Isla Vista board reviews budget survey showing housing, cleanliness and parking top residents' concerns

The Isla Vista Community Services District on Tuesday reviewed a preliminary budget survey that staff said drew 130 responses and repeatedly flagged housing as the top problem affecting the community.

Staff cautioned the board that the survey is not a statistically representative poll but said the free‑response answers showed consistent themes: the cost and quality of housing, street cleanliness and parking supply. "Housing again number one," a staff presenter said during the retreat summary.

The survey asked both perception and preference questions. Nearly half of respondents identified stronger unarmed public‑safety responses and a residential permit program among top funding priorities; staff noted the unarmed Friday–Saturday night guardian model obtained close to 50% support in cross‑tabulations. On perceptions, staff cited that a large share of respondents felt connected to the broader community and that a plurality reported feeling safe or fairly safe.

Board members pressed staff about representativeness: the group repeatedly noted that many respondents are UCSB students and that 130 responses cover a small fraction of the roughly 15,000 people who live in or interact with Isla Vista. "It's definitely not a scientific survey," one committee member said, urging caution in using the results as the sole basis for policy.

Staff said the initial summary was produced with an automated tool (Google Gemini) and that a human‑verified version will be prepared later in the summer. They also said the survey data will inform outreach priorities—Instagram and on‑the‑ground tabling remain the most effective channels identified by respondents.

Next steps: staff will produce a human‑reviewed survey summary for the board, factor the findings into the strategic‑plan updates, and incorporate the priorities into outreach and the revenue‑measure conversation later in the retreat.