The Isla Vista Municipal Advisory Council was a local government agency in the Isla Vista district of Santa Barbara County, California. It was among the first Municipal Advisory Councils of California, elected representative bodies created in 1970/1971 in certain localities in response to race riots.
The State of California created a new special form of local government agency in 1970 with the creation of Municipal Advisory Councils, legislation enacted in response to the increasing frequency of violent race riots and other disturbances in its urban settings. The new legislation was intended to empower local unincorporated communities and their involvement in policy decisions resulting in the provision of standard municipal services in areas distant to elected officials and seats of local government. [1]
Among the first counties in the State to enable Municipal Advisory Councils (MACs) were Santa Barbara and San Mateo, which set up Councils in Isla Vista and in East Palo Alto in response to extensive riots in these unincorporated areas. These two MAC's became the most well-known examples in the State of this new form of quasi-representative government. The Isla Vista Municipal Advisory Council held its first election in early 1971 with nine local residents of the student community elected to the government with funding from the County of Santa Barbara to finance its operations. The new Council members elected were a mix of university students, local property owners and owners of commercial outlets, although this mix of residents is not legally mandated. In the same year, the County formed another special district with the creation of the Isla Vista Recreation and Park District. [2] [3] [4]
The state legislation authorized the election of local community members in specified unincorporated areas of counties and the placement of such elections on the official ballot as well community issues to be voted on in a plebiscite. Upon election of nine residents, the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors appointed the same members, by official resolution, to the open seats on Isla Vista Municipal Advisory Council (IVMAC) for a one-year term. Six of the seats were determined by district elections while three remaining positions were at-large seats. Council members were eligible for re-election and re-appointment Council members were first elected to the Isla Vista Community Council. The enabling State legislation also provided for local plebiscites on planning, land use and economic development issues of community importance. [5] [6]
Local government is a generic term for the lowest tiers of public administration within a particular sovereign state. This particular usage of the word government refers specifically to a level of administration that is both geographically-localised and has limited powers. While in some countries, "government" is normally reserved purely for a national administration (government), the term local government is always used specifically in contrast to national government – as well as, in many cases, the activities of sub-national, first-level administrative divisions. Local governments generally act only within powers specifically delegated to them by law and/or directives of a higher level of government. In federal states, local government generally comprises a third or fourth tier of government, whereas in unitary states, local government usually occupies the second or third tier of government.
Santa Barbara County, California, officially the County of Santa Barbara, is located in Southern California. As of the 2010 census, the population was 423,895. The county seat is Santa Barbara, and the largest city is Santa Maria.
Frazier Park is an unincorporated community in Kern County, California. It is 5 miles (8 km) west of Lebec, at an elevation of 4,639 feet (1,414 m). It is one of the Mountain Communities of the Tejon Pass. The population was 2,691 in the 2010 census, up from 2,348 in 2000.
Goleta is a city in southern Santa Barbara County, California, United States. It was incorporated as a city in 2002, after a long period as the largest unincorporated populated area in the county. As of the 2000 census, the census-designated place had a total population of 55,204; however, a significant portion of the census territory of 2000 did not incorporate into the new city. The population of Goleta was 29,888 at the 2010 census. It is known for being near the University of California, Santa Barbara, campus.
Isla Vista is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Santa Barbara County, California in the United States. As of 2018, the community had a population of 27,690. The majority of residents are college students at nearby University of California, Santa Barbara or at Santa Barbara City College. The beachside community of Isla Vista lies on a flat plateau about 30 feet (9 m) in elevation, separated from the beach by a bluff.
An unincorporated area is a region not governed by a local municipal corporation. Similarly, an unincorporated community is a settlement not governed by its own local municipal corporation, but is administered as part of larger administrative divisions, such as a township, parish, borough, county, city, canton, state, province, or country. Occasionally, municipalities dissolve or disincorporate, which may happen if they become fiscally insolvent, and services become the responsibility of a higher administration. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world have either no unincorporated areas at all, or these are very rare; typically remote, outlying, sparsely populated, or uninhabited areas.
Elections in the Philippines are of several types. The president, vice-president, and the senators are elected for a six-year term, while the members of the House of Representatives, governors, vice-governors, members of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan, mayors, vice-mayors, members of the Sangguniang Panlungsod/members of the Sangguniang Bayan, barangay officials, and the members of the Sangguniang Kabataan are elected to serve for a three-year term.
Local government in the United States refers to governmental jurisdictions below the level of the state. Most states and territories have at least two tiers of local government: counties and municipalities. Louisiana uses the term parish and Alaska uses the term borough for what the U.S. Census Bureau terms county equivalents in those states. Civil townships or towns are used as subdivisions of a county in 20 states, mostly in the Northeast and Midwest.
