UCSB and City College students as well as Isla Vista residents are beginning preparation for the annual spooky event of the 2015 school year throughout the streets of Isla Vista.
Parking regulations enforced by the city of Goleta, blockades controlling traffic, and heavy police presence are among the numerous plans to help keep every resident of the highly populated college student district safe over the Halloween weekend.
Local ordinances are put into place every year in Isla Vista to help keep members of the community safe; however, this will be the second Halloween when extensive measures will be taken to keep the partying under control.
Some residents oppose the regulations, while others agree they are necessary to protect property and keep everyone safe.
“With the number of things that have happened in [Isla Vista], like multiple riots and balcony collapses, personally I would rather have 10 thousand the amount of officers they need and have them sitting around not doing anything, than have something happen and not have the resources needed to help people,” said Zack Warburg, seven year Goleta resident and former USCB student.
A festival noise ordinance will once again be applied to all households, not allowing them to play loud, “crowd gathering” music, from 6 p.m. to 7 a.m. Friday through Sunday.
Parking will not be allowed at all on Del Playa Drive from 4 p.m. Friday until 6 a.m. Sunday. Street blockades will be in place from 4 p.m. until 6 a.m. Friday through Sunday, allowing cars to leave but not allowing any vehicle traffic in. The streets with the blockades will be Trigo Road, Sabado Tarde Road, and Del Playa Drive.
The Sheriff’s Department and UCSB Police Department will be patrolling with a total of 200 police officers, 100 from The Sheriff’s Department and 100 from the UCPD as well as officers from all over California and different campuses.
Among the safety measures taken by the city, Kelly Hoover, the Santa Barbara Sheriff’s County office public information officer, insists the best tactic to keeping Isla Vista safe for festivals like Halloween and Deltopia is to “encourage localization.”
“We’re hoping for a continued trend with an attitude of locals only,” Hoover said. “What we’ve seen is residents literally not letting out of town people into their homes.”
