More than 50 people volunteered to distribute overdose-reversing Narcan and safety information in Isla Vista on Tuesday afternoon ahead of Deltopia this weekend.

Thousands of Isla Vista residents and visitors are expected to swarm the area for the annual unsanctioned street party on Del Playa Drive during the first weekend of UC Santa Barbara’s spring quarter. 

After a UCSB student died of an overdose last year during Deltopia, local law enforcement implemented new ordinances, and there has been even more of an emphasis to distribute safety information ahead of time.

On Tuesday, volunteers met at Walter Capps Park, paired up and grabbed bags of Narcan and bluff safety pamphlets to pass out to residents. The goal was to get Narcan, the opioid-overdose reversal medication, to every building in Isla Vista.

Aya Aboudkhil, a third-year UCSB student, said she decided to volunteer because she worries about drug overdoses.

“This has always been a worry of mine,” Aboudkhil said. “It’s always a possibility, so I’d rather have the safety options available for everyone in Isla Vista.”  

Volunteers also educated residents about bluff safety and building safety. Bluff safety has been a big concern for Isla Vista residents in the past year, and a balcony collapse over Easter weekend only heightened concerns.

“It’s just incredible to see this kind of community spirit,” said Santa Barbara County Second District Supervisor Laura Capps, who helped organize the volunteer handout effort. “It honestly lifts my heart, knowing that we’re gonna go out there, we’re gonna go knock on doors and hand people a lifesaving, easy to use, preventative tool to prevent overdoses.”

The Isla Vista Community Services District is hosting a Spring Festival on Saturday from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. in Little Acorn Park as an alternative event to Deltopia. The event will include free tacos, live music and a photo booth.

Enforcement Plans Include New Rules for Live Music, Parties

In December, the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors amended its outdoor festival and social host ordinances. 

Changes to the festival ordinances mean amplified music aimed to generate a crowd will have to be shut off by 6 p.m. during the week of Deltopia. 

Outdoor festivals originally required a permit if the event had 500 or more people, but the county amended the ordinance so that any event with 250 or more people would need a permit.

Changes to the social host ordinance gave law enforcement officers more authority to shut down parties where attendees are hopping over fences onto the bluffs or are on rooftops.

Before the amendments, sheriff’s deputies could shut down a party in Isla Vista after three or more violations of state or local law, and now they can shut down parties after just one violation. 

The violations include parties selling alcohol, people climbing over fences, people allowed on rooftops, paid parties, resisting a peace officer/firefighter/medic, arson or attempted arson, assault with a deadly weapon, sexual battery, battery with serious injury, and battery on a peace officer, firefighter or EMT.

Other changes to this year’s Deltopia include a temporary suspension of the Restorative Justice Program from 6 a.m. Saturday to 6 a.m. Sunday.  

The Restorative Justice Program is a diversion program for people accused of low-level and victimless crimes. The course gives first-time offenders an opportunity to undergo an educational course and community service instead of receiving a citation.

All citations given out during the suspension will result in financial or criminal consequences, according to UCSB. The Associated Students Office of the External Vice President for Local Affairs announced the suspension on its official Instagram page last month.

Aboudkhil said she was against the suspension and didn’t think it should be unavailable just because it’s Deltopia weekend. 

“I’m so against that. We’re all students. Students make mistakes,” Aboudkhil said. “That should definitely be an option no matter what.”

On March 25, the Goleta Police Department announced that officers will have a DUI checkpoint at an undisclosed location within the city sometime between 6 p.m. Friday and 2 a.m. Sunday. Drivers convicted of a first-time DUI charge could face $13,500 in fines and penalties and a suspended license. 

Parking Restrictions

From Friday to Sunday, the university will be closed to overnight visitor parking, and there will be checkpoints beginning Friday at 5 p.m. for additional campus security.

Unauthorized vehicles will be denied access without prior approval, and unauthorized vehicles could get a $300 citation, according to Kiki Reyes, UCSB’s media relations manager. 

Reyes added that if law enforcement deems it necessary, they could close access to El Colegio Road and/or Isla Vista for safety reasons. If roads are closed, residents may need proof of residency to enter. Some roads in Isla Vista may be barricaded or closed to vehicle traffic during the weekend.

Goleta is again implementing its permit parking program for neighborhoods near Isla Vista during Deltopia.

Nearby Goleta residents should have received permits for street parking already, and any vehicle without a displayed parking permit will be ticketed or towed, according to the city.

Permits were sent to the neighborhoods closest to Isla Vista such as University 1 and University 2 neighborhoods, and the Cannon Green Condominium complex. Residents from Cannon Green Drive to the west, Hollister Avenue to the north, Storke Road to the east and Whittier Drive to the south also received parking permits. 

Parking restrictions will be from 7 p.m. Friday to 7 a.m. Saturday and 7 p.m. Saturday to 7 a.m. Sunday.