The Social Host Ordinance is here. Like it or not, the I.V. Foot Patrol’s fantasy has come to life. Whether you’ve heard about the ordinance or not, the Foot Patrol is planning on heavily enforcing the new law. This means all of us are subject to enormous fines on top of rising tuition costs and outrageous housing prices in Isla Vista.

[media-credit id=20122 align=”alignleft” width=”250″][/media-credit]What makes the ordinance even less legitimate is the fact that it was not even drafted for areas like Isla Vista. Its inception came from teenage drinkers in the Santa Ynez Valley, and the ordinance was drafted to put a stop to parents hosting parties for high school students. In fact, Doreen Farr, Isla Vista’s only elected representative, voted no on the ordinance. It is clear that the people of I.V. wanted nothing to do with this new law. Even worse is the fact that county officials had no plan for the implementation or logistical details of the ordinance when the SHO passed. This lack of prudence displays a disregard for our rights as students and residents of Isla Vista.

After already being banned from a public beach in the spring, the county seems to be toying with our liberties as American citizens and using UCSB’s party school reputation as a scapegoat for implementing unjust edicts.

All of this should make you realize that you have rights, and no matter what the county tries to do to belittle your citizenship, we still have the power in numbers that has always been a resource for student activism. So I’m calling for you to help me stand up to this ordinance, and ensure that we’re not violated and our right to privacy remains intact. The Office of the External Vice President for Local Affairs is here to help you with this new audacious legislation. If you have received a fine for violating the Social Host Liability Ordinance, please contact us at HellNoSHO@gmail.com. We will be keeping records of the tickets given to local residents, and interviewing the fined students on how they were treated by the police. Student input on the ordinance has been disregarded, so now is the time to unite our efforts and ensure that nobody in Isla Vista is subject to unfair laws that invade our privacy. Isla Vista has been quiet thus far in the fight against the SHO, but it’s time to awake the sleeping giant. It’s time for the county to remember who Isla Vista really belongs to.

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