This article was underwritten in part by the Mickey Flacks Journalism Fund for Social Justice, a proud, innovative supporter of local news. To make a contribution go to sbcan.org/journalism_fund.
Chances are if you meet someone who lives in Isla Vista, they rent; 97 percent of residents do, according to Santa Barbara County. And in the college town’s narrow streets are many, many rental units. Isla Vista is dense, with census estimates putting more than 13,000 people in about half a square mile.
The Isla Vista Community Services District (IVCSD), a local point of contact for I.V. residents, runs a free rental mediation program, available in both English and Spanish, to help tenants and landlords resolve conflicts that arise. That program has grown and now includes an option to receive legal expertise.
This expertise, said Sydney Castaneda, IVCSD’s assistant general manager, can help answer questions on lease agreements, tenants rights, and eviction rights, as well as educating people on housing laws.
A growing community demand for clear understandings of tenants’ and landlord rights motivated this expansion, Castaneda said, adding that the mediation program has seen an increase in disputes related to lease terms, problems with security deposit returns, and complaints about the habitability of the units themselves.
These increased concerns align with wider discussions of rental units in Isla Vista. In January, the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors gave approval for the development of a pilot rental inspection program in response to what Supervisor Laura Capps’s office called dangerous rental conditions in some units. Elsewhere, students and homeowners have expressed both the need for more housing options and caution at several housing projects that will add density without parking to the area’s already compacted, narrow streets.
The mediation program itself seems to be on track for increased use. Castaneda said that the program generally helps resolve about 30 disputes each year. Since February, with the introduction of legal expertise, staff have already worked with 16 cases.
For mediation or legal advice, community members can sign up online here or via email at islavistamediation@gmail.com. Meetings for mediation, Castaneda said, generally run from between 60 to 90 minutes, depending on the issue at hand. Legal expertise can take about 30 minutes to an hour. If someone wants to pursue legal action, IVCSD provides referrals and connections to attorneys for cases. The program does not offer legal counsel.
Castaneda said IVCSD plans to continue to fund this program with its expansion. The program costs about $10,000 each year. This year, IVCSD received a $5,000 grant from Supervisor Capp’s office to help fund the expansion.
