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(SANTA BARBARA, Calif.) – The Santa Barbara County Community Services Department has announced that the beaches in Isla Vista will be closed Friday, April 5 through Sunday, April 7 due to the potential for a “Deltopia” event. The closure is being declared to prevent a re-occurrence of the conditions that resulted from the 2009 Floatopia. The Santa Barbara County Code (Section 26-11) authorizes the Community Services Department to close any County recreation area including beaches.
Following the Floatopia event of 2009, the beaches at Isla Vista were left strewn with trash and debris, including human waste. This event had no provisions for the health and well-being of the public, including no facilities for human sanitation or refuse collection. The County of Santa Barbara, therefore acted to close the Isla Vista beaches for similar events since 2010.
The Deltopia event planned for April 5-7, 2024 is not a sanctioned event and there are no approved permits issued. As such, the County Community Services Department will declare the Isla Vista beaches closed to public entry to protect public health and safety and to protect the beach from excessive waste and litter. The Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office will enforce the closure.