Editing Isla Vista, California

{{Short description|Community in California, United States}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2022}}
{{Infobox settlement
<!-- Basic info  ---------------->
 | official_name            = Isla Vista, California 
 | native_name              = <!-- for cities whose native name is not in English -->
 | other_name               = 
 | settlement_type          = [[Unincorporated community]]<br/>[[census-designated place]]
<!-- images and maps  ----------->
 | image_skyline            = WelcomeToIslaVista.png
 | image_caption            = A welcome sign in Isla Vista
 | image_flag               = 
 | image_seal               = 
 | image_shield             = 
 | nickname                 = I.V.
 | image_map                = Santa Barbara County California Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Isla Vista Highlighted.svg
 | mapsize                  = 250x200px
 | map_caption              = Location in [[Santa Barbara County, California|Santa Barbara County]] and the state of California
 | pushpin_map              = USA California Southern#California#USA
 | pushpin_map_caption      = Location in the United States
 | coordinates              = {{coord|34|24|48|N|119|51|39|W|region:US-CA_type:city(15,500)|display=inline,title}}
 | subdivision_type         = Country
 | subdivision_name         = United States
 | subdivision_type1        = State
 | subdivision_name1        = California
 | subdivision_type2        = [[List of counties in California|County]]
 | subdivision_name2        = [[Santa Barbara County, California|Santa Barbara]]
 | established_title        = <!-- Settled -->
 | established_date         = 
 | leader_title             = [[Santa Barbara County|County Supervisor]]
 | leader_name              = Joan Hartmann
 | leader_title1            = [[California State Senate|Senate]]
 | leader_name1             = [[Monique Limón]] ([[California Democratic Party|D]])
 | leader_title2            = [[California State Assembly|Assembly]]
 | leader_name2             = [[Gregg Hart]] ([[California Democratic Party|D]])
 | leader_title3            = [[California's 24th congressional district|U.S. Congress]]
 | leader_name3             = [[Salud Carbajal]] (D)
<!-- Area------------------>
 | unit_pref                = US
 | area_footnotes           = <ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/files/Gaz_places_national.txt|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120702145235/http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/files/Gaz_places_national.txt|url-status=dead|title=U.S. Census|archivedate=July 2, 2012}}</ref>
 | area_total_km2           = 4.833
 | area_total_sq_mi         = 1.86
 | area_land_km2            = 4.789
 | area_land_sq_mi          = 1.849
 | area_water_km2           = 0.045
 | area_water_sq_mi         = 0.017
 | area_water_percent       = 0.93
 | elevation_footnotes      = <!--for references: use<ref> </ref>  tags-->
 | elevation_m              = 14
 | elevation_ft             = 46
<!-- Population   ----------------------->
 | population_footnotes     = 
 | population_total         = 15500
 | population_as_of         = 2020
 | population_density_km2   = auto
 | population_density_sq_mi = auto
<!-- General information  --------------->
 | timezone                 = [[Pacific Time Zone|PST]]
 | utc_offset               = -8
 | timezone_DST             = PDT
 | utc_offset_DST           = -7
<!-- Area/postal codes & others -------->
 | postal_code_type         = [[ZIP code]]
 | postal_code              = 93117
 | area_code                = [[Area code 805|805]]
 | blank_name               = [[Federal Information Processing Standard|FIPS code]]
 | blank_info               = 06-36868
 | blank1_name              = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS]] feature ID
 | blank1_info              = 1702880
 | website                  = {{URL|https://islavistacsd.ca.gov/}}
}}

'''Isla Vista''' ({{IPAc-en|lang|ˈ|aɪ|l|ə|_|ˈ|v|ɪ|s|t|ə}} {{respell|EYE|lə|_|VISS|tə}}; {{IPA|es|ˈisla ˈβista|lang}}, {{lit}} "Island View") is an [[unincorporated community]] in [[Santa Barbara County, California]], in the United States. As of 2020 census, the community had a population of 15,500.<ref>{{Cite web| title=QuickFacts: Isla Vista, CA| url=https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/islavistacdpcalifornia|language=en}}</ref> For statistical purposes, the United States Census Bureau has defined the community as a [[census-designated place]] (CDP). The majority of residents are college students at the [[University of California, Santa Barbara]], or [[Santa Barbara City College]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Isla Vista |url=https://www.sa.ucsb.edu/parents/student-activities-campus-life-1/student-activities-campus-life/isla-vista |access-date=2024-08-31 |website=Gaucho Parents: A Student Affairs Web Site for UCSB Families}}</ref> The beachside community of Isla Vista lies on a flat [[plateau]] about {{convert|30|ft|m|0}} in elevation, separated from the beach by a [[Beach ridge|bluff]].

Isla Vista enjoys a [[Mediterranean climate]] and often has slightly less [[precipitation (meteorology)|precipitation]] than [[Santa Barbara, California|Santa Barbara]] and [[Goleta, California|Goleta]], respectively. Isla Vista is located on a south-facing portion of the Santa Barbara County coast, between Coal Oil Point and Campus Point in view of the [[Channel Islands (California)|Channel Islands]]. During [[El Niño]] years, precipitation in Isla Vista can be excessive and potentially dangerous. Some homes and apartments built on the south side of Del Playa Drive, most popular with students due to their direct ocean views, are in danger of collapse, since they are built on quickly-eroding bluffs thirty to sixty feet above the Pacific Ocean.{{Citation needed|reason=Reliable source needed for the whole sentence|date=April 2023}} Recent erosion has exposed foundation supports in several of the properties closest to the nearby [[UC Santa Barbara]] campus.

As Isla Vista is on the south coast of Santa Barbara County, which has some of the highest housing prices in the United States,<ref>{{Cite web|title=Santa Barbara's Real Estate Market In A Nutshell|url=https://www.california.com/everything-you-need-to-know-about-santa-barbaras-real-estate-market/|access-date=2022-02-05|website=california.com|language=en}}</ref> the student population shares densely packed housing with a working class [[Hispanics in the United States|Hispanic]] population. Since Isla Vista has not been annexed by either [[Goleta, California|Goleta]] or [[Santa Barbara, California|Santa Barbara]], remaining unincorporated, only county funds are available for civic projects.<ref name="Incorporation article, Pacific Coast Business Times">{{cite news|url=http://www.pacbiztimes.com/2014/05/30/isla-vista-tragedy-shows-the-dark-side-of-paradise/|title=Isla Vista tragedy shows the dark side of paradise|work=Pacific Coast Business Times|first=Erika|last= Martin |date= May 30, 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.pacbiztimes.com/2015/10/07/brown-signs-bill-to-establish-isla-vista-community-services-district/|title=Brown signs bill to establish community services district for Isla Vista|work=Pacific Coast Business Times|date= October 7, 2015}}</ref> While the main campus is to the east, the community is surrounded on three sides by university property governed by the state Board of Regents.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Isla Vista |url=https://www.countyofsb.org/plndev/policy/communityplans/islavista.sbc |access-date=2022-03-21 |website=countyofsb.org |language=en |archive-date=December 6, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211206023722/https://www.countyofsb.org/plndev/policy/communityplans/islavista.sbc |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Isla Vista is home to a [[student housing cooperative]], the [[Santa Barbara Student Housing Coop]], as well as a food cooperative, the Isla Vista Food Co-op.

