The Isla Vista Community Services District Board of Directors elected its new president and vice president for the 2026 calendar year at its Jan. 13 meeting and discussed plans for the alternative event to Deltopia.
The board discussed IVCSD’s plans for an alternative event for Deltopia. Nexus file photo
The board unanimously elected communication doctoral candidate Katherine Carmichael as president, and third-year political science and environmental studies double major Kylan Hobart as vice president. Former President Spencer Brandt, as well as former Vice President and fourth-year political science major Edward Pilotte, will remain as directors for the duration of their terms.
Before the vote, Brandt shared that he felt confident with Carmichael and Hobart leading the board into 2026 and was proud of what was accomplished during his presidency. Directors Kirsten Deshler and Pilotte praised Brandt’s leadership and mentorship.
“We dove headfirst into parking compliance. We’ve navigated the Spring Festival and all of the dynamics around that, and advancing transportation and infrastructure improvements with some of our advice to the county and supporting community grocery in Isla Vista,” Brandt said. “Moving forward, due to just my own professional commitments and time, I’ve decided that now is the right time to pass the torch to new board leadership.”
Next, the board moved on to board committee selections and voted unanimously to ratify committee assignments.
The board then unanimously approved the calendar for 2026 and will meet on the second and fourth Tuesday of each month except for November and December, where there will only be one meeting.
Brandt and Hobart then introduced Resolution 26-7 to oppose new offshore oil leases. Hobart cited the negative impacts that oil drilling has had on Santa Barbara and Isla Vista, such as the environmental damage, public health and marine safety concerns in the aftermath of the 2015 Refugio oil spill.
“There are some very serious risks that are posed by these kinds of operations, and unfortunately, the federal government is going in a direction where they’re ignoring those risks,” Hobart said.
The board unanimously voted to adopt the resolution.
Next, IVCSD Community Programs and Engagement Director Myah Mashhadialireza laid out the IVCSD’s plans for an alternative event for Deltopia, the annual unsanctioned street festival, after the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors adopted a noise ordinance earlier in the day that effectively canceled the event. Mashhadialireza said she created the working name “Novatopia” for the event, inspired by a nova star that “burns a little extra bright and then goes back to normal,” much like I.V. during Deltopia.
According to Mashhadialireza, Novatopia will be a multi-zone event across downtown I.V. featuring live music, art, markets, beer gardens, proper bathrooms, safety resources and decreased police presence according to a verbal promise from Isla Vista Foot Patrol (IVFP). The IVCSD also plans to hire students and “local leaders” as event leads to plan “Entertainment Zones” where different events will take place.
“Deltopia is a community-wide celebration, and so I want the community to be part of the solution,” Mashhadialireza said. “Our staff will support funding, distribution, permit application, safety planning, logistics and the temporary staff funding to make this vision possible for the community.”
Mashhadialireza recommended distributing 8,000 wristbands for students living in I.V. that will give them special perks, such as being able to skip lines. Students will only be able to get wristbands by registering their address with the IVCSD. However, wristbands will not be required for entry. The IVCSD anticipates 10,000 total local attendees.
According to Mashhadialireza, funding for Novatopia currently stands at $250,000 total, with $110,000 of the IVCSD’s existing festival budget and $140,000 of UC Santa Barbara Associated Students Program Board’s (ASPB) co-sponsorship for the Entertainment Zones. The “base need” for the event is $253,500; however, the “ideal budget” is $309,000. The Daily Nexus was unable to confirm if ASPB is collaborating on the event.
The IVCSD is exploring sponsorships from the Isla Vista Community Relations Committee, the Associated Students Office of the External Vice President for Local Affairs and local businesses. If sponsorships are insufficient, Mashhadialireza recommended that the IVCSD add $30,000 to match ASPB’s contribution.
According to Mashhadialireza, IVCSD must submit their application for the event with the county by Feb. 4, calling it a “time crunch.” The IVCSD opened applications for event leads on Jan. 14 and held a town hall for the community to provide input on Novatopia on Jan. 20.
One community member objected to the IVCSD hosting an event like Novatopia, citing that they lack the power to host a festival.
“IVCSD has controversially invoked the argument that its spring festivals over the last four years were a safety measure to reduce harm to the crowds that were already attending parties on Del Playa [Drive]. As of the approval of the ordinance amendments by the Board of Supervisors today, this is no longer needed,” the community member said. “If you go through with the plans to host a festival on Deltopia weekend, you will effectively be Deltopia.”
Before the ordinance passed, IVFP, which originally proposed the ordinance, amended it to allow the IVCSD to hold an alternative event.
The board then unanimously approved the resolution to receive and file the update on the Deltopia alternative plan, approved the job description for event leads and increased the existing spring festival budget to $140,000.
Lastly, IVCSD Public Works and Sustainability Director Jenna Norton reported on the software to run the Parking Enforcement Program. After “extensive research,” Norton and the IVCSD settled on Data Ticket for citation issuance and management.
The board then voted unanimously to approve the contract with Data Ticket.
A version of this article appeared on p. 3 of the Jan. 22, 2026 edition of the Daily Nexus.
