Pasadena's Former Mayor Urges Ban on Data Centers
Former Pasadena Mayor William Paparian is advocating for an outright ban on data centers in the city, citing concerns about their immense power and water demands straining local resources and impacting carbon-free energy goals. He argues that Pasadena's current lack of a data center definition in its zoning code presents an opportunity to prevent, rather than just regulate, their development. Paparian's call follows a Planning Commission study session that highlighted these environmental impacts and public engagement on the issue.
Pasadena's former Mayor William Paparian has issued a forceful plea for the city to enact an outright ban on data centers. Paparian, also a longtime Councilmember for East Pasadena, argues that such facilities pose an unacceptable strain on Pasadena's finite resources, particularly its electricity and water supplies. His call follows a July 8 Planning Commission study session where commissioners and residents expressed alarm over the significant demands of even a "smaller" 10-megawatt data center, which could consume as much electricity as 8,000 households and water equivalent to 120 households annually.
Paparian highlighted that hyperscale projects, some of which developers are already inquiring about in Pasadena, could consume a significant portion of the city's constrained 280-megawatt electrical import capacity, potentially raising rates for residents and jeopardizing 2030 carbon-free energy goals. He also underscored the substantial water usage required for cooling, which he deems unacceptable for East Pasadena neighborhoods focused on conservation. Paparian clarified that he is not anti-technology, citing Amazon's quantum computing R&D expansion in Bradley Street as an example of welcomed, lower-impact innovation, but distinguishes this from the industrial-scale demands of traditional hyperscale data centers.
The former mayor noted that Pasadena's current zoning code lacks a definition for data centers, meaning they are technically not permitted. While city staff presented a draft definition at the July 8 session, Paparian asserts that a mere definition is insufficient, advocating instead for a complete ban, similar to Monterey Park, which declared data centers a public nuisance and enacted a permanent prohibition. He urged residents to participate in upcoming meetings and contact City Councilmembers to support the ban, prioritizing balanced growth, protecting ratepayers, and preserving the tech corridor for "true innovation."