== History ==
===Early days===
The earliest human occupants of Isla Vista were the [[Chumash (tribe)|Chumash]] or their forebears{{Citation needed|date=July 2024}}. They called the Isla Vista mesa ''Anisq'oyo'' (related to the Chumash word for "manzanita"<ref>Kellogg, Martin, [http://www.library.ucsb.edu/sites/default/files/attachments/special-collections/research/ivweb/ivFP/FreePress_9_17_87.pdf "Anisq'oyo: Its Pronunciation and Meaning,"] Isla Vista Free Press, p. 4, Sept. 17–29, 1987. Retrieved June 8, 2014.</ref>) and had permanent settlements near Cheadle Hall and the 217 entrance on the UCSB Campus; these villages were collectively called ''Heliyik''.<ref>[http://www.sbnature.org/research/anthro/Chumash/golval.htm "Chumash Placenames of the Goleta Valley,"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110520171159/http://www.sbnature.org/research/anthro/chumash/golval.htm |date=May 20, 2011 }} Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History. Retrieved June 8, 2014.</ref> Eventually the Franciscan Fathers forced the Chumash to move to the Santa Barbara Mission.

The Isla Vista mesa was part of the Mexican land grant [[Rancho Dos Pueblos]] made in 1842 to [[Nicolas A. Den]]. Den's son, Alfonso Den, inherited the land. He and some of his nine siblings were plaintiffs in a famous lawsuit; when they were minors their land had been illegally sold in 1869 by the administrator of their estate, Charles E. Huse, to Col. [[William Welles Hollister]], namesake of Hollister Avenue in Goleta, the [[Hollister Ranch]], and [[Hollister, California]]. San Francisco lawyer [[Thomas B. Bishop]] sued Hollister on behalf of the Den children in 1876, and won the case in 1885. Bishop took much of the prime land owned by the Den children as a legal fee, and to this day some of that land, in the city of [[Goleta, California|Goleta]] near Glen Annie Road, is called the Bishop Ranch. The least attractive land was left to the Den children, and that included the Rincon Ranch, which was at that time the name of the entire Isla Vista mesa, from present-day UCSB west to [[Coal Oil Point]]. The Rincon (Spanish for angle or corner) is the corner where Storke Road turns into El Colegio; until 1930 or so, Storke to El Colegio was the only road into Isla Vista, because other roads such as Los Carneros or [[California State Route 217|Ward Memorial]] did not exist, because the [[Goleta Slough]] prevented passage. The Rincon Ranch had very little fresh water, was marginal for agriculture, and was split between three of the Den children: Augusto Den, who had mental disabilities, got the land that now forms the UCSB Main Campus and Alfonso got the land that is now Isla Vista.<ref>{{cite book |last=Tompkins |first=Walker |date=1966 |title=Goleta: The Good Land  |publisher= Goleta Amvets Post No. 55}}</ref>

A portion of Alfonso Den's land was purchased by John and Pauline Ilharreguy, residents of [[Fillmore, California|Fillmore]] in 1915. The Ilharreguys arranged in 1925 the subdivision of the central tract they named Isla Vista (ungrammatical Spanish), and also laid out and named the four streets closest to the bluff: Del Playa (ungrammatical Spanish), Sabado Tarde, Trigo, and Pasado. The tract between Isla Vista and today's UCSB campus, owned by two Santa Barbara attorneys and partners Alfred W. Robertson (namesake of UCSB's [[Robertson Gymnasium]]) and James R. Thompson, was subdivided and named Ocean Terrace in 1926. The third tract that comprises today's Isla Vista, Orilla Del Mar, to the west of the Isla Vista tract, was owned by two Santa Barbara sisters, Harriett (who designed a number of "fairy tale" homes on the South Coast of Santa Barbara County<ref>{{cite web | title=Moody Sisters | date=June 27, 2012 | url=http://www.independent.com/news/2012/jun/27/moody-sisters/ | access-date= March 4, 2015}}</ref>) and Brenda Moody, and was subdivided in 1926.<ref name="strand"/>

The Isla Vista subdivisions are the earliest urban subdivisions performed in the Goleta Valley in the 20th century. The narrow streets of Isla Vista are characteristic of 1920s land planning. Plans for water, electricity, road building, and sewage were not made in the 1920s; the subdivision was speculative. Some of the speculation was related to ocean-front real estate, but an equally important motive was the likelihood of oil reserves' being accessible from Isla Vista property. To aid speculation, the lots in the subdivision were narrow, and mineral rights were pooled among blocks of lots. Some oil was found, but the wells did not sustain oil production, unlike the very productive [[Ellwood Oil Field]] just to the west of Isla Vista. An oil deposit about {{convert|1|mi|km|spell=in}} south of Isla Vista under the [[Santa Barbara Channel]], known as the [[Ellwood Oil Field|South Ellwood]] field, was eventually found, but has never been fully developed, due to local political opposition after the [[1969 Santa Barbara oil spill]]. The South Ellwood field contains upward of {{convert|100|Moilbbl|m3}} of oil, and attempts by [[ARCO]] (in the 1980s) and by [[Mobil]] (in the 1990s) to develop the field have been rebuffed by local opposition.

Even though the Isla Vista lots were sold to several hundred owners in the 1920s, only a few vacation cottages were built before the 1940s. Scarcity of water, which had to be trucked in, as well as primitive sewage and refuse collection kept the development modest. A few dirt farmers raised beans, and piled their refuse into large heaps. One prominent early resident was architect E. Keith Lockard,<ref>1940 US Census, S.D.No. 10, E.D.No. 42-46, Sheet. No. 10A.</ref> designer of a number of buildings in Santa Barbara County.<ref>https://digital.lib.washington.edu/architect/architects/4128/ Pacific Coast Architecture Database.</ref>

===World War II===
[[File:Mescalitan Island aerial.jpg|thumb|Aerial view of the remaining part of Mescalitan Island (left) and the Goleta Sanitary Sewage Treatment Plant, with [[UCSB]] in the distance]]
On February 23, 1942, [[Bombardment of Ellwood|a Japanese submarine attacked the Ellwood oil field]] to the west of Isla Vista. The [[United States Marine Corps]] took over the land immediately to the east of Isla Vista (now the UCSB campus) and the land that now forms the [[Santa Barbara Airport]]. The Marine Corps developed [[Marine Corps Air Station Santa Barbara]] as an important flight training facility for squadrons fighting the Japanese in the Western Pacific, most notably the famed Blacksheep of [[VMA-214|VMF-214]] trained here until their ill-fated deployment aboard the [[USS Franklin (CV-13)|USS ''Franklin'' (CV-13)]]. In the process of this crucial war-time development of the air base, [[Mescalitan Island]], home of a tribal king and site of extensive sacred Chumash cemeteries, was bulldozed to fill most remaining portions of the [[Goleta Slough]], once an extensive [[estuary]] that sustained a few thousand Chumash. The slough was at one time deep enough that Spanish explorers were able to sail near to the foothills, past the location of present-day Hollister Avenue. By this time, however, most of the slough had been silted in by the enormous deluge of 1861–62, as well as by dirt loosened from agricultural operations in the area. The Marine Corps filled in the remaining deep channels, particularly one that is now under the primary runway used for civil aviation today. The Marine Corps then built a sewage processing facility which is the site of the Goleta Sanitary District facility.{{Citation needed|date=March 2022}}

The Marine Corps Air facility was deemed superfluous after [[World War II]], and the airport was transferred to the [[Santa Barbara, California|City of Santa Barbara]], while the blufftop barracks and land were transferred to the [[University of California]] in 1948.

