Sturdier stairway connects bluff to beach at Camino Pescadero in Isla Vista

A new stairway at the end of Camino Pescadero in Isla Vista now replaces the storm-damaged stairs that once stood there, giving neighbors a new way to get down to the beach from the street and houses above.

Representatives from Santa Barbara County held a ribbon cutting on Thursday in front of the stairs off of Del Playa Drive.

The new stairway is 20 feet high and 100 feet long, with four concrete landings and a wooden bench.

“Symbolically, it connects and harmonizes the finest of the cultural and natural worlds all in our very own backyard," Santa Barbara County Third District Supervisor Joan Hartmann said.

“They did a great job, it’s beautiful,” said Paull Rubin, who lives on Camino Pescadero and walks to the beach every day. “[Walking is the] perfect way to relax, get inspired, get the cardio in. And this is the easiest, closest steps to get to, so I’m grateful that they’re back!”

The project cost $670,000 and was funded by a Community Development Block Grant (CDBG), the UCSB Coastal Fund Grant and County Parks maintenance funds.

Local civil engineer Bret Foster designed the beach access stairway with construction completed by Cushman Contracting Corporation of Santa Barbara.