UCSB parties are even wilder than Cal Poly’s. How does the community cope? | Opinion

It’s a given in college towns: Young people are going to party. Shut one down, and another pops up.

Instead of playing whack-a-mole, Cal Poly and the city of San Luis Obispo are better off crafting more effective policies to more effectively regulate partying — especially for St. Fratty’s Day.

To be fair, the city has made progress in controlling the huge block party on Hathway Avenue. Last month’s St. Fratty’s Day celebration, attended by around 7,000 partiers, wasn’t exactly a success, but it could have been far worse.

No roofs collapsed. No major injuries or serious crimes were reported. And while there were thefts and vandalism, most of that occurred on the Cal Poly campus, not in the neighborhoods, which points to the need for Cal Poly to take more ownership over what’s happening in the dorms.

Credit goes to the San Police Obispo Police Department for keeping things under control without resorting to extreme measures — like using tear gas and riot shields — to control the crowd.

But here’s the thing: The party cannot grow any larger. That’s the clear message coming from Police Chief Rick Scott.

The city can run public service announcements warning young people to stay away, but it’s not easy to disinvite guests to what has been an open party.

What does UCSB do?

In Santa Barbara, law enforcement has been trying for years to control parties in Isla Vista, the college town near UCSB. Those parties are far larger, wilder and more dangerous than anything seen at Cal Poly.

Parties celebrating Halloween and Deltopia — an annual event held the first week of spring quarter — are especially notorious.

To discourage attendance, the university basically shuts down to out-of-town residents during the events.

Overnight visitors are not allowed in residence halls and other university-owned housing. Campus parking also is off-limits and checkpoints are set up to control access. (This year, Cal Poly also banned overnight guests from the dorms from March 14-18.)

Nor is it easy to get around in Isla Vista. Several streets are closed. Beaches also shut down, both to protect public health and safety and to prevent littering.

Events open only to UCSB students are held on campus to “draw students off the streets and into sanctioned activities,” according to The Current, a university publication.

Local government also gets involved. On Deltopia weekend, the Isla Vista Community Services District hosts a Spring Festival with free food, music and activities.

Such efforts have had mixed success. The Halloween party scene has toned down, but Deltopia — which is happening this weekend — has been growing.

Santa Barbara County lays down the law

This year, the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors, which has jurisdiction over Isla Vista, passed several new regulations to get a better handle on rowdy partying.

• A nighttime noise ordinance prohibits playing amplified music — either live or recorded — at a level loud enough to be heard on street. The ban is in effect between 6 p.m. and 7 a.m. during the Halloween and Deltopia party seasons. Violators can be fined $500, and turntables, amplifiers and other equipment can be seized and held until cases are closed.

• Partying on rooftops, allowing access to rooftops and climbing over barriers to access bluffs along the shoreline is prohibited. Even a single incident can get a party shut down. So can a host of other serious — and not-so-serious — violations, ranging from assaults to obstructing a public right-of-way.

• Outdoor festivals — including concerts and parties with DJs — are limited to 250 people.

• Hosts may not charge admission to parties or sell alcohol — a restriction aimed at combating the “monetization” of parties.

To sum up, here’s what hosts can do stay out of trouble: “Do not sell tickets for entry to a party. ... Do not sell or provide alcohol to party-goers, do not host a party that is attended by more that 250 people, and keep party-goers off rooftops and bluffs,” the Sheriff’s Office advises.

‘A medical emergency issue’

There have been some injuries associated with St. Fratty’s Day — most notably in 2015, when a garage roof collapsed under the weight of too many partiers, injuring several students. — but the toll has been far worse in Isla Vista.

The toll has been far worse in Isla Vista.2013, an 18-year old Cal Poly freshman, Giselle Esme Ayala, died as the result of a fall from one of the steep cliffs that line Isla Vista’s shore. Investigators believe it happened as law officers were breaking up a Deltopia party and guests were scattering.

In 2022, authorities declared Deltopia a mass casualty incident due to the number of medical emergency medical calls, including three falls that resulted in significant injuries.

Last year, UCSB student Jude Quirinale, 21, died of a fentanyl overdose during Deltopia.

That sad history has influenced the response from law enforcement.

“We see it as a medical emergency issue that has a law enforcement component,” said Lt. Garrett TeSlaa, who leads the Isla Vista Foot Patrol.

He reels off sobering statistics: In 2023 there were 60 medical calls during Deltopia — twice as many as there were in 2022 — and 33 people transported to the hospital.

To prepare for the expected influx of injuries and overdoses, hospitals are placed on high alert. A triage tent is set up in the party zone, as are safety stations where students can rest, hydrate, charge their phones and report emergencies.

This year, Narcan — a drug administered to reverse the lethal effects of opioid overdoses — was distributed to all Isla Vista residents.

Are there takeaways for St. Fratty’s Day?

There are some huge differences between Deltopia and St. Fratty’s Day.

St. Fratty’s is primarily confined to one area and takes place on a single morning. Deltopia goes on for three days at several locations.

The environment also poses a greater threat. According to the Santa Barbara Independent, 13 people have lost their lives in Isla Vista cliff accidents over the past 20 years.

Another difference: Santa Barbara County has a far more law enforcement officers available to police the event.

In short, San Luis Obispo is not a miniature version of Santa Barbara. Regulations that work there may not be appropriate here.

But some approaches — such as stepping up efforts to discourage out-of-town guests, offering alternative events and treating the event as a potential medical emergency — are worth considering. After all, nothing communicates the potential for danger like a big, white medical triage tent.

The San Luis Obispo City Council might also review party policies to determine whether additional restrictions are needed for St. Fratty’s Day.

While we don’t want to see a heavy-handed police presence, reasonable enforcement is entirely appropriate. Out-of-towners will be less inclined to come if they recognize that this isn’t a lawless free-for-all.

Finally, this won’t work without student cooperation. They need to own this as a locals-only event — one that could be shut down if it’s overrun by out-of-towners who disrespect the community.

San Luis Obispo doesn’t need to kill St. Fratty’s Day. But it does need to take it down a couple of notches, and that work needs to start now.