Water became available from a reservoir in the [[Santa Ynez Mountains]], [[Lake Cachuma]], in the early 1950s. The Isla Vista Sanitary District (now called the Goleta West Sanitary District) was established in 1954.

===University===
[[File:Ucsbuniversitycenterandstorketower.jpg|thumb|UC Santa Barbara campus]]
[[File:St. Michael's University Church, Episcopal Campus Ministry, UC Santa Barbara.jpg|thumb|St. Michael's Church, established in 1954, chapel built in 1963]]
The University of California, Santa Barbara, moved to its new campus in 1954, and a gala inauguration was held.

[[Clark G. Kuebler]], was brought in to lead the new campus. Kuebler had been the president of [[Ripon College (Wisconsin)|Ripon College]], a small liberal arts college in Wisconsin. Kuebler was also a prominent leader in the [[Episcopal Church (United States)|Episcopal Church]]<ref>{{Cite news|url = https://books.google.com/books?id=g_A2AQAAMAAJ&q=clark%20kuebler%20episcopal&pg=PA21|title = Appointment of Clark George Kuebler as Provost of Santa Barbara College|date = August 23, 1954|work = University Bulletin: A Weekly Bulletin for the Staff of the University of California|access-date = March 26, 2015}}</ref> and helped establish Isla Vista's first church, St. Michael and All Angels at Camino Pescadero and Picasso. Kuebler resigned in 1955, after accusations that he had solicited another man in New York City.<ref>{{cite news|title=University Official Is Arrested Upon Morals Charges|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1755&dat=19551106&id=FT4eAAAAIBAJ&pg=3819,1424043 |newspaper=[[Sarasota Herald-Tribune]]| date=November 7, 1955|access-date=November 26, 2018}}</ref>

In the 1950s, UCSB professor Douwe Stuurman hosted the famed writer [[Aldous Huxley]] at his home on Del Playa. Huxley delivered a series of lectures at UCSB and in the Santa Barbara area.

By the late 1950s, with the end of [[World War II]], the [[Baby Boom]], and the [[G.I. Bill]], it became clear that thousands of students would flood the [[University of California]].

The development of Isla Vista as a housing site for UCSB students attending a much larger institution began with regulated dormitories located along El Colegio Road. UCSB administrators recruited developers to build large complexes on El Colegio, which in 1960 were considered to be forward-looking and modern, winning several design awards. Some of these dorms were portrayed in the mystery novels of [[Ross Macdonald]].

===1960s and 1970s===
[[File:Aerial-GoletaArea.jpg|thumb|An aerial shot spanning Ellwood, Isla Vista, and Santa Barbara]]
By the early 1960s, older students became frustrated with the curfews and entry restrictions in the dormitories and drove demand for unregulated apartments in Isla Vista. Very aggressive developers built apartments to meet the demand and successfully lobbied County Supervisors to drive down the requirements for parking places associated with the apartments, and to further drive up the density of dwelling units. At the same time, efforts to unify the owners of commercially zoned property around the Embarcadero Loop failed, leaving issues of coordinated business development and parking for commercial customers unresolved.

By 1967, Isla Vista had hundreds of cheaply constructed multiple dwelling units, and a commercial center that included physician and dental offices, jewelers, insurance and financial offices, as well as eclectic bookstores and an art-house movie theater. Trees and landscaping had not grown to appreciable heights, giving the town a barren look, and trash collected in empty lots. About that time, the youth culture or counterculture ramped up, and Isla Vista became a natural waystation for youth who were hitchhiking up and down the coast of California.
[[File:Isla Vista Theater.jpg|thumb|UCSB lecture halls that were formerly the Magic Lantern movie theater, established in 1965. UCSB sponsors a film screening series called Magic Lantern, part of [[Isla Vista Arts]].]]
[[Richard Brautigan]] did his first reading of ''[[Trout Fishing in America]]'' in Isla Vista in October 1967, at the Unicorn Book Shop. The surrounding Santa Barbara community was uncomfortable with the flotsam and jetsam of the counterculture who were pausing in Isla Vista, and the District Attorney raided the art-house movie theater, the Magic Lantern, while it showed a movie containing full frontal nudity. The operators were charged with obscenity, lost financing, and then lost their business. [[Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office|County Sheriffs Deputies]] were uncomfortable with the open [[Cannabis (drug)|marijuana]] use and drug dealing on the streets, and tensions grew. It is local folklore that [[Jim Morrison]] of [[The Doors]] wrote the song "[[The Crystal Ship]]" one night while on an acid trip on Sands Beach, watching the bright lights on the oil platform ''Holly'' a few miles off the southwest tip of Isla Vista.

A student group known as the "IV League" organized itself to take civic responsibility for Isla Vista and coordinated street parties, meetings with the deputies, cleanups, and planting of street trees. The IV League was viewed as too moderate and lost influence.

[[File:Kevin Moran plaque.jpg|thumb|Memorial plaque for Kevin Moran at Embarcadero Hall, the former location of the Bank of America]]
The [[Bank of America]] building was burned by rioting students on February 25, 1970. Tensions escalated after students were walking back after listening to a speaker [[Opposition to United States involvement in the Vietnam War|opposed to the Vietnam War]], when the police beat and arrested a student.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://dailynexus.com/2010-02-25/forty-years-ago-a-mob-of-students-stormed-the-bank-of-america-building/|title=Forty years ago, a mob of students stormed the Bank of America building.|last=Haggerty|first=Taylor|date=February 25, 2010|work=The Daily Nexus|access-date=2019-06-13}}</ref> According to Cril Payne, author of Deep Cover, a history of his career in the FBI, the FBI was very active in Santa Barbara, and the charge of "students" that resulted in the burning of the Bank of America was a [[COINTELPRO]] FBI operation. Kevin Moran, a student who put out a fire in the temporary [[Bank of America]] during a riot in April 1970, was killed by police fire, and during a June 1970 riot, [[Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department|Los Angeles County sheriff's deputies]] ran amok, prompting criticism from [[William F. Buckley, Jr.]], the conservative commentator.<ref>Roberts, Stevens V., ''The New York Times'', June 14, 1970, p.81</ref><ref>Buckley, William F., ''Los Angeles Times'', July 6, 1970, p. A7</ref>

At some time on the night of July 4–5, 1970, three men in sleeping bags on the beach near the UCSB Campus Point were attacked by three men with axes or a machete and knives.<ref>Los Angeles Times, July 6, 1970, p. 1</ref> Two of the victims died at the scene and the third victim, Thomas M. Hayes, somehow survived the attack and told authorities at least one of his attackers was Asian. No money or jewelry was taken from the victims, so robbery was not a motive. Five other murders on nearby beaches happened between February 1970 and June 1972, three of which occurred in Santa Barbara, and two of which occurred in Isla Vista.<ref>''Los Angeles Times'', June 20, 1972, p. 3</ref>

In the early 1970s, state officials created municipal advisory councils to deal with civil unrest in urban settings, by giving unincorporated communities quasi-representation in policy decisions to provide standard municipal services. Santa Barbara was among the first counties in the state the use them.

