Isla Vista streets left empty on what would’ve been Deltopia, with few arrests and citations issued.

Citations, arrests and medical calls were down over 90% compared to during 2025 Deltopia celebrations. Shengyu Zhang / Daily Nexus

The typical jam-packed streets, loud music and hundreds of citations seen at Deltopia celebrations in years past were noticeably absent from Del Playa Drive on April 4. Instead, 300 law enforcement officers from across California helped enforce the Isla Vista Foot Patrol’s 72-hour noise ordinance, resulting in an over 90% decrease in medical calls, citations and arrests.

In January, the Santa Barbara County (SBC) Board of Supervisors unanimously adopted Isla Vista Foot Patrol’s (IVFP) proposed ordinance banning amplified music during the first weekend of spring quarter. IVFP employed the same number of officers as last year to enforce the ordinance during the weekend in case crowds remained the same. 

Deltopia, the yearly unsanctioned street festival, has drawn thousands of attendees in years past. Over the last four years, Deltopia’s citations and arrests increased, with 2025 seeing a record 130 medical calls, 485 citations and 84 arrests among an estimated 25,000 attendees.

In contrast, celebrations this year resulted in seven medical calls, 42 citations and six arrests, according to a county press release. Roughly 12,000 people attended Isla Vista Community Services District’s (IVCSD) alternative event, Soltopia, from 12-6 p.m.

Compared to the thousands of people who have attended Deltopia celebrations in the past, Del Playa Drive remained largely devoid of party goers this year. Shengyu Zhang / Daily Nexus

I.V. beaches were closed for the whole weekend and vehicles were unable to enter Sabado Tarde Road and Del Playa Drive until after 8 p.m. on Saturday. Additionally, the Restorative Justice Program, which allows people to waive certain citations after completion of classes and community service, was suspended. Individuals who received citations can contact the Associated Students (A.S.) Legal Resource Center for free legal consultation. 

At a special meeting of the SBC Board of Supervisors on April 7, Second District Supervisor Laura Capps commended IVFP and the Sheriff’s Department for their handling of the weekend.

“There were so many people that were there for the health and safety of young people that call Isla Vista home, and it was remarkable to see,” Capps said. “I want to note that [law enforcement] teams were out there, many of whom on a holiday weekend for them — Easter weekend — and that’s a sacrifice.”

A.S. External Vice President for Local Affairs (EVPLA) and third-year political science major E.J. Raad strongly advocated against the ordinance before its passage and said his opinion hasn’t changed.

“There was such a disproportionate amount of police officers to students and there’s obviously a lot more police officers than EMT or medical services,” Raad said. “One of my biggest concerns was that this was just going to increase police power here in a way that didn’t exist before, where we now have a mechanism where they can shut down a weekend and then also move the ordinance.”

Roughly 300 law enforcement officers, the same number present last year, patrolled the streets of Isla Vista. Shengyu Zhang / Daily Nexus

University of California Isla Vista, an organization under the EVPLA’s office, set up tents along Del Playa Drive and at the Pardall Center on Saturday. While these tents have been a heavily utilized resource during past Deltopia weekends by providing food, water and escort services, Raad said that they had “pretty minimal interactions” on Del Playa, with about 250 people visiting the tent at Walter Capps Park.

Raad said that the suspension of restorative justice and the “disproportionate” police presence show that the ordinance is “just a way to make it easier for [law enforcement] to deploy those resources in a punitive way.” He also highlighted that having the same number of law enforcement as last year goes against the goal of reducing Deltopia costs, unless IVFP commits to their promise of scaling down in the future.

Fourth-year history major Molly Vestal currently lives on Del Playa Drive and found the massive police presence “a bit jarring.” She said she felt forced to find a coworker to cover her Saturday shift because of the barricades stopping her from reentering Del Playa until after 8 p.m.

“I’m used to seeing cops on [Del Playa]. I think that’s just a normal part of life here, but it was an influx of just giant groups of 10 walking together at a time, looking for something to do, and I felt scared,” Vestal said. “I was just walking down the street with a bag in my hand and I was like, ‘Wait, are they gonna think that this is alcohol?’ I’m super clumsy, and if I trip in front of them are they gonna think that I’m drunk and arrest me?”

Residents were unable to reenter Sabado Tarde Road or Del Playa Drive until after 8:00 p.m. on Saturday. Bohen felt that communication around parking was confusing. Shengyu Zhang / Daily Nexus

Vestal and her housemate, Santa Barbara City College student Miranda Bohen, felt that communication around parking was confusing. Bohen said that the information she got from people around her made it unclear whether Del Playa and Sabado Tarde residents would be allowed to park on the street and leave and come back. Similar to Vestal, she felt that the large police presence was “nerve-racking.”

“They canceled Deltopia and did all the ordinances for the wrong reasons. They just want to have control over us basically instead of really caring about anything else,” Bohen said. “It sounds silly, but I feel like they really just don’t want us to have fun instead of caring about us personally.”

Going forward, Raad thinks there should be continued pushback against the ordinance and over-policing in I.V.

“I think that’s something that’s worth probably a future EVPLA advocating for,” Raad said. “I’m nearing the end of my term, but that is a long-term project that I think is worth pursuing for sure. We just have to see how things proceed from here, but obviously this first year, it’s exactly what we said was going to happen. It was just like they didn’t save any money or any resources.” 

The Daily Nexus was unable to contact IVFP for comment.

Raad said that having the same number of law enforcement as last year goes against the goal of reducing Deltopia costs, unless IVFP commits to their promise of scaling down in the future. Shengyu Zhang / Daily Nexus

A version of this article appeared on p. 1 of the April 9 print edition of the Daily Nexus.