A memorial for cliff fall victims will be installed at Walter Capps Park in Isla Vista. At least 14 people have died after falling from the cliffs along Del Playa Drive.
A memorial for cliff fall victims will be installed at Walter Capps Park in Isla Vista. At least 14 people have died after falling from the cliffs along Del Playa Drive. Credit: Rebecca Caraway / Noozhawk photo

Isla Vista will establish a memorial for the 14 people over the decades who have died after falling from the cliffs along Del Playa Drive.

On Tuesday, the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors approved $20,000 in funding for a memorial at Walter Capps Park that will include a bench, a kiosk with photos of the cliff fall victims, and educational materials on bluff safety.

The funding comes from the office of Second District Supervisor Laura Capps, who has been working to improve cliff safety since the death of 19-year-old Santa Barbara City College student Benny Schurmer in September 2023.

“Every one of the 14 young people we’ve lost to the Isla Vista bluffs represents a family and a community carrying an unimaginable loss,” Capps said. “We can’t change what happened, but we can choose what we do with that grief.”

Thousands of UC Santa Barbara students live in Isla Vista, the neighboring community to campus, and many of the cliff fall victims have been local college students or recent graduates.

Walter Capps Park will have a dedicated path leading visitors to the memorial. Along with a bench and photos, the memorial will include a stone that reads: “In loving memory of those we have lost — may their light continue to guide us to care for and protect one another.”

New 6-foot fence height requirements along the Isla Vista bluffs are part of a safety campaign for the community adjacent to UC Santa Barbara.
Six-foot fence height requirements along the Isla Vista bluffs are part of a safety campaign for the community adjacent to UC Santa Barbara. Credit: Rebecca Caraway / Noozhawk photo

The funding closes the gap needed to fund the memorial installation. The Isla Vista Community Services District contributed $15,000 to the memorial, and UCSB’s Associated Students and the Isla Vista Tenants Union contributed $10,000, according to Capps’ office.

“This memorial will give families and friends a place to remember their loved ones while helping future generations understand the very real dangers of the bluffs,” Capps said. “I’m proud to support this community-led effort and to help turn remembrance into action that can help save lives.”

The memorial has been designed by the families of cliff fall victims, UCSB students, the Isla Vista Community Services District and Capps’ office.

There have been 14 known cliff fall deaths since 1994. Since Schurmer’s death, the county mandated that new fences along the bluffs be 6 feet tall.

The memorial and the raised fence heights are part of Capps’ eight-point plan to improve bluff safety. It also includes adding restrooms along Del Playa Drive and installing better lighting, vegetation along cliff edges, and warning signage. 

Capps’ office and the IVCSD will be working to secure the final elements of the memorial soon and begin installation.

— Noozhawk staff writer Rebecca Caraway can be reached at rcaraway@noozhawk.com.