Simai Kang
Campus Beat Reporter
On Nov. 12, over 400 people attended the Save Deltopia Town Hall hosted in the Isla Vista (I.V.) Theater. It was a public forum event organized and presented by External Vice President for Local Affairs EJ Raad, Student Life Vice Chancellor Suzanne Perkins, the I.V. County Sheriff, and the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors. Attendees spoke largely to support a Deltopia without the county sheriff’s proposed 72-hour noise ordinance. They also addressed safety issues and concerns.
Deltopia is an annual unsanctioned street party that takes place in I.V. in the first weekend of spring quarter; however, the safety hazards and medical emergencies have historically been a concern to the local I.V. residents.
Floatopia, which preceded Deltopia, was banned by the county. In response, students created Deltopia. The first major events of Floatopia in I.V. were driven by Facebook.
Raad expressed that he felt that the community and students were cut out of the conversation, and that the ordinance should not be put in place as a result.
Many other student officials stood out and showed their support to stop the noise ordinance, including members from UC Santa Barbara’s Associated Students and its senate. The Santa Barbara City College student council and its student government also spoke out to save Deltopia.
Locals also said their piece at the town hall. One named Henry made a public comment emphasizing that Deltopia’s problems are generally caused by out-of-towners instead of the locals in the I.V. community.
“We’re saving Deltopia because the people will go to Deltopia no matter what,” stated Vice Chair of Outreach Committee Neo Harter in an interview with The Bottom Line (TBL). “I want to save Deltopia because the definition of saving Deltopia means creating a safe and sanctioned event.”
According to a presentation made during the town hall, in past Deltopia events, there were many public emergency incidents, such as balcony collapses and cliff falls in 2013, or ambulances reaching max utilization by mid-morning, affecting county service in 2024. Another critical example tied to Deltopia is the attempts of a hostile individual, who initially planned to target the event but altered his plans in 2014 due to the heavy police presence.
Harter told TBL that they are open to communication efforts to create a sanctioned Deltopia.
The Board of Supervisors are the ones who will ultimately decide whether to vote for the noise ordinance or push for something more collaborative.
“I think the event was amazing,” said Noah Luken, chair of the Outreach Committee. “There was great turnout. I think [Raad] did a phenomenal job organizing it, and I am really proud of all the students who came out to voice their concerns as the county is actively attempting to restrict students’ rights. … I want to be super clear that the fight is not over. There’s a lot more work to be done. This was one step in a long process towards securing student rights for the future and making sure that our voices as students and as members of the Isla Vista community are heard.”