Even though everything has been fairly quiet in Isla Vista for the past couple of months, a lot of people haven’t been lulled into submission. They are unwilling to accept the status quo and have been meeting and working to address some of the issues that plague the area. They know that the problems that gave rise to many of the horrifying events of last year haven’t yet been solved.
People have made a variety of suggestions to improve the situation. One that has met with a positive response involves the formation of some form of local government, and well-attended town hall meetings have been held to discuss the idea, though no one is really sure what this should look like. Everyone has different ideas about what this type of organization or committee would do, how it would be funded, and so on.
In the past, there have been various attempts — some successful, some not — to create a form of local government. Several failed attempts tried to make Isla Vista its own city. Committees were formed to address local issues, one that was successful was disbanded many years ago due to discontinued funding, some locals told me. However, the idea of having this type of local committee is alive and well. The most recent proposal involves a community services district (CSD).