‘I don’t trust them’: Data center fight mobilizing Imperial County voters
Residents across Imperial County are organizing against a proposed nearly 1-million-square-foot data center near the city of Imperial, citing concerns about environmental impacts, water and energy use, public health and quality of life. The project has been stalled after a court ruled that county officials improperly allowed it to proceed without a state environmental review, while the county and the city of Calexico have adopted data center restrictions.
A proposed data center by Imperial Valley Computer Manufacturing LLC has galvanized opposition in Imperial County, where residents say the project could worsen energy demand, water pressures, pollution and quality-of-life concerns near homes and schools. The nearly 1-million-square-foot facility was cleared to move forward after the Imperial County Board of Supervisors merged parcels owned by the developer, but the decision triggered cross-partisan organizing and backlash against county supervisors in advance of local elections.
The project is now stalled after Imperial County Superior Court Judge L. Brooks Anderholt ruled in August that officials had illegally allowed it to proceed without a state environmental review. The county later approved another moratorium on data centers, and Calexico's City Council unanimously approved a ban. Residents are also pursuing a recall effort against former Board of Supervisors Chair Peggy Price, while supervisors Jesus Eduardo Escobar and Martha Cardenas-Singh are supporting a special election on whether to prohibit data centers on unincorporated county land.