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.
Santa Barbara County’s Fire Department reported a 21-year-old man fell from a cliff off the 6700 block of Del Playa Drive in Isla Vista at around 2 a.m. on Saturday. The young man sustained moderate injuries and is recovering at Cottage Hospital, according to an X post from County Fire’s PIO account.
Much of Santa Barbara County experienced rain over the last two days — about 5 inches in South Coast areas according to data from the National Weather Service — and a flood watch is in effect through Saturday evening. Storms contribute to the rate of erosion in Isla Vista, which averages (across all weather days) 6 inches per year.
Second District Supervisor Laura Capps, whose district includes Isla Vista, thanked the first responders who undertook the young man’s rescue.
“We all feel the pain and trauma of these all-too-common cliff falls. These accidents are preventable; so many community partners are committed to ending them. In fact, I met with our new Chancellor just yesterday to discuss this very issue. He is in full agreement that we cannot risk one more life,” she said in a statement to the Independent.
No further information is available at this time on the young man’s condition.
Supervisors Capps has led the push to raise fence heights to six feet along the cliff to increase its safety. In November 2023, the Board of Supervisors voted to bring minimum fence heights along the bluff to six feet or higher on county land, and incentivize private landowners to do the same, waiving permitting fees for them. Some but not all landlords have done so.
Now, three young men have fallen from the cliffs in I.V. this year. In June Luke Ogburn, a UC Santa Barbara student and employee at Bagel Café, fell 30 feet and sustained critical injuries including a collapsed lung, a fractured pelvis, a broken clavicle and rib, facial fractures, and deep lacerations. In September, a young man who was not publicly identified fell 40 feet from near the 6500 block of Del Playa Drive, also sustaining critical injuries. The last death from cliff fall in Isla Vista was In April 2024, when 23-year-old UC Santa Barbara alumni Jacob Parker fell. Parker was the 14th cliff-related death in Isla Vista in the past 30 years.
The impact of erosion is visible on infrastructure on Del Playa Drive. Homes have been monitored for bluff failure, balconies have collapsed, and landlords have physically cut back their buildings. Earlier this month, a staircase leading to the beach at the end of Camino Pescadero partially collapsed as reported by the Daily Nexus. The Nexus reported that the stairs were damaged in a recent storm.
