The Isla Vista Community Services District Board of Directors voted to support immigrant communities and condemn Immigration and Customs Enforcement at their Feb. 10 meeting. The board also discussed updated plans for their Deltopia alternative event to be held in April.

The IVCSD Board of Directors voted to condemn I.C.E. and discussed plans for their upcoming Deltopia alternative event at their Feb. 10 meeting. Shengyu Zhang / Daily Nexus

United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (I.C.E.) has arrested over 380,000 people since the start of President Donald Trump’s second term, prompting criticism for employing terror tactics such as racial profiling, excessive use of force and attempts to enter homes without judicial warrants. Many community members have protested I.C.E. across Santa Barbara County (SBC), including a recent protest organized by the Isla Vista chapter of activist group Indivisible. 

Isla Vista Community Services District (IVCSD) President Katherine Carmichael and IVCSD Vice President and third-year political science and environmental studies double major Kylan Hobart introduced a resolution condemning I.C.E. for “creating a climate of intense, widespread fear,” “undermining the rule of law” and endangering public safety, among other things. The resolution also called for the abolition of I.C.E. and for SBC Sheriff and former president of Major County Sheriffs of America, Bill Brown, to use his platform to advocate for I.C.E.’s abolition.

IVCSD Director Spencer Brandt shared his support for the resolution and the abolition of I.C.E.

“This type of immigration enforcement and I.C.E. is new in American history. I.C.E. was only created in our lifetimes and there is no reason why the resources of the federal government need to be focused on tearing communities apart,” Brandt said. 

The resolution passed with six votes for and one abstention from IVCSD Director Kirsten Deshler. Deshler said that, as the representative of UC Santa Barbara, she must abstain because the UC has not yet taken a stance on I.C.E.

During public comment, students with Indivisible I.V. expressed support for the resolution and asked what  “concrete action” the IVCSD will take going forward. Brandt said that the challenge for the IVCSD is that I.V. isn’t a city, and the power to address I.C.E. activity lies with the SBC Sheriff’s Office.

Next, the board discussed amendments to SBC Code of Ordinances Chapter 17, affecting waste management. Some of the amendments included requiring property owners to subscribe to waste service and increasing the minimum trash container size for multiple-unit dwellings and large single-unit dwellings. According to IVCSD General Manager Jonathan Abboud, the ordinances have not been updated since 1995.

IVCSD Public Works and Sustainability Director Jenna Norton presented the amendments and urged the board to approve a letter of support. Norton said that she and her team studied the root causes of litter in I.V. and found that the issues were systematic rather than people simply throwing trash on the street. According to SBC ReSource Center Manager Carlyle Johnston, the main issue with I.V. waste management is an undersubscription to services. 

“Anytime you have a high population density, a high turnover and low home ownership rate, you’re gonna have undersubscription,” Johnston said. “You could be [not subscribing to waste services] to save money. You could be doing it to preserve parking … Residents also can just make a mistake and they might not know that they have to sign up for trash service.”

The board then unanimously voted in favor of the amendments and approved the letter of support.

Next, the board shifted focus to the upcoming Deltopia alternative event. Since the Deltopia noise ordinance was passed by the SBC Board of Supervisors, effectively cancelling the street festival, the IVCSD and UCSB’s Associated Students have been working with community officials to organize a sanctioned replacement. 

The Board first discussed the Feb. 4 I.V. Safe Meeting that was held with the Sheriff’s Office to discuss safety protocols during the alternative event. IVCSD Director and fourth-year political science major Edward Pilotte, along with Brandt, attended the meeting and shared key insights.

Brandt said that Isla Vista Foot Patrol (IVFP) plans to keep law enforcement presence the same as last year. He was then questioned about whether there would be an expressed focus on noise level enforcement as opposed to minor alcoholic crimes and other infractions. According to Brandt, ordinance violations are going to be handled “equally” by law enforcement

Pilotte elaborated on IVFP’s enforcement plans, saying that while music inside homes will be allowed, if it can be heard from the property line, IVFP will enforce the ordinance. Brandt clarified that commercial areas where the upcoming event is planned to be held will be exempt from the noise ordinance.

Hobart then questioned whether the IVFP and Sheriff’s Office’s communication strategies will involve more than posting information on their websites. Brandt responded that IVFP would primarily use door hangers that will go out to I.V. and UCSB residents, as well as posting information on their websites.

Next, IVCSD Community Programs and Engagement Director Myah Mashhadialireza, the primary event coordinator for the alternative event, provided updates regarding the festival itself. Wristbands for the event will be distributed both in I.V. and on campus. Although they will give wearers special perks, such as the ability to skip lines, Mashhadialireza explained that they will not be required to attend. 

According to Mashhadialireza, the event will have 80 bathrooms, four first aid stations, four safety stations, three DJ stages, three band stages and at least 50 security guards. Additionally, there will be a beer garden run and stocked by M Special Brewing Company, with all proceeds going to an eligible nonprofit.

“We want to make sure that people understand that, while [I.V.] is going to have 300 police officers, our site is going to be a safe space,” Mashhadialireza said. 

The event will be held in association with nine event leads, 11 local business partners and multiple free food vendors.

Mashhadialireza then discussed the name of the new event. 

“[There were] two names that our event leads came up with that were pretty good. One is Soltopia, taking more influence from some of the Spanish names and culture in Isla Vista. The other one, which has no ‘-topia’ in it at all, is Sound Wave Fest. I thought that was also pretty clever — a little play on the fact that sound waves are the big tension point of the event this year,” Mashhadialireza said. 

Pilotte expressed support for the name Sound Wave Fest because it makes the event distinct from Deltopia.

“I think it would be good to distance [ourselves] from the ‘-topia’ name, just because we don’t want to set those kinds of expectations. We want to continuously distance it [from Deltopia], so that people go in with no expectations, as opposed to hoping it’s going to be like Deltopia,” Pilotte said.

A version of this article appeared on p. 3 of the Feb. 19, 2026 edition of the Daily Nexus.