To the Isla Vista community,

The Office of the External Vice President for Local Affairs (EVPLA) has worked for years to promote a positive relationship between the public and our law enforcement. It is in this spirit I would like to inform the public of a recent and very important development.

On Thursday, August 11 at the Isla Vista Community Network Meeting (a monthly public meeting of residential, student, University, County and law enforcement officials), the Sheriff’s Department informed the public they are proposing an amendment to County Ordinance 40-2, the Noise Ordinance. The amendment would change the quiet hours on Friday and Saturday nights to 10 p.m. to 7 a.m., from 12 a.m. to 7a.m. The Sheriff Department proposes this amendment as a means by which to reduce crime from the hours of 10 p.m. to 12 a.m. This proposal will be initially heard by the County Board of Supervisors on September 12. In light of the fact that the majority of students are away at this time, a concern many members of the Isla Vista Community Network raised, Lieutenant Ruben Cintron has requested the meeting be pushed to September 22 to allow students to first return to Isla Vista.

This letter serves as a notice to the community of this development and represents students’ continued commitments to community-oriented policing. The official opinion of the External Vice President of Local Affairs office is to oppose this amendment. It is my belief this does not fall in line with the kinds of community-based police practices we have developed over the past 2 years. Similar policies, such as zero tolerance enforcement of music during the day during Deltopia 2014, were assumed to be effective tools to reduce crime and increase public safety. The following year due to community discussions, enforcement of day time music was relaxed and expectations from police were clearly communicated to residents. In partnership with UCIV volunteers, there was a 26 percent reduction in arrests, a 21 percent reduction in citations and an 82 percent reduction in medical transports in 2015 compared to 2014. Crime in Isla Vista has dropped 20 percent in the past two years, as reported by the Santa Barbara District Attorney’s Office. This was accomplished by creating partnerships with law enforcement and by communicating our shared community expectations, something the Sheriff’s Department proudly claims to do on their website. If we return to enforcement styles that harshly impose these expectations on our community, I believe it will undo the trust and partnerships we have worked to establish. The EVPLA office is working with a wide range of stakeholders to determine the best collective response to this proposition and ways to continue the amazing work we have done in our community. We remain committed to our partners in law enforcement and urge residents to engage in a productive conversation to achieve our shared goals. More information on the EVPLA’s official position and community meetings to discuss this matter are forthcoming.

If you have any questions concerning this proposition, I urge you to reach out to me at evpla@as.ucsb.edu.

Sincerely,

Ashcon Minoiefar

A.S. External Vice President for Local Affairs

Austin Hechler

A.S. President

Natalie Jordan

A.S. Internal Vice President

Neha Nayak

A.S. External Vice President of Statewide Affairs

Josephine Ampaw

A.S. Student Advocate General

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