The 76th Associated Students Senate modernized its payment system and appointed a new attorney general at its first meeting of winter quarter on Jan. 7.
The A.S. Senate appointed a new attorney general at its first meeting of winter quarter. Shengyu Zhang / Daily Nexus
Associated Students (A.S.) External Vice President for Local Affairs (EVPLA) and third-year political science major E.J. Raad discussed the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors meeting. The supervisors voted on Jan. 13 on the Isla Vista Foot Patrol’s proposed noise ordinance that will effectively cancel Deltopia, the yearly unsanctioned street festival.
Raad said he was told by Fourth District Supervisor Bob Nelson that a monetary commitment from A.S. to cover Deltopia’s law enforcement and medical costs may flip his vote to be against the ordinance.
In response, the Senate took an email vote to make an “official commitment towards providing significant financial support to relevant Santa Barbara County entities,” to cover some of Deltopia’s costs. The email vote did not reach quorum and therefore did not pass.
A.S. President and fourth-year Spanish, communication and global studies triple major Le Anh Metzger announced that her office, in partnership with the Office of the Student Advocate General, will be hosting a Protect Your Peers week from Jan. 12-15. The week is in response to federal escalations of immigration enforcement and features Immigration and Customs Enforcement (I.C.E.) rapid response training and other workshops centered around immigrant advocacy.
Metzger also announced that the UC Santa Barbara Police Department (UCPD) has finalists for the next chief of police, a position currently filled by Interim Chief of Police Matthew Bly. UCPD will be hosting a panel for A.S. executives to meet the finalists in the near future.
A.S. Internal Vice President (IVP) and fourth-year global studies and history major Enri Lala swore in first-year physics major Alec GeoSimonian as a new senator. Throughout winter quarter, Senate leadership will continue to fill the remaining Senate vacancies.
During public forum, first-year electrical engineering and economics double major and IVP Internal Compliance Officer Matthew Nelson, and first-year political science major and EVPLA Events Coordinator Tashvi Ratnani, requested $1,347.95 for A.S. merchandise. This would fund 100 shirts to be distributed at the upcoming basketball game against California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo on Jan. 22. The Senate granted up to $1,400 for the request.
Next, Speech Forensics President and fourth-year communication and sociology double major Gohan Huynh requested funding for the UCSB Speech and Debate team for tournament costs. The Senate allocated $10,759 for a tournament in Athens, Greece and $4,781.68 for a tournament in Los Angeles.
Then, the Senate granted a $9,209.19 funding request for the A.S. Living History Project. The Living History Project aims to archive the history of UCSB student activism.
The Senate then adopted A Bill to Modernize Honoraria, brought by First President Pro Tempore and second-year political science major Evan Sussman and Second President Pro Tempore and fourth-year political science and history double major Melanie Jones. This legislation will expedite the payment process for A.S. members by creating a digital honoraria system.
Senator and third-year political science and biology double major Eemaan Wahidullah presented a new Board, Committees and Units (BCU) and Liaison matchmaking system that will pair up senators with BCUs. Wahidullah created this system to pair senators with BCUs based on shared interests to bridge the “gap of communication and accountability” between the Senate and student organizations.
The Senate then referred A Bill to Establish the A.S. Isla Vista Tenants Union and Finance Committee Joint Rent Support Program, brought by Senator and second-year chemistry major Nadine Malhis, to the advocacy committee. This bill will build off the existing rent support program to provide students facing financial hardship with a maximum of $2,500 a quarter for rent support.
Next, the Senate adopted the fall quarterly Omnibus Bill to Update Legal Code, brought by Senator and fourth-year sociology major Mira Than, that will address amendments and updates to BCU legal code.
The meeting concluded after appointing former senator and fourth-year political science major Natalia Pascher as A.S. Attorney General.
A version of this article appeared on p. 3 of the Jan 15, 2026 edition of the Daily Nexus.
