LIVE: Imperial County explores ballot measure to shift data center approvals to the public
The Imperial County Board of Supervisors discussed a potential March 2027 ballot measure that would let county voters decide whether large-scale data centers should be approved. Supervisors Jesus Escobar and Martha Cardenas Singh supported moving the proposal forward, but no vote was taken and other supervisors urged further research by the county’s data center committee.
The Imperial County Board of Supervisors held a discussion about changing how large-scale data center projects are approved. Supervisors Jesus Escobar and Martha Cardenas Singh proposed advancing a ballot measure for the March 2027 election, arguing that residents should have the final say on whether data centers are developed in the county rather than leaving approvals solely to elected officials.
Escobar said he expected the item to come up for a vote after requesting it several weeks earlier, but the meeting produced only discussion. The other three supervisors encouraged additional review by the county’s data center committee before taking action. Community speakers broadly supported putting the issue before voters, including people both in favor of and opposed to data centers. The proposal could return for a vote at a future meeting.