Did UCSB actually say that, the 14 point list is public knowledge see here:
http://admission.universityofcalifornia.edu/counselors/files/comprehensive_review_facts.pdf
I know that Berkeley asked for recommendations from some applicants after the first review, not sure if they were borderline and recs swayed the adcoms or maybe just confirmed the decision. I don’t think that there were many of these requests though.