The [[Isla Vista Municipal Advisory Council]] held its first election in early 1971 with nine local residents of the student community elected to the government with funding from the county for operations. The advisory council tried to incorporate Isla Vista in 1973, 1975 and again in 1985, but none of the efforts succeeded. The council was eventually dissolved.<ref name="Incorporation article, Pacific Coast Business Times" />

Also in the 1970s, the now-defunct Isla Vista Community Council, funded by the university, was created. The Council ran its own elections and provided a central focus for the community.[[File:Isla-Vista-Co-op.jpg|thumb|The Isla Vista Food Co-op, with a [[Peace pole]] visible in the foreground]]Additionally, many alternative organizations were created, including the second [[free clinic]] in the State after the original [[Haight Ashbury Free Clinics|Haight Ashbury Free Clinic]]. The Isla Vista Recreation and Park District was founded in 1972, the second [[Special-purpose district|special district]] in Isla Vista (the first was the Isla Vista Sanitary District, now known as the Goleta West Sanitary District). It was also in the 1970s that the Isla Vista Food Cooperative was created, and a [[community federal credit union]] based on geography for membership was founded. The Community Council implemented a variety of other services, including animal control, but these projects languished due to lack of monetary support from County government.

Several businesses were created. [[Paul Orfalea]] founded [[Kinko's]] in Isla Vista in 1970.<ref>Linda Castellitto, "[https://www.usatoday.com/money/books/reviews/2005-10-03-copy-this-usat_x.htm The guy behind Kinko's]" (October 3, 2005). ''USA Today''.</ref> Many traditional businesses, including dentists, jewelers, and hairdressers fled Isla Vista. Isla Vista became sundered from the surrounding communities, and in the long run, most of the eclectic Isla Vista businesses have disappeared.

Efforts to incorporate Isla Vista as a city failed in 1973, 1975, and 1985, in each case due to the [[Local Agency Formation Commission]] (LAFCO) voting down incorporation.<ref>{{cite news |title=Goleta Activists Kick Off New Petition Drive For City of Goleta without I.V. |pages=3 |newspaper=Isla Vista and Western Goleta Free Press |url=https://www.library.ucsb.edu/sites/default/files/attachments/special-collections/research/ivweb/ivFP/FreePress_4_27_88.pdf |date=May 3, 1988}}</ref>

Starting in the 1970s, Isla Vista became more and more dominated by students from UCSB and nearby [[Santa Barbara City College]]. As UCSB grew and expanded its enrollment, the economic power of the students drove non-student residents out.

In late 1976 to early 1977 (and later 1979), [[Thor Nis Christiansen#Murders|four young women from Isla Vista were kidnapped and killed]]. These murders motivated large demonstrations opposed to violence against women and in favor of better transportation for the young people residing in Isla Vista.

===1980s and later===
[[File:Isla Vista surfer and skateboarder mural.jpg|thumb|Mural that was in the parking lot of the band studio and storage unit buildings on Seville Road]]

Isla Vista has been an incubator for youth culture and has always had a number of local bands. Beginning around 1980, many of these bands used storage garages in the 6500 block of Seville Road owned by Sid Goren, as rehearsal spaces. In the late 1980s, alt-rockers [[Toad the Wet Sprocket]] rehearsed there, and although their origin is Goleta, they often performed in Isla Vista. Other performers from the area that have garnered substantial notability include [[Animal Liberation Orchestra]], [[Jack Johnson (musician)|Jack Johnson]], [[Steve Aoki]], [[Lagwagon]], [[Thriving Ivory]], [[Rebelution (band)|Rebelution]], [[Ugly Kid Joe]], [[Iration]] and Nezara. The Seville Road practice spaces were demolished in 2012 to make way for one of many luxury student housing complexes.

When the City of Goleta was incorporated in 2001, the residents of Goleta successfully persuaded LAFCO to exclude Isla Vista from the new city's boundaries. Many observers noted that Isla Vistans shop mostly in Goleta, because county planners channeled commercial business development into Goleta.<ref name="Incorporation article, Pacific Coast Business Times" /> A vocal and organized group of Isla Vista residents argued for inclusion of Isla Vista in the new City of Goleta but encountered strong opposition from the chair and executive director of LAFCO. LAFCO enabled the City of Goleta to garner the tax revenue from Isla Vista's economic activity, without civic responsibility for Isla Vista's infrastructure. Some note also that Santa Barbara County gets net revenue from Isla Vista and so has a financial interest in maintaining Isla Vista's unincorporated status. The official reason for the exclusion of Isla Vista given by the executive director of LAFCO was "political infeasibility." The only wide poll of the greater Goleta area, conducted by the Goleta Roundtable, indicated that a city including Isla Vista would pass at the ballot box, however.

The [[2001 Isla Vista killings]] occurred when UCSB freshman David Attias killed four students and a fifth was critically injured on the night of February 23, 2001, by slamming his car into several parked cars and pedestrians on the 6500 block of Sabado Tarde Road. Although initially charged with four counts of murder, four counts of vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence, and five counts of felony driving under the influence, Attias was later found to be legally insane.

On April 5, 2014, during an annual celebration known as [[Deltopia]] (formerly known as Floatopia), a riot broke out in Isla Vista after a police officer tried to arrest a partygoer, only to be hit in the head with a bag of bottles from behind. The subsequent police response to the assault drew a large crowd to protest, some of whom eventually began throwing objects at the police. By the end of the night, nearly 100 people were arrested.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-deputies-injured-about-100-arrested-in-isla-vista-melee-20140406-story.html|title=Deputies injured, 100 arrested at Isla Vista street party|date=April 6, 2014|website=Los Angeles Times|language=en-US|access-date=2019-11-21}}</ref> Subsequently, IV Foot Patrol deputies were some of the first officers in the county to use body cameras.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.independent.com/2015/01/29/isla-vista-cops-get-body-cams/|title=Isla Vista Cops Get Body-Cams|last1=Jan 29|first1=Kelsey |last2=Brugger Thu |date=January 29, 2015|website=The Santa Barbara Independent|language=en-US|access-date=2019-11-21}}</ref>

On May 23, 2014, the [[2014 Isla Vista killings]] occurred where seven people, including [[Elliot Rodger|the attacker]], were killed and fourteen others were injured. The attacks took place at seventeen separate crime scenes, including a [[sorority house]], a deli, and the attacker's own apartment.<ref name=Sheriff.Summary>{{cite web |title=Isla Vista Mass Murder — May 23, 2014 — Investigative Summary |date=February 18, 2015 |access-date=February 19, 2015 |publisher=Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office |url=http://www.sbsheriff.us/documents/ISLAVISTAINVESTIGATIVESUMMARY.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150220034256/http://www.sbsheriff.us/documents/ISLAVISTAINVESTIGATIVESUMMARY.pdf |archive-date=February 20, 2015 |url-status=dead  }}</ref> Twenty-two-year-old former<ref>[http://www.sbcc.edu/newsandevents/pressreleases/2014may24_isla_vista_nr.php SBCC Statement – Isla Vista Tragedy] ({{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140527004827/http://www.sbcc.edu/newsandevents/pressreleases/2014may24_isla_vista_nr.php |date=May 27, 2014 }}). [[Santa Barbara City College]], May 24, 2014.</ref> Santa Barbara City College student Elliot Rodger stabbed three men to death in his apartment, then fired at UCSB students and other pedestrians in which ten were shot, three fatally, hitting several, and also struck seven others, all of them non-fatally, with his [[BMW]].<ref name=Sheriff.Summary/> Rodger had left a YouTube video recorded on the day of his killing spree in which he blamed young women who he claimed rejected his advances. Rodger died of a gunshot wound to the head, apparently a suicide, as [[Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office|Santa Barbara County Sheriff's]] deputies closed in on his crashed vehicle.<ref>Farnsworth, Beth. [http://m.keyt.com/news/shooting-in-isla-vista/26152454 "Shootings in Isla Vista Leave Four Dead"] ({{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140601232335/http://m.keyt.com/news/shooting-in-isla-vista/26152454 |date=June 1, 2014 }}), [[KEYT-TV|KEYT]], May 23, 2014.</ref><ref>[https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/dead-drive-shooting-uc-santa-barbara-23853689 3 Dead in Drive-by Shooting Near UC Santa Barbara], [[Associated Press]], May 24, 2014.</ref>

