The 76th Associated Student Senate formally condemned the county’s passing of the Deltopia noise ordinance and discussed the attainment of funding for the ILP bike path at its Jan. 14 meeting.
The Senate formally condemned the county’s passing of the Deltopia noise ordinance and discussed the attainment of funding for the ILP bike path. Shengyu Zhang / Daily Nexus
The Senate adopted a resolution condemning the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors’ decision to approve the 72-hour noise ordinance that would effectively cancel Deltopia — the annual unsanctioned street festival.
“The Association expresses its frustration with the lack of direct input from the citizens of Isla Vista — many of whom are undergraduate students at UCSB — in this decision and its desire to work with the County Board of Supervisors as well as other relevant entities to work towards a long term solution to the root issue of no autonomous, centralized government in Isla Vista,” the resolution states.
The Associated Students Bike Committee (ASBC) announced it has secured funding and finalized construction plans for a bike path between the Interactive Learning Pavilion and the UCSB Library. ASBC will pay two thirds of the total $1.4 million construction cost, with the Chancellor’s office committing to the last third. The path is tentatively set to open on Sept. 15, according to Co-Chair and fourth-year geography and sociology double major Anthony Woo.
UC Police Department (UCPD) Interim Chief of Police Matthew Bly commended ASBC for its work on the bike path and emphasized the collaborative efforts the project took. Bly reported that UCPD issued 1,590 warnings and 10 citations for off-path bikers since enforcement began at the start of fall quarter, and will continue enforcement until the bike path opens. UCPD will also distribute free bike lights to students to improve bike safety.
Bly also announced that UCPD will be collaborating with the Senate to create a temporary committee on student safety, following numerous assaults near the campus lagoon and student concerns of immigration enforcement on campus.
“I feel it’s very important for our students to have a direct voice and connection to UCPD when we as a campus are engaged in some of these public safety topics of concern that come up,” Bly said.
The Senate adopted a resolution establishing the Student Safety Senate Temporary Committee, brought by First President Pro Tempore and second-year political science major Evan Sussman. The committee will also collaborate with the office of the External Vice President for Local Affairs (EVPLA), Take Back the Night and the Commission of Student Well-being.
Micah Littlepage, a fourth-year political science major and Veterans Resource Center peer advisor, requested funding for the Mobility Transport Program (MTP). The MTP provides transportation around campus for students with temporary or permanent mobility challenges, providing over 2,000 rides during fall quarter.
The program was funded by a student fee advisory committee grant, but is now seeking a permanent source of funding. As their funds have depleted, MTP has reduced the number of drivers from 17 to 11 and will continue to face cuts if it doesn’t find another source of funding. MTP will continue working with the Senate to secure funding and may pursue a lock-in fee.
California Public Interest Research Group (CALPIRG) member and second-year political science major Alex Borgas announced that their campaign to ban plastic bags was successful. Senate Bill No. 270 took effect on Jan. 1, which prohibits California stores from providing customers with single-use plastic bags, with exceptions. Borgas said that CALPIRG is continuing its efforts on the Stop Sable campaign and Protect our Oceans campaign.
Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Suzanne Perkin shared the “Save Student Services” fee initiative, put forth by the University, which would have students vote on the Spring election ballot to increase 18 individual fees for inflation. Perkin asked the Senate to help publicize the initiative, as they need around 3,500 undergraduate and 450 graduate student signatures to get the initiative on the ballot.
Perkin emphasized that the campus will “continue to lose services as the fees continue to lag over time.”
The Senate also adopted Sussman’s Bill to Clean up Legal Code, which will cut around 80 pages of A.S. legal code and free up $40,000. The bill will correct errors in legal code and remove inactive roles in Boards, Chairs and Units.
The Senate then adopted a bill to institutionalize Rate My Landlord developers within the office of the EVPLA. The website will allow students to leave reviews on I.V. landlords and property managers.
The meeting concluded by going into a closed session to discuss “BCU structuring and Association Spending.” The Nexus was not able to confirm the details of the conversation.
A version of this article appeared on p. 5 of the Jan 22, 2026 edition of the Daily Nexus.
