Six feet of fencing now separates people from a shear drop-off at one cliff-side property in Isla Vista.
“Some of the ways I know people have fallen is like at a party, they’re talking and they’re like leaned up against a fence or they maybe go sit up on it and then they lean back and fall,” said Gavin Solomon, Santa Barbara City College student.
Just beyond the beer pong tables at 6761 Del Playa, now stands a 6-foot-tall fence, which Solomon says has helped keep people safe during parties.
“It’s definitely like brought the risk down from like high risk of someone falling off to like very low risk. Someone would have to like legitimately like climb over and jump off,” Solomon said.
According to Santa Barbara County District 2 Supervisor Laura Capps, 14 people have died from accidental cliff falls in Isla Vista over the last 20 years.
“A young woman last February fell from this fence. Fortunately, she lived and the property owner rushed to do whatever was possible to keep the residents safe,” Capps said.
This is the first property out of 74 along Del Playa to complete a 6-foot fence renovation as required by the County of Santa Barbara.
Solomon says that although some people complain about the fence, the added safety is worth it.
“We don’t want anyone dying at our house,” Solomon said.
Supervisor Capps’ Bluff Safety Plan also includes adding more warning signs, education, and lighting to the surrounding areas focused on preventing falls in the first place.
“We’ll never know how many lives this fence right here could potentially be protecting,” Capps said.
Currently, there are eight properties in the permitting stage of fencing with the county subsidizing permit costs for all owners to encourage the remaining 65 properties to raise fence heights.