==Geography==
[[File:Isla Vista Sunset Cliffs.jpg|thumb|Isla Vista beachfront at sunset]]
Traditionally, Isla Vista is the area boxed in by El Colegio Road to the north, Ocean Road to the east, the beach to the south, and Camino Majorca to the west. The 2000 census showed 13,465 residents in this area of about {{convert|0.55|sqmi|km2|1}}. The 2010 census showed population growth in this area of 10.2%,
to 14,843. The densest (by population per land area) of the three subdivisions in the box, also called Isla Vista, was in 2010 the 87th densest census tract in California.<ref>{{cite web | title=USA.com |url=http://www.usa.com/rank/california-state--population-density--census-tract-rank.htm?hl=CA083002926&hlst=CA|access-date=March 1, 2015}}; at a smaller level of granularity, the densest portion of the Isla Vista subdivision, the northern portion along El Colegio Rd., ranks 131st in population density in California, and second in density in Santa Barbara County. Census block group 002402-3 on W. Battles Rd. in Santa Maria is the most dense in Santa Barbara County.</ref>

The Isla Vista [[census-designated place]] defined in 2000 adds considerable land "outside the box", including the UCSB campus, Storke Ranch, and the area between Los Carneros and Storke Road north to Hollister Avenue, and contained a population of 18,344 and a land area of {{convert|2.2|sqmi|km2|1}}. In the 2000 census, a mistake was made, and about 2,000 UCSB dormitory residents were listed as residing at the [[Santa Barbara Airport]], and thus were outside the CDP.{{citation needed|date=October 2015}} Starting in 2010, the Isla Vista CDP boundaries were revised to exclude various areas, including Storke Ranch and the Storke Plaza shopping center, which are now in the City of Goleta, reducing the CDP land area to  {{convert|1.9|sqmi|km2|1}}.<ref>{{cite web | title=2000 census |url=http://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/blk2000/st06_California/Place/0636868_IslaVista/CBP0636868_001.pdf |access-date= December 9, 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | title=2010 census |url=http://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/dc10map/GUBlock/st06_ca/place/p0636868_isla_vista/DC10BLK_P0636868_001.pdf |access-date= December 9, 2014}}</ref>

"Isla Vista" is actually the name of the first subdivision built in the center of the community which gave it its name. The Isla Vista subdivision proper is between Camino Pescadero on the east and Camino Corto on the west. The Isla Vista subdivision was established in 1925, the Ocean Terrace subdivision between University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB) and Camino Pescadero, and the Orilla del Mar subdivision between Camino Corto and the [[UCSB]] West Campus, both built in 1926. A number of east–west streets undergo "jogs" at the boundaries of the three subdivisions, because Santa Barbara County never required the three subdivisions to use a common street layout. The three subdivisions now are collectively called Isla Vista, and their total extent occupies land inherited by Alfonso Den, son of [[Nicolas A. Den]], grantee of the [[Ranchos of California|Mexican land grant]] [[Rancho Dos Pueblos]].<ref name="strand">{{cite web |title=Evolution of a Boom Town:Isla Vista, California 1915–1968 |author=Jennifer Hildreth Strand |url=http://www.participatoryplanningiv.com/wp-content/strand.pdf |access-date=March 1, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402121629/http://www.participatoryplanningiv.com/wp-content/strand.pdf |archive-date=April 2, 2015 |url-status=dead  }}</ref>

In the 2001 incorporation of [[Goleta, California|Goleta]], inland to the north and up the coast to the west, Isla Vista was excluded. Whether or not to include Isla Vista was a subject of debate during incorporation planning, where a Goleta resident expressed concern about polls that indicated opposition to Isla Vista by all Goletans.<ref>{{cite news |last= Dougherty |first= Alison |date= December 7, 2000 |title= Meeting To Review Possible City Boundaries for Goleta |url= http://dailynexus.com/2000-12-07/meeting-to-review-possible-city-boundaries-for-goleta/ |newspaper= The Daily Nexus |location= Santa Barbara County, California |access-date= October 7, 2014}}</ref> Eventually, the LAFCO recommended the exclusion of Isla Vista from the City of Goleta, although LAFCO projections indicated that the City of Goleta gave up $33&nbsp;million in revenue over 10 years by excluding Isla Vista. The reason that LAFCO cited for recommending the exclusion of Isla Vista was "community identity".<ref>{{cite news |last= Dougherty |first= Alison |date= May 2, 2001 |title= LAFCO To Vote on Proposed I.V. Inclusion in Goleta Plan |url= http://dailynexus.com/2001-05-02/lafco-to-vote-on-proposed-iv-inclusion-in-goleta-plan/ |newspaper= The Daily Nexus |location= Santa Barbara County, California |access-date= October 7, 2014}}</ref>

Isla Vista is located at 34°24'53" North, 119°51'38" West (34.414595, −119.860418).<ref name="GR1">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/geographies/reference-files/time-series/geo/gazetteer-files.html|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=2011-04-23|date=February 12, 2011|title=US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990}}</ref>

According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the CDP has a total area of {{convert|1.9|sqmi|km2}}, of which 99.07% of it is land and 0.93% of it is water.

===Major streets===

====Del Playa Drive====
[[File:Islavistabeach.jpg|thumb|Looking eastward from the end of the 6700 block of Del Playa Drive]]
Del Playa Drive (also known as D.P.) stretches four blocks over the full length of Isla Vista (about one mile). It begins at the bike path bordering the campus and continues to Camino Majorca, where it ends at the entrance to the trails to Sands Beach. Del Playa Drive is a large component of the University of California Santa Barbara off-campus social life.{{citation needed|date=September 2015}}

Del Playa Drive has also been a source of housing controversy, as some of the apartment buildings are falling off of the rapidly [[erosion|eroding]] cliffs.<ref>{{cite news | first = Shomik | last = Mukherjee | title = Erosions Shake I.V.: Del Playa Collapse Signals Rocky Road Ahead | url = https://thebottomline.as.ucsb.edu/2017/01/erosions-shake-i-v-del-playa-collapse-signals-rocky-road-ahead | work = The Bottom Line UCSB | date = January 30, 2017 | access-date = October 24, 2020}}</ref> Recently, however, steps have been taken to slow the erosion by reinforcing the cliffs with imported rock, concrete and other artificial support structures, and by redirecting water [[surface runoff|runoff]] through the cliffs, rather than over them as it would flow naturally.<ref>{{cite news 
 | first = Nikki
 | last = Moore
 | title = County Addresses Safety of DP Homes
 | url = http://dailynexus.com/2006-02-23/county-addresses-safety-of-dp-homes/
 | work = Daily Nexus
 | date = February 23, 2006
 | access-date = July 24, 2007 }}</ref>

=== Beaches ===
==== Devereux ====
A favourite among surfers, Devereux Beach is on the east side of Coal Oil Point in Isla Vista, California. Behind the beach is the west campus of the University of California Santa Barbara.

