Monterey Park City Council approves ballot measure that bans data centers

The Monterey Park City Council has unanimously approved a measure to be placed on the June 2 special election ballot that, if passed by voters, would permanently ban data center construction in the city. The council also codified existing interim protections against data center development into a permanent land-use policy in the municipal code and declared data centers a "public nuisance." This action by the council, including Mayor Elizabeth Yang and Councilmember Henry Lo, reflects months of significant public pushback against data center proposals in the area. Grassroots efforts by groups like No Data Center Monterey Park, supported by local and state representatives such as Rep. Judy Chu and State Sen. Sasha Renee Perez, have driven the campaign. Co-founder Steven Kung expressed gratitude for the council's responsiveness to community feedback. The public backlash previously led developer HMC StrapCap to withdraw its application for a potential data center at Saturn Park, though the company still owns the property. The community's concerns extend to the high power consumption of data centers, particularly with the rise of AI, and their environmental and land-use impacts. Monterey Park could become the first city to ban data centers through a public vote if Measure NDC passes. Following the vote, the council also directed city staffers to research Battery Energy Storage System facilities due to public comments