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As the end of spring break approached, authorities blocked Deltopia’s return. Thousands of college students attack Isla Vista for a raucous weekend that usually peaks in chaos and arrests at a massive unlicensed street party in Santa Barbara County.
The dangers in Deltopia are diverse, including sudden coastal lumps, drug overdose, excessive drinking and outbreaks of violence, according to warnings issued by the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office. In 2023, a junior from UC Santa Barbara died of a fentanyl overdose in Deltopia, and in 2013 a Calpoli San Luis Obispo student fell off a cliff.
Currently, the sheriff’s office is warning of new risks in this weekend’s upcoming festival, ticket scams targeting college students.
The local ordinance does not allow admission fees for any event within Deltopia’s footprint, and the sheriff’s office says it intends to close parties that violate the rules.
But even worse, the department has identified a list of several fraudulent online events where fraudsters are promoting fake parties in unsuspecting residents’ homes. The Sheriff’s Office has been working to track down the heads of fake events and says it will monitor locations advertised throughout the weekend.
In another effort to block bad behavior, the department will suspend a detour program that can dismiss certain quotations by joining classes and completing community services throughout the festive process. This means that all citations issued this weekend will be addressed through the court process, and any violations maintained will be left on the student’s permanent record.
Last year, law enforcement issued 256 citations and made 32 arrests during Deltopia. This is an increase from 151 quotes issued in 2023 when 23 people were arrested, an even bigger jump from 2022 when 34 people were cited and four people were arrested.
In 2024, authorities closed 13 illegal parties on the rooftop and bluff due to violations of noise ordinances and tickets being charged. There were also two reports of sexual assault, and one DUI arrest was made after the driver crashed into a car in front of him while he was side-by-side at a drinking checkpoint, the paper reported.
There were no fatal overdose reported in 2024, but this marked a year since the death of 21-year-old Jude Quirinale.
According to a GoFundMe post by his family, Killinar died after taking fentanyl-covered pills at a Deltopia party. He was resuscitated by emergency services and taken to hospital, where he was on life support for several days before the popular man left, according to the post office.
As the infamous weekend approaches, officials remind partygoers of California’s Good Samaritan Act. This exempts those seeking help from people who are overdose of punishment for drug possession or preventing them from being affected.
“The law was created to encourage bystanders to assist with emergencies and is one of the most powerful tools in the community over Deltopia weekend,” the Sheriff’s Office said in a statement.
As an additional safety precaution, Isla Vista beaches will be closed from 8am on Friday to 8am on Monday, Santa Barbara County announced.
The county said the closure was intended to prevent a recurrence of “destructive and dangerous conditions” that resulted from the 2009 Flotopia epic failure.
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