=== Climate ===
{{Weather box
| location                = Isla Vista, California
| width                   = 50%
| single line             = Y 
| Jan high F              = 62.7
| Feb high F              = 63.8
| Mar high F              = 64.4
| Apr high F              = 67.0
| May high F              = 68.9
| Jun high F              = 70.3
| Jul high F              = 73.0
| Aug high F              = 73.5
| Sep high F              = 73.3
| Oct high F              = 71.6
| Nov high F              = 67.7
| Dec high F              = 63.1
| Jan record high F       = 86
| Feb record high F       = 87
| Mar record high F       = 90
| Apr record high F       = 99
| May record high F       = 100
| Jun record high F       = 103
| Jul record high F       = 108
| Aug record high F       = 100
| Sep record high F       = 105
| Oct record high F       = 99
| Nov record high F       = 96
| Dec record high F       = 89
| year record high F      = 108
| year high F             = 68.3
| Jan low F               = 42.8
| Feb low F               = 44.7
| Mar low F               = 47.0
| Apr low F               = 48.9
| May low F               = 52.1
| Jun low F               = 54.9
| Jul low F               = 57.7
| Aug low F               = 57.9
| Sep low F               = 56.7
| Oct low F               = 52.6
| Nov low F               = 46.7
| Dec low F               = 42.7
| Jan record low F        = 26
| Feb record low F        = 31
| Mar record low F        = 31
| Apr record low F        = 33
| May record low F        = 39
| Jun record low F        = 41
| Jul record low F        = 45
| Aug record low F        = 43
| Sep record low F        = 42
| Oct record low F        = 37
| Nov record low F        = 30
| Dec record low F        = 28
| year record low F       = 26
| year low F              = 50.4
| precipitation colour = green
| Jan precipitation inch  = 3.70
| Feb precipitation inch  = 4.33
| Mar precipitation inch  = 3.56
| Apr precipitation inch  = 0.79
| May precipitation inch  = 0.30
| Jun precipitation inch  = 0.05
| Jul precipitation inch  = 0.03
| Aug precipitation inch  = 0.10
| Sep precipitation inch  = 0.41
| Oct precipitation inch  = 0.56
| Nov precipitation inch  = 1.39
| Dec precipitation inch  = 2.36
| year precipitation inch = 17.57
| source 1                =<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.plantmaps.com/93117|title=Zipcode 93117|website=plantmaps.com|access-date=April 27, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bestplaces.net/climate/city/california/isla_vista|title=Isla Vista, California Climate|website=bestplaces.net|access-date=February 20, 2022}}</ref>
| date                    = March 2021
}}

==Demographics==
{{US Census population
|1970= 13441
|1990= 20395
|2000= 18344
|2010= 23096
|2020= 15500
|footnote=source:<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html|title=CENSUS OF POPULATION AND HOUSING (1790–2000)|publisher=[[U.S. Census Bureau]]|access-date=2010-07-17}}</ref><ref>Census area not enumerated separately in 1980.</ref>
}}

===2010===
The [[2010 United States Census]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/2010census/popmap/ipmtext.php?fl=06:0636868|archive-url=https://archive.today/20140715025824/http://www.census.gov/2010census/popmap/ipmtext.php?fl=06:0636868|url-status=dead|archive-date=July 15, 2014|title=2010 Census Interactive Population Search: CA – Isla Vista CDP|publisher=U.S. Census Bureau|access-date=July 12, 2014}}</ref> reported that the Isla Vista CDP had a population of 23,096. The population density of the CDP was {{convert|12,376.4|/mi2|/km2|disp=preunit|people&nbsp;|people|}}, making the Isla Vista CDP the community with the 26th-highest population density in California.<ref>{{cite web | title=USA.com |url=http://www.usa.com/rank/california-state--population-density--city-rank.htm?hl=Isla+Vista&hlst=CA|access-date=March 1, 2015}}</ref> The racial makeup of Isla Vista was 14,875 (64.4%) [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], 594 (2.6%) [[African American (U.S. Census)|African American]], 104 (0.5%) [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]], 3,387 (14.7%) [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]], 45 (0.2%) [[Pacific Islander (U.S. Census)|Pacific Islander]], 2,686 (11.6%) from [[Race (United States Census)|other races]], and 1,405 (6.1%) from two or more races. [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]] of any race were 5,265 persons (22.8%).

The Census reported that 15,067 people (65.2% of the population) lived in households, 7,999 (34.6%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 30 (0.1%) were institutionalized.

There were 4,898 households, out of which 374 (7.6%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 497 (10.1%) were [[marriage|opposite-sex married couples]] living together, 166 (3.4%) had a female householder with no husband present, 99 (2.0%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 227 (4.6%) [[POSSLQ|unmarried opposite-sex partnerships]], and 32 (0.7%) [[same-sex partnerships|same-sex married couples or partnerships]]. 961 households (19.6%) were made up of individuals, and 195 (4.0%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.08. There were 762 [[family (U.S. Census)|families]] (15.6% of all households); the average family size was 2.94.

The population was spread out, with 700 people (3.0%) under the age of 18, 19,574 people (84.8%) aged 18 to 24, 2,076 people (9.0%) aged 25 to 44, 449 people (1.9%) aged 45 to 64, and 297 people (1.3%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 20.7 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.8 males.

There were 5,091 housing units at an average density of {{convert|2,728.1|/mi2|/km2|disp=preunit|units&nbsp;|units|}}, of which 129 (2.6%) were owner-occupied, and 4,769 (97.4%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.5%; the rental vacancy rate was 1.9%. 344 people (1.5% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 14,723 people (63.7%) lived in rental housing units.

===2000===
As of the census<ref name="GR2">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=2008-01-31|title=U.S. Census website}}</ref> of 2000, there were 18,344 people, 5,164 households, and 1,208 families residing in the CDP. The population density was {{convert|8,635.2|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. There were 5,264 housing units at an average density of {{convert|2,478.0|/mi2|/km2|disp=preunit|units&nbsp;|units|}}. The racial makeup of the CDP was 69.49% [[White American|White]], 2.10% African American, 0.64% Native American, 11.56% [[Asian American|Asian]], 0.23% [[Pacific Islander American|Pacific Islander]], 10.16% from [[Race (U.S. Census)|other races]], and 5.81% from two or more races. 20.01% of the population were [[Hispanics in the United States|Hispanic or Latino]] of any race.

There were 5,164 households, out of which 13.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 16.4% were married couples living together, 4.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 76.6% were non-families. 20.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 2.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.96 and the average family size was 3.21.

The age distribution was 8.6% under the age of 18, 73.4% from 18 to 24, 13.7% from 25 to 44, 3.1% from 45 to 64, and 1.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 21 years. Both the age distribution and median age are typical of communities dominated by college students. For every 100 females, there were 100.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.8 males.

The median income for a household in the CDP was $16,151, and the median income for a family was $26,250. Males had a median income of $23,381 versus $20,281 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $7,644. 62.8% of the population and 28.6% of families were below the poverty line. 29.7% of those under the age of 18 and 3.1% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.

