This year’s Deltopia — an unsanctioned, annual street party in Isla Vista that is held during the first weekend of spring quarter — saw a total of five arrests and 20 citations issued by local law enforcement, but no administrative fines or medical transports, the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office said in a press release on Tuesday.
The breakdown of the Deltopia weekend charges are as follows:
Citations:
- Minor in Possession of Alcohol: 11
- Drinking in Public: 1
- Open Container: 5
- Noise Ordinance: 1
- Drinking in a Park: 1
- Possession of Nitrous Oxide: 1
Arrests:
- Possess Controlled Substance: 1
- Fighting in Public: 1
- Possess Loaded Firearm on Campus: 1
- DUI: 2
The arrests and citations occurred between April 2 and April 4 during a period of increased law enforcement to curb illegal behavior and to address COVID-19 transmission and safety concerns. The UC Irvine and UC Los Angeles Police Departments also assisted UC Santa Barbara’s Police Department and the Isla Vista Foot Patrol in mitigating large parties and gatherings.
Beaches were closed throughout I.V. for the weekend, the County Festival Music Ordinance — which prohibits loud music from 6 p.m. to 7 a.m. — took effect and parking restrictions were implemented by UCSB, with on-campus parking limited to only those with permits for authorized UCSB events. Virtual events and concerts, such as the Associated Student’s “Warm Up,” were also held by the university to encourage participants to stay indoors.
Last year, Deltopia had fewer than 30 partygoers, most of whom stayed in their respective homes due to COVID-19 restrictions. No arrests or citations were reported by law enforcement in 2020.
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- Deltopia this year saw significantly increased sights of gathering compared with last year. (Sophia Ramos / Daily Nexus)
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- Deltopia this year saw significantly increased sights of gathering compared with last year. (Sophia Ramos / Daily Nexus)
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- Deltopia this year saw significantly increased sights of gathering compared with last year. (Sicheng Wang / Daily Nexus)
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- Deltopia this year saw significantly increased sights of gathering compared with last year. (Sophia Ramos / Daily Nexus)
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- Crowds and cyclists on Del Playa Drive, April 3, 2020. (Sicheng Wang / Daily Nexus)
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- The beaches of Isla Vista were closed on the weekend of Deltopia, according to the County Festival Ordinance. At least one step to the oceanfront saw the barricade damaged and people entering the beach. (Sicheng Wang / Daily Nexus)
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- A group of pedestrians with masks walked past a stop sign with an alert posted urging measures of social distancing, April 3, 2020. (Sicheng Wang / Daily Nexus)
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- The vice chancellor of student life and several division deans distributed UCSB Bookstore gift cards along Del Playa Drive to those wearing masks, April 3, 2020. (Sicheng Wang / Daily Nexus)
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- The vice chancellor of student life and several division deans distributed UCSB Bookstore gift cards along Del Playa Drive to those wearing masks, April 3, 2020. (Sicheng Wang / Daily Nexus)
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- The Isla Vista Foot Patrol and UCSB Police, with the support from other UC campuses, patrolled to curb activities of COVID-19 concerns, April 3, 2020. (Sophia Ramos / Daily Nexus)
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- The Isla Vista Foot Patrol and UCSB Police, with the support from other UC campuses, patrolled to curb activities of COVID-19 concerns, April 3, 2020. (Sicheng Wang / Daily Nexus)
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- A Safety Station is set up by the Isla Vista Community Services District at Little Acorn Park, April 3, 2020. (Sophia Ramos / Daily Nexus)
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- Crowds and gatherings near the sunset on Del Playa Drive, April 3, 2020. (Kaiyi Yang / Daily Nexus)
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- Crowds and gatherings near the sunset on Del Playa Drive, April 3, 2020. (Kaiyi Yang / Daily Nexus)
The event is “unsanctioned” and yet UCSB erects fences all around IV for two weeks and the county shuts down beach access. The latter has no legal basis whatsoever. Two years of neutered “Deltopia” are an opportunity to terminate this idiotic and expensive “event.” Step down hard for another couple of years and it will end up like Halloween–a great time NOT to be in IV.