AnonymousBy the Isla Vista Community Services District
Isla Vista Community Services District (IVCSD) is celebrating 6 years of service in Isla Vista. The overwhelming passage of Measure E in 2016 led to the formation of the IVCSD. This was the result of a movement for greater local representation and the desire to improve the quality of life in Isla Vista.
The inaugural meeting was held on March 7, 2017, at which the District committed to supporting Isla Vistans by prioritizing community engagement, delivering localized public services, and maximizing the resources available to the community.
For the past six years, the IVCSD has expanded services for community members that advance the mission to improve the resources available to the community, ensure a high quality of life and level of public safety, and provide a local voice to the people of Isla Vista.
IVCSD has put in place services including Isla Vista Community Center, Isla Vista Compost Collective, Isla Vista Beautiful, Rental Housing Mediation Program, Isla Vista Safety Stations, a Survivor Resource Center, and Interpersonal Violence Investigator. IVCSD has six permanent staff positions and over twenty temporary roles.
The District has been working to improve infrastructure needs in Isla Vista and was awarded $182,158 from the California Air Resources Board to develop a Community Mobility Plan for Isla Vista. IVCSD has also established a lighting expansion plan, hosted a Spring Festival, and is soon launching an Isla Vista Parking Study.
“The Isla Vista Community Services District has simply put a large amount of new public services for Isla Vista in place in a very short amount of time. We have solved long-standing community issues and adapted to new demands along the way, and our best days are still ahead of us” shared Jonathan Abboud, IVCSD’s General Manager.
“Joining our board at the end of 2020, I had to get up to speed with an agile and efficient operation. I am very proud that our district not only takes initiative in community needs but that we have a view of the larger timeline. This anniversary reminds me to reflect on our legacy and the many Isla Vistans and neighbors who got us to this point,” said Marcos Aguilar, IVCSD Board President.
The Isla Vista Community Services District is Isla Vista’s first broad based local government, achieving 47 years of community advocacy for self governance. The IVCSD is empowered to provide eight critical services including public safety, housing mediation, community facilities, parking, graffiti abatement, lighting and sidewalks, and both a municipal advisory council and area planning commission. The Board is composed of five publicly elected directors and two directors appointed by UC Santa Barbara and the County of Santa Barbara.