The high percentage of non-family residents living below the poverty line can be attributed to the fact that Isla Vista is a town populated predominantly by college students.

==Arts and culture==
[[File:Isla Vista CA (2014) 02.JPG|thumb|Pardall Road, the main commercial street]]
[[File:Isla Vista CA (2014) 01.JPG|thumb|Pardall Road and Embarcadero del Norte]]
With a population consisting largely of [[UCSB]] and [[Santa Barbara City College]] students, Isla Vista is noted for its student and beach culture.{{citation needed|date=November 2018}} Major events include the Earth Day festival, Chilla Vista festival, Island View Classic bike races, and Extravaganza and All Sorority Volleyball Tournament.<ref>Tan, Sara, [http://www.independent.com/news/2009/apr/29/all-sorority-volleyball-tournament-spikes-its-way-/ "All Sorority Volleyball Tournament Spikes Its Way to Success: Greek Event Raises Money for Charity, Attracts Good, Clean Fun"], ''[[Santa Barbara Independent]]'', Wednesday, April 29, 2009</ref>

===Halloween in Isla Vista===
[[File:Halloween on DP.jpg|thumb|Halloween revelers on Del Playa Drive]]

The first notable [[Halloween]] rumpus in Isla Vista occurred in 1962.<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://dailynexus.com/2010-10-25/biggest-college-party-california-history-isla-vistas-halloween/|title="The Biggest College Party in California": A History of Isla Vista's Halloween|date=October 25, 2010|work=The Daily Nexus|access-date=2019-11-21}}</ref> When UCSB moved from downtown Santa Barbara to Isla Vista in 1954, students were relocated from an established community to an isolated place. Some have argued that the isolation accentuated and amplified risky behaviors of some students. A festival started in the 1930s, "The Barbary Coast", where students dressed up and held events evocative of Gold Rush era San Francisco, became rowdy and was cancelled by the student government in 1959. Halloween, as an annual event in Isla Vista, took off in the late 1970s, but even at that point it involved primarily UCSB students and a few other locals. By the early 1980s, word of mouth had spread and students from schools all over California began to converge on Isla Vista for Halloween. Rowdiness in county-administered Isla Vista increased, despite admonitions of UCSB administrators. At that time, the [[Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office|County sheriffs deputies]] viewed enforcement of "quality of life" laws in Isla Vista as a low priority and consigned matters to UCSB police. A unique sharing of law enforcement responsibilities for county land between county sheriff's deputies and UCSB campus police commenced.

As the Halloween tradition grew, an increasing number of high school-aged students converged, leading to countermeasures to Halloween and generic partying in Isla Vista. In 1993, law enforcement drafted a "Five Year Plan", which included confiscation of dangerous costume props, restricted parking,<ref name="dailynexus.com">{{Cite web|url=http://dailynexus.com/2014-10-30/history-of-halloween-in-i-v/|title=History of Halloween in I.V.|date=October 30, 2014|website=The Daily Nexus|access-date=2019-11-21}}</ref> zero tolerance for open alcohol on the street, increased ID checks to make sure alcohol consumers were at least 21, a strict noise ordinance, enforcement of drunk-in-public laws and restrictions on open kegs at parties. Halloween remained Isla Vista's biggest annual event for many years, often drawing crowds of 20,000–40,000 people. Each year the crowds and people became more violent and assaultive toward law enforcement, increasing the strictness. The residents and students who resided in Isla Vista tended to have a negative view of the overcrowded event, as visitors tended to litter, trashed the neighborhood, and made it impossible to find parking or even drive around.

The rowdiness of the massive party culminated in a complete shut down starting circa 2014. Since then, Halloween in Isla Vista is a real life ghost town with 6&nbsp;pm noise curfews, increased foot patrol, and many streets blocked off for non-residents.

The explosive demonstrations of the 1960s changed the tenor of Isla Vista for a while and led to the establishment of the Isla Vista Foot Patrol,<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.sbsheriff.org/ivfaqs.html |title=SBSO – Isla Vista Foot Patrol FAQs |date=April 24, 2009 |website= |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090424060708/http://www.sbsheriff.org/ivfaqs.html |archive-date=April 24, 2009 |url-status=dead}}</ref> now a joint effort of [[Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office]] Deputies, the [[University of California Police Department]] and the [[California Highway Patrol]]. Following the 2014 Deltopia riots, Isla Vista Foot Patrol implemented police body cameras by the end of 2015.

Halloween in 2014 had 300 police officers on call for the entire weekend. The tallies that were released by the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's office showed a decrease in citations and arrests compared to the year before on the two-day Halloween period.<ref name="Santa Barbara Independent">{{cite web|last1=Neushal|first1=Cat|title=Halloween in Isla Vista|url=http://www.independent.com/news/2014/nov/10/halloween-isla-vista/|website=Santa Barbara Independent|date=November 10, 2014|access-date=February 6, 2015}}</ref>

==Government==
===Self-government===
Isla Vista is an unincorporated community within [[Santa Barbara County, California]]. Since civil unrest in the 1970s,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.kcrw.com/news/shows/kcrw-features/isla-vista-burning-50|title = 'Anarchy on the streets': 50 years ago, Isla Vista burned down Bank of America|date = February 24, 2020}}</ref> the community began organizing for self-rule.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://drive.google.com/file/d/1tWAFP8RiTkRADgDLqtL_BeJbkaXjQjAE/view|title = Resolution 20-5 50 Years of Community Building.DOCX}}</ref> This culminated in the creation of Isla Vista Community Services District in 2015 with the passage of Assembly Bill 3, "Isla Vista Community Services District."<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=201520160AB3#:~:text=The%20bill%20would%20set%20forth,powers%20of%20a%20parking%20district.|title = Bill Text – AB-3 Isla Vista Community Services District}}</ref> Isla Vista residents passed Measure E in 2016, formally establishing the District.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://islavistacsd.ca.gov/how-we-got-here#:~:text=Isla%20Vista%20overwhelmingly%20passed%20Measure,of%20its%20over%2015%2C000%20residents.|title = How We Got Here}}</ref> Additional services are provided by Isla Vista Recreation & Parks District.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://ivparks.org/|title=Isla Vista Recreation & Park District|website=ivparks.org}}</ref> Measure R was passed with over 82% of the vote in 2018, establishing a utility tax to fund the Isla Vista Community Services District.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://islavistacsd.ca.gov/how-we-got-here|title = How We Got Here}}</ref> It also receives funding from the University of California, Santa Barbara, and other sources as outlined in its annual budget.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://islavistacsd.ca.gov/district-financial-information|title = District Financial Information}}</ref>

===Community efforts===
In 2009, the UCSB Associated Students president outlined a bill emphasizing the importance of public safety in Isla Vista.<ref>http://www.as.ucsb.edu/files/111109-38.pdf {{Bare URL PDF|date=March 2022}}</ref>

In 2013, Santa Barbara supervisor Doreen Farr said one of the ways to improve safety was to improve lighting in Isla Vista.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.keyt.com/news/Students-push-for-more-lighting-in-Isla-Vista/-/17671600/19779548/-/9tyqgy/-/index.html |title=Students push for more lighting in Isla Vista &#124; News - KEYT |access-date=2013-06-04 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130517134305/http://www.keyt.com/news/Students-push-for-more-lighting-in-Isla-Vista/-/17671600/19779548/-/9tyqgy/-/index.html |archive-date=2013-05-17 }}</ref>

