Santa Barbara Supervisors Grant License for Sanctioned Deltopia Alternative ‘Soltopia’ 

---

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 Board of Supervisors granted the Isla Vista Community Services District (IVCSD) the license required to host a large-scale spring festival on April 4. The festival, which will cover the area within and around Embarcadero Loop, will include live music performances and deejay sets and free food from local restaurants. The festival organizers will allow a maximum of 9,000 people in the festival area at a time; 8,000 wristbands for the festival will go to locals.

During the meeting’s public comment period, Myah Mashhadialireza, the district’s Community Programs and Engagement Director, said the event will provide dozens of restrooms, four medical stations, four safety tenants, and several drinking water stations. 

“This event is an example of how creating infrastructure that meets the community where they’re at, rather than restricting them into what we want them to be, is how we drive sustainable solutions,” she said. 

Private security officers as well as Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office deputies will be present in the festival area.  

Last month, Santa Barbara’s supervisors approved a noise ban for the first weekend of UCSB’s spring quarter — called Deltopia weekend among many Isla Vistans. Deltopia, a large unsanctioned block party, brought 25,000 people to Isla Vista last year, according to reporting from UCSB’s student paper The Daily Nexus. 

The Sheriff’s Office, along with medical professionals and Isla Vista locals, told the supervisors in January that Deltopia is often dangerous and destructive. Isla Vista Foot Patrol Lieutenant Joe Schmidt said that in the last two years, the event has cost County Fire and the Sheriff’s Office more than $465,000 in overtime costs. 

The noise ban means no loud music can be played through the 72-hour period spanning the weekend, effectively shutting down the party. 

Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office announced last month that it plans to enforce the ban with a “zero tolerance” approach, issuing citations and arrests for violations of the law. The Sheriff’s Office has also suspended its restorative justice program for violations for the duration of the weekend. 

A few long-term residents of Isla Vista spoke or wrote in public comments for this Tuesday’s meeting. They expressed concerns about the proposed festival, saying it was outside of the jurisdiction of the community services district to host it. One public commenter said that the district should not spend a significant amount of money on a spring break party. 

Mashhadialireza said that the solution to the safety issues Deltopia causes is not to restrict partying completely, but to support a healthy change.

“I’ll use fad dieting as an example,” she said. “The more you restrict, the more you binge. If you make a lifestyle shift and support yourself along the way, you’ll see change that lasts the test of time.” 

The community services district and UCSB’s Associated Students are putting forward the bulk of the money to fund the event. At the Board of Supervisors meeting, IVCSD’s general manager, Jonathan Abboud, said the community services district plans to use $140,000, from revenue generated by its utility user’s tax. He said the Associated Students have put forward $140,000. 

Supervisor Capps, whose district includes Isla Vista, moved to approve the license for the permit; it passed unanimously.