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cont...
A City for Isla Vistans
In 1971, the County commissioned a study of local government options
facing Isla Vista and Goleta. Isla Vista activists were able to
convince the Board of Supervisors to give a small share of the
money allocated for the study to the IVCC, which established The
Isla Vista Government Study--an innovative examination of services
and governance in Isla Vista. At the end of the study period,
an advisory election was held in Isla Vista--the first of a series
of "plebiscites" on local government options--in November
1972.
The alternatives before the voters were:
A combined city with Goleta
Annexing to the present City of Santa Barbara
Establishing an independent City of Isla Vista that included the
UCSB campus and Francisco Torres
Maintaining the status quo
An independent city gained over 80%-support in that election,
and the IVCC began preparing an official incorporation proposal
to be submitted to the Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO).
It was submitted to LAFCO in September 1973.
 LAFCO
is the State-mandated commission in each county, which is empowered
to review the many forms of government that communities might
propose, such as establishing a new city or a special district
for education, water, parks, etc., and annexations among various
jurisdictions. LAFCO has final authority on whether a community
can have an official election on the formation of new local government
entities.
LAFCOs are composed of two members of the local County Board of
Supervisors, two members of city councils in that county, and
a fifth person (the public member) chosen by those four. Two representatives
from all of the special districts in the county can also be included,
but this option was not pursued in Santa Barbara County at the
time.
The bottom line is that the members of LAFCO are not elected to
this Commission, although four out of five are elected to other
positions and then appointed to LAFCO.
The Santa Barbara County LAFCO rejected the 1973 cityhood election request from Isla Vista on a 4-1 vote.
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