Is the death of Deltopia looming?

A proposed ordinance from the Isla Vista Foot Patrol could significantly change Isla Vista’s annual unsanctioned street party known as Deltopia. 

Lt. Joe Schmidt of the IVFP is proposing a 72-hour ban on amplified music during the first weekend of UC Santa Barbara’s spring quarter, which is when Deltopia is typically held.

“This is not about the government punishing the community,” Schmidt said. “It’s about us trying to protect the community from the history of harm. We do not want to live a tragedy in the future that we’ve already dealt with in the past.”

Students said they’re worried that the ordinance will lead to further safety issues, but the decision ultimately will come down to the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors, which is set to vote on the ordinance in January.

The existing ordinance prohibits amplified music from 6 p.m. to 7 a.m. during Deltopia weekend and Halloween weekend. Schmidt said the ordinance has helped to subdue dangerous Halloween celebrations in Isla Vista, and officials hope that expanding the ordinance will do the same to Deltopia. 

“It’s a solution that we’re trying to implement at the lowest level before we start implementing other measures,” Schmidt said. “We’re hoping that a prohibition or a ban on music during that period will reduce these out-of-town crowds from coming into Isla Vista during Deltopia.”

What started as Floatopia in 2004 has turned into an annual street party that brings in thousands of visitors and residents partying on a crowded Del Playa Drive. 

Each year, the event leads to numerous emergency calls, arrests and citations. During this year’s Deltopia, the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office issued 485 citations and arrested 84 people, according to the Sheriff’s Office. 

The event also leads to numerous medical calls for drug and alcohol overdose, and the large crowds make it challenging for emergency responders to get to patients. 

“We’ve had two deaths of college students from Deltopia. We’ve had a balcony collapse, cliff falls,” Schmidt said. “The main concern that I have is due to all the people that are here, it’s very challenging to get help to people when they’re in need, whether it’s a crime in progress or a medical issue that a patient needs help.”

Schmidt said the goal isn’t to end Deltopia completely, but to change the culture of the event and reduce the amount of out-of-town visitors.

E.J. Raad, a third-year political science major at UCSB and external vice president for local affairs with Associated Students, said he worries the ordinance would force residents to reschedule Deltopia for a different weekend.

“That’s worse for everyone really because there’s less time to prepare for policing, and most importantly, there’s less time to prepare for medical staff,” Raad said.

If that did happen, Schmidt said they could file an urgency ordinance that would apply to whatever weekend Deltopia would be held. 

To make Deltopia a safer event, Raad said he wants to see local governing bodies, community groups and residents turn the unsanctioned street party into a sanctioned festival. 

“There are plenty of big cities all across the country that have huge, sanctioned festivals that happen to have 10 times the number of people who come to Deltopia, which are much safer and much better run,” Raad said. “There is a way to turn Deltopia into that. It just takes long-term planning and it takes community buy-in.”

Raad said he’s also concerned that community members weren’t involved in the formation of the ordinance and that restricting the event could lead to protests.

“It’s just going to cause so many more issues with students trying to figure out a way to do it underground,” Raad said. “It’s just gonna cause more citations, more issues, because students are gonna try to go against it.”

To spread awareness about the ordinance, Associated Students is hosting a town hall with Schmidt where residents can hear more about the ordinance and provide feedback. 

The town hall is scheduled for 5 p.m. Wednesday at the Isla Vista Theater, 960 Embarcadero del Norte.

Residents also can weigh in at an Isla Vista Community Services District Board of Directors meeting at 6 p.m. Nov. 17, when the board will consider a stance on the ordinance. 

Spencer Brandt, president of the IVCSD Board of Directors, said he’s looking forward to hearing from residents about ways to make Deltopia safer. 

“I think that there’s a deep acknowledgement in the community that what we have tried during Deltopia has not been working,” Brandt said. “It’s resulted in a lot more law enforcement, a lot more arrests, a lot more citations, and more contact between people in the community and the criminal justice system. I think that everyone agrees that we need to figure out how to try something different.”

Whether the 72-hour amplified music ban goes into effect will be up to the county Board of Supervisors, with a vote set for Jan. 13.