The Santa Barbara Student Housing Coop (SBSHC) is a student housing cooperative designed to provide affordable housing for students, faculty, and staff of the University of California, Santa Barbara. It is a member of NASCO. The first coop was established in 1976, and currently there are six houses; Newman, Manley, Dolores, Biko, Merton, and Persimmon. In all, 118 students live in these houses.
Elections in California are held to fill various local, state and federal seats. In California, regular elections are held every even year ; however, some seats have terms of office that are longer than two years, so not every seat is on the ballot in every election. Special elections may be held to fill vacancies at other points in time. Recall elections can also be held. Additionally, statewide initiatives, legislative referrals and referenda may be on the ballot.
The government of the City and County of San Francisco utilizes the "strong mayor" form of mayoral/council government, composed of the Mayor, Board of Supervisors, several elected officers, and numerous other entities. It is the only consolidated city-county in California, and one of only thirteen charter counties of California. The fiscal year 2019–20 city and county budget was approximately $12.3 billion.
The government of Nevada comprises three branches of government: the executive branch consisting of the Governor of Nevada and the Governor's cabinet along with the other elected constitutional officers; the legislative branch consisting of the Nevada Legislature which includes the Assembly and the Senate; and the judicial branch consisting of the Supreme Court of Nevada and lower courts.
The Mountain Communities of the Tejon Pass, or the Frazier Mountain Communities, in the San Emigdio Mountains is a region of California that includes Lebec, Frazier Park, Lake of the Woods, Pinon Pines, and Pine Mountain Club, in Kern County, Gorman in Los Angeles County and Lockwood Valley within Kern and Ventura counties. They are all within or near the Tejon Pass, which links Southern California with the San Joaquin Valley. Also sometimes included within the communities are Cuddy Valley, Grapevine, Neenach and New Cuyama.
Deltopia, originally known as Floatopia, is a social event started in 2004 which takes place annually in Isla Vista, California. Deltopia was originated by University of California, Santa Barbara students and occurs at the start of UCSB's spring quarter around Del Playa Drive. Participants consist primarily of college students. In early years, attendance was estimated at a few hundred participants with later years seeing an estimated 20,000 to 25,000 attendees.
A municipal advisory council in the United States is an organization composed of elected or appointed members whose purpose is to advise a city or county government about the activities and problems of the area represented.
Isla Vista Arts is an organization at the University of California, Santa Barbara with the goal of promoting art and culture in the small, neighboring community of Isla Vista, California. It is affiliated with the UCSB Interdisciplinary Humanities Center and Associated Students. Isla Vista Arts provides free and low-cost entertainment to college students and community members.
California has an extensive system of local government that manages public functions throughout the state. Like most states, California is divided into counties, of which there are 58 covering the entire state. Most urbanized areas are incorporated as cities, though not all of California is within the boundaries of a city. School districts, which are independent of cities and counties, handle public education. Many other functions, especially in unincorporated areas, are handled by special districts, which include municipal utility districts, transit districts, health care districts, vector control districts, and geologic hazard abatement districts.
A community federal credit union, in the United States, is based upon the cooperative concept of traditional credit unions but differs substantially in its scope of membership. Unlike the majority of credit unions nationally, the community credit union is based upon geographical membership and not worksite or union commonality. The very first such credit union in the United States was founded in 1970 in Isla Vista, California as a direct result of the burning of a branch of Bank of America. Initial organizers and members of the credit union Board of Directors included Wanda Michalenko, Matthew Steen, David Vaughn, Charlie Jones, David Bearman and others.
The Local Government Reform Act 2014 is an act of the Oireachtas providing for a major restructuring of local government in the Republic of Ireland with effect from the 2014 local elections. It merged some first-tier county and city councils, abolished all second-tier town and borough councils, and created a new second tier of municipal districts covering rural as well as urban areas. It also provided for a plebiscite on whether to create a directly elected executive Mayor of the Dublin Region although this provision was not activated. The act was introduced as a bill on 15 October 2013 by Phil Hogan, the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government, and signed into law on 27 January 2014 by President Michael D. Higgins. Most of its provisions came into force on 1 June 2014.
Limerick City and County Council is the authority responsible for local government in the City of Limerick and County Limerick in Ireland. It came into operation on 1 June 2014 after the 2014 local elections. It was formed by the merger of Limerick City Council and Limerick County Council under the provisions of the Local Government Reform Act 2014. As a city and county council, it is governed by the Local Government Act 2001. The council is responsible for housing and community, roads and transportation, urban planning and development, amenity and culture, and environment. The council has 40 elected members. Elections are held every five years and are by single transferable vote. The head of the council has the title of Mayor. The city and county administration is headed by a Chief Executive, Pat Daly. The administrative centre is Limerick. Following a plebiscite in 2019, Limerick will become the first local authority in Ireland with a directly elected mayor.