminder of the dangers; increased education in partnership with SBCC and UC Santa Barbara; and regulatory changes to give existing law enforcement more tools to stop perilous situations from happening, without increasing their presence.

The elephant in the room of this discussion is the role that alcohol and drug use have played in some of the cliff falls. There are many efforts to promote responsible behavior and personal safety, particularly during events like Deltopia and other gatherings. After 13 fatalities and far too many injuries to count, it is clear that education alone is not sufficient to prevent accidents. This comprehensive plan proactively addresses immediate safety concerns while complementing ongoing educational efforts by providing an additional layer of protection to residents and visitors, regardless of their state of sobriety or awareness. To me, rather than a reason not to make changes, impaired judgment is the rationale to increase safety.

As expressed so beautifully from one of the mothers of a young man who died, Ana Esquivel: “It’s easy to blame the victims, but that will only guarantee more victims. It’s time for action — for better fencing, for investments to be made by the property owners and the county for policy decisions that prioritize the welfare of the young people who help fuel the local economy, and for those who have lost kids to these cliffs to know by your actions that their beautiful children did not die in vain.”

On this issue, just like when we were all young, I hope we listen to the moms.