Community-Sourced Demands

Addressing: 

LOCAL GOVERNMENT AND UCSB REPRESENTATIVES 

Recognizing:

That all students, faculty, staff, and community members in Isla Vista deserve safe and 

affordable housing.

That the current housing crisis in Isla Vista is systemic in nature and that the conditions were 

laid for this to happen when UCSB decided to leave Isla Vista “up to the free market” 

while also viciously opposing attempts at city incorporation. 

That many community members, as well as incoming students, have extreme difficulty 

navigating the housing market in Isla Vista.

That much of this housing injustice is a result of zoning regulations SR-2 and SR-3 as well as 

UCSB’s increasing admission numbers, both of which have allowed for overpopulation and unsafe housing conditions.

That according to a survey conducted of fifty-two Isla Vista residents and community members

• 25.5% of respondents indicated that they do not know where they will be living in the next 6 months.

• 68.8% of respondents said that it was ‘very difficult’ for them to find housing in Isla Vista.

• 66.7% of respondents do not think that the amount of their rent is fair for their current housing situation.

• 64% of  respondents have encountered black mold or other dangerous living conditions where they are currently residing.

• There are up to 18 individuals being housed in a single unit in Isla Vista and one respondent said that there are 6 individuals sharing one bathroom.

That UCSB, landlords, and local government are responsible 

for leaving thousands of students, UCSB employees, and 

community members in unstable housing situations. 

That the current plan for Munger Hall’s construction will cost $1.5 billion, and that 

Munger himself has only donated $200 million, leaving the brunt of the cost to come from student tuition and other revenues.

That the Munger Graduate Residences at Stanford University also received very public backlash 

for similar issues pertaining to a blatant disregard for quality of life, and even after modifications were made to the plane, students reported that it “felt like a prison.” 

That an architect for the Munger Hall project, Dennis McFadden, resigned because, “as an 

architect, parent, and human being,” he felt it was wrong.

That Munger’s plan is intended to encourage students to leave their room to “foster 

collaboration.”

That housing is not just a bed and that home is a safe, clean, welcoming space where you want to 

exist. 

Questioning:

Why was $1 million spent on a MODEL for Munger Hall, when that money could have been used 

to house people right now?

Why has UCSB continued to increase admission while failing to provide adequate and humane 

housing despite exorbitant tuition increases in the past decades?

Why has the Third District Commissioner continued to ignore the inhumane housing conditions 

present in Isla Vista?

Demanding our local government:

That the Santa Barbara County establish a rent cap in Isla Vista calculated based on the cost of 

living (minimum wage, transportation, health insurance, etc.) - not the market price, facilitated by the Community Services District.

To host a monthly town hall, facilitated by the Community Services District, with our Third 

District Supervisor/Commissioner and other Santa Barbara County officials to consult 

the constituents of Isla Vista to assist in policy making regarding residential zoning and 

housing laws. 

To encourage the use of existing buildings to house people who lack access to housing now.

To provide the CSO Escorts with the capacity to provide car rides to students during usual patrol 

hours as part of efforts to safely assist community members forced to commute to/from 

campus at late hours as a result of lack of access to adequate housing in Isla Vista. 

Demanding the University of California, Santa Barbara:

To support El Congreso’s demands for a dorm planning committee with at least 25% student 

representation.

To provide a mandatory housing education and housing rights seminar for incoming UCSB 

students during orientation. 

To redirect funds towards developing unused space on campus into student housing.

To make UCSB an open campus to provide resources to all community members affected by 

UCSB’s negligence.

Envisioning:

An Isla Vista with housing co-ops on every block to provide safe, community run, affordable 

housing.

An Isla Vista that is incorporated and has a local government that can look after the housing needs of its constituents. 

An Isla Vista where unhoused people can build themselves transitional homes from sustainable 

materials.

An Isla Vista where EVERYONE IS HOUSED 

Call to Action:

As local government and officials at UCSB, we need you to speak with the community about establishing a rent cap. You need to ask students and community members what we can afford– not based on marketplace value. We need you to deeply consider what the basic necessities are for a safe and sanitary home and realize that students and community members do not live under these conditions. These horrible living conditions, including overcrowding, mold, and rent gouging, should not be normalized– they are unacceptable. And most importantly, you need to meet the basic housing needs of every Isla Vista community member at any point. 

EVERYONE SHOULD BE HOUSED WHEN THE SPACE TO LIVE EXISTS

SIGNATORIES:

Housing Justice Isla Vista

Carley Weiler

Nicole Olmedo 

Amy Tran

Sara Ahmed