The Isla Vista Community Services District Board of Directors unanimously approved the use of the Isla Vista Community Center as a warming center at its Jan. 27 meeting. The centers will be run by the local non-profit Good Samaritan Shelter, offering shelter for homeless individuals during cold and rainy nights.
Under this agreement, the shelter would give Isla Vista Community Services District (IVCSD) a three-day notice before a rainy day that the space will be used as an overnight warming center. From the hours of 6 p.m. to 6 a.m., unhoused community members in Isla Vista would be able to use the space as a shelter to sleep and keep out of the rain and low temperatures.
Community Programs and Engagement Director Myah Mashhadialireza stated that IVCSD would be prioritizing existing paid reservations in the Community Center.
“We are doing the best we can to accommodate with the space that we have without disrupting the people that are paying or already guaranteed the space,” Mashhadialireza said.
Third-year anthropology and global studies double major and IVCSD Director Annabelle Sipos and former President Spencer Brandt expressed the importance of having a warming center in Isla Vista.
“This is about long-term health outcomes for people in our community that are experiencing homelessness, and I think it’s really a testament to the values of this organization,” Brandt said.
The agreement was approved unanimously via general vote.
Additionally, the board unanimously passed a resolution to honor the life and service of Arthur Kennedy, a long-time I.V. community member. Kennedy, who moved to I.V. in the 1960s and helped found the I.V. Food Co-op and Learn Engage Advocate Partner (L.E.A.P.), passed away on Jan. 24. Jeffery Walsh, a friend of Kennedy’s, held back tears while thanking the board for recognizing his friend.
“Recognition is not something that [Kennedy] ever sought. He was one of those quiet, ‘put your head down, go to work’ kind of guys, he never sought acclaim or appreciation,” Walsh said. “I just want to express my appreciation to the board for recognizing my friend.”
Following the resolution, the board heard a staff report on the Goleta Valley Library’s Bookvan, which provides books, audio visual materials and crafts to I.V. According to Mashhadialireza, the Bookvan is planning to shrink the number of sites it visits to maximize the time it spends at each site. She also ensured the Bookvan will continue to spend 20 hours a week in I.V. However, it will now visit the Community Center twice rather than three times a week.
“[The Goleta Valley Library was] looking at when people were coming most often and trying to find those high-target times in the areas,” Mashhadialireza said. “They identified the Community Center was one of those sites, along with a lot of others in Isla Vista.”
Brandt emphasized the importance of having the Bookvan in I.V.
“This is just so important because we’ve never had a branch library in Isla Vista, we’ve never had a reading room,” Brandt said. “I hear from Santa Barbara City College students, I hear from families with teenagers and kids all the time that they really view library services as something that’s really valuable for those that have transportation and can make it over to that location.”
According to IVCSD General Manager Jonathan Abboud, Santa Barbara County gives Goleta library service funds.
The meeting went back into public comment to hear from two UC Santa Barbara students representing the local chapter of Surfrider, an environmental advocacy group, about a building development on an ecological reserve in Naples, an unincorporated area in Santa Barbara County. The students voiced their opposition to the development and emphasized the importance of protecting local environments.
“There’s 16 species of bumblebees and birds and animals that live on this reserve, and their existence is pretty dependent on the fact that this reserve is illegal to develop on. And there are some endangered species. There’s two endangered species of bumblebees and one endangered species of bird,” fourth-year political science major and I.V. Surfrider Environmental Policy Committee Co-Chair Katy Fyvie said.
Next, the board discussed the agenda for the I.V. Safe meeting on Feb. 4. Abboud said that the meeting will focus on two discussions about safety: the actions the sheriff’s office will take to enforce the county Deltopia ordinance and IVCSD’s Spring Festival, the board’s alternative for Deltopia.
IVCSD Director Kylan Hobart requested the meeting also focus on clarifying the rules in place over Deltopia weekend.
“From what I’ve seen, at least online, is a lot of people think you’re not able to gather when it’s more about whether or not there’s music playing and things like that,” Hobart said. “I think that just being able to really nail that down and let everybody know what’s allowed would be helpful.”
Hobart also mentioned she had discussed ways Isla Vista Foot Patrol (IVFP) could increase community outreach with IVFP Lieutenant Joe Schmidt. Some ideas included highlighting stories of IVFP “doing good,” such as their response to a recent cliff fall, tabling and alternative forms of communication beyond press releases.
Next, the board unanimously approved a $20,000 contract with Dixon Resources Unlimited, which will help IVCSD with Parking Implementation Support Services from now until June. In this six-month-long proposal, Dixon will provide IVCSD with assistance in parking management, pricing strategy and technology implementation.
