San Gabriel Valley Residents Protest City of Industry Data Center Plan Following Zoning Change

Hundreds of residents from California's San Gabriel Valley, including communities like Rowland Heights, Avocado Heights, Hacienda Heights, La Puente, and South San Jose Hills, rallied recently in Rowland Heights to oppose the development of battery energy storage systems and data centers in the City of Industry. The protest follows a unanimous vote by the City of Industry City Council in February to amend zoning laws. This change specifically allows for the construction of a battery storage site northwest of Azusa Avenue and the 60 Freeway. While the immediate zoning change was for battery storage, residents expressed significant alarm that this new regulation creates an avenue for converting the largely vacant Puente Hills Mall into a data center. Opponents raised multiple concerns, focusing on the potential environmental and health impacts from battery storage structures, including air quality issues. A major point of contention was also the substantial electricity demands of a new data center, with fears that the gigawatts required would lead to higher utility costs for residents in surrounding municipalities. Despite the community's outcry, the City Council's decision has paved the way for these developments, which protesters referred to as a "parasite" on their city.