That same year, the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors approved $100,000 in community block grants to replace bulbs on Del Playa Drive, Sabado Tarde Road, Trigo Road and Pasado Road with energy-efficient LED lamps. This was accomplished as a group effort of UCSB students led by Associated Students of Local Affairs.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://stage.independent.com/news/2013/may/06/lighting-isla-vista/ |title=Lighting Isla Vista |access-date=2013-06-04 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140527214647/http://stage.independent.com/news/2013/may/06/lighting-isla-vista/ |archive-date=2014-05-27 }}</ref>

The Isla Vista community has also made efforts in tackling other existing issues, such as sexual assault, by educating others through UCSB's Campus Advocacy Resources and Education (CARE) program.<ref>{{Cite web|last1=Oct 27|first1=Cat Neushul Mon|last2=2014 {{!}} 12:00&nbsp;am|date=October 27, 2014|title=Sexual Assault Facts|url=https://www.independent.com/2014/10/27/sexual-assault-facts/|access-date=2020-07-21|website=The Santa Barbara Independent|language=en-US}}</ref>

The creation of the Isla Vista Community Services District in 2015 led to a variety of new community services, including a Survivor Resource Center<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://islavistacsd.ca.gov/10-25-19-ivcsd-partners-with-stesa-to-open-survivor-resource-center|title=10/25/19 IVCSD Partners with STESA to Open Survivor Resource Center|website=Isla Vista Community Services District|date=October 26, 2019 }}</ref> in partnership with Standing Together to End Sexual Assault (STESA),<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://islavistacsd.ca.gov/iv-survivor-resource-center|title = IV Survivor Resource Center}}</ref> a full-time Interpersonal Violence Investigator,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://islavistacsd.ca.gov/interpersonal-violence-investigator|title=Interpersonal Violence Investigator|website=Isla Vista Community Services District}}</ref> Homelessness Resources,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://islavistacsd.ca.gov/isla-vista-community-center-provides-support-for-people-experiencing-homelessness|title=Isla Vista Community Center Provides Support for People Experiencing Homelessness|website=Isla Vista Community Services District}}</ref> a Compost Collective, a beautification program, a street lighting program, IV Safety Stations,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://islavistacsd.ca.gov/isla-vista-community-services-district-service-area|title=Isla Vista Community Services District Service Area|website=Isla Vista Community Services District}}</ref> and a Community Center that was opened in 2019.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://dailynexus.com/2019-10-15/50-years-in-the-making-isla-vista-community-center-celebrates-soft-opening/|title = 50 Years in the Making: Isla Vista Community Center Celebrates Soft Opening &#124; the Daily Nexus|date = October 15, 2019}}</ref>

==Media==

===Print===
Isla Vista is served by two adjudicated, general circulation Santa Barbara newspapers: The daily ''[[Santa Barbara News-Press]]'' (sold by the [[The New York Times Company|New York Times Company]] in 2000 to local resident [[Wendy P. McCaw]]), with a circulation of about 25,000, and the ''[[Santa Barbara Independent]]'', a weekly with 40,000 audited circulation.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://media.independent.com/pdf/09_MediaKit_loRes.pdf |title=Verified Audit (page 2 in online kit) |access-date=2012-05-20}}</ref> Other media available include Edhat Online Magazine,<ref>http://www.edhat.com/Edhat {{dead link|date=November 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> an aggregation of citizen news and links to other media websites; The [[Daily Nexus]], UC Santa Barbara's independent student paper; ''The Bottom Line'', UC Santa Barbara's weekly student-run newspaper; Noozhawk, a local affairs website; and Builder/Architect Gold & Central Coast Edition.

===Television===
* [[KEYT-TV|KEYT]] 3, an [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] television affiliate; 
* [[KPMR]] 38, a [[Univision]] affiliate
* Santa Barbara Channels; 17 ([[Public-access television]]) and 21 Arts & Education (formerly owned by [[Cox Communications]]). 
* Other television stations can be received from Santa Maria, San Luis Obispo, and Los Angeles.

===Radio===
* [[KJEE]] (92.9&nbsp;MHz), 
* [[KSBL]] (101.7&nbsp;MHz) owned by Rincon Broadcasting
* [[KTYD]] (99.9&nbsp;MHz)
* The Vibe:Hip Hop y Mas 103.3,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://cumuluspro-express-pro.franklymedia.com/1063thevibe-com|title=106.3 The Vibe|website=106.3 The Vibe|access-date=January 8, 2022|archive-date=January 8, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220108231549/https://cumuluspro-express-pro.franklymedia.com/1063thevibe-com/|url-status=dead}}</ref> formerly [[easy listening]] station KRUZ. It broadcasts from Broadcast Peak at an altitude of {{convert|4060|ft|m}} and can sometimes be heard in San Diego despite a distance of {{convert|200|mi|km}} because it propagates across the ocean.

Some Los Angeles and San Diego radio stations can be heard, although somewhat faintly due to the {{convert|85|mi|km|adj=on}} distance. Santa Monica-based [[NPR]] radio station [[KCRW]] can be heard in Santa Barbara at 106.9&nbsp;MHz, and San Luis Obispo-based NPR station [[KCBX]] at 89.5&nbsp;MHz and 90.9&nbsp;MHz. There is an NPR station, [[KCLU (AM)|KCLU]] (102.3 FM, 1340 AM), that has a news team in Santa Barbara and covers stories, news and programming for the area. The only non-commercial radio station based in Santa Barbara is [[KCSB-FM]], at 91.9&nbsp;MHz, which is housed on the UC Santa Barbara campus and funded by the students of [[University of California, Santa Barbara]].

==Notable people==
* [[Urijah Faber]], mixed martial artist
* [[Jay Freeman]], creator of [[Cydia]], iOS package manager

==See also==
* [[Campus Point State Marine Conservation Area]]
* [[Hodgkins and Skubic House]]
* [[Isla Vista Arts]]
* [[Isla Vista virus]]

==References==
=== Citations ===
{{reflist|30em}}

=== General ===
* Lodise, Carmen; et al., [http://islavistahistory.com/ ''Isla Vista: A Citizen's History''], CreateSpace, October 24, 2008. {{ISBN|978-1-4348-2474-5}}.

==Further reading==
* Appelbaum, Richard P.; et al., ''Santa Barbara: The Impacts of Growth'', 3 volumes. Santa Barbara: City of Santa Barbara, 1976.
* Strand, Jennifer Hildreth, ''[http://oldsite.westcampuspoint.net/natureLinks/Strand1987IslaVistaMaThesisHarrisBrownleeCohenOcr.pdf Evolution of a Boom Town: Isla Vista, California, 1915–1968]'', (University of California Santa Barbara MA Thesis, 1987), 149 pages.

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
* [[localwiki:islavista|Isla Vista on LocalWiki]]
* [http://www.ivparks.org Isla Vista Recreation and Park District]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20160303192249/http://www.islavista.org/riot123.html Isla Vista Riots]
* [http://www.islavistahistory.com/ Isla Vista History]

{{UCSB}}
{{Cities of Santa Barbara County, California}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Census-designated places in California]]
[[Category:Census-designated places in Santa Barbara County, California]]
[[Category:Populated coastal places in California]]
[[Category:Santa Barbara, California]]
[[Category:Student quarters]]