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Senate Supports Expanded Marine Protections, MTP Petition Goal Met
UCSB student government backs plan to protect 30% of California's coastal waters by 2030, while mobility program secures ballot initiative.
Mar. 12, 2026 at 4:50pm
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The Associated Students Senate at UC Santa Barbara unanimously adopted a resolution to expand marine protected areas and fully protect 30% of California's coastal waters by 2030. Separately, the Mobility Transportation Program (MTP) announced it had received enough petition signatures to get its fee initiative on the spring election ballot. MTP was founded by a UCSB alum to expand disability accessibility resources on campus.
Why it matters
The Senate's support for expanded marine protections aligns with growing calls to safeguard California's coastal ecosystems, while the MTP ballot initiative could provide crucial funding to improve transportation accessibility for students with disabilities on the UCSB campus.
The details
The Senate resolution was authored by third-year biology and political science major Eemaan Wahidullah. MTP founder Francisco Vega, a UCSB alum born with spina bifida, said the initiative would "afford [students] a sense of relief while respecting their autonomy to simplify their otherwise busy lives." The Senate also adopted resolutions supporting repatriation efforts and creating an A.S. Legal Code amendment to restructure the Senate.
- The Senate unanimously adopted the marine protection resolution at its last meeting of the winter quarter on March 4, 2026.
- MTP announced it had received enough petition signatures to get its fee initiative on the spring 2026 election ballot.
The players
Eemaan Wahidullah
A third-year biology and political science double major who authored the Senate resolution supporting expanded marine protections.
Francisco Vega
A UCSB alum and founder of the Mobility Transportation Program (MTP), which was born out of Vega's own experience as a student with a disability.
Mobility Transportation Program (MTP)
A campus organization founded to expand disability accessibility resources at UCSB.
Associated Students (A.S.) Senate
The student government at UC Santa Barbara that unanimously adopted the resolution supporting expanded marine protections.
California Public Interest Research Group (CALPIRG)
A student advocacy group that asked the A.S. Senate to support the marine protection resolution.
What they’re saying
“I saw the growth and lasting impact that was made in countless students' lives on a daily basis. There will always be students like me. It would be incredible if we could afford them a sense of relief while respecting their autonomy to simplify their otherwise busy lives.”
— Francisco Vega, Founder, Mobility Transportation Program (Instagram)
“We must not let individuals continue to damage private property in San Francisco.”
— Robert Jenkins, San Francisco resident (San Francisco Chronicle)
What’s next
The Mobility Transportation Program's fee initiative will be on the spring 2026 election ballot for UCSB students to vote on.
The takeaway
The Senate's support for expanded marine protections and the MTP's successful petition drive demonstrate UCSB students' commitment to environmental sustainability and disability accessibility on campus, even as the university grapples with broader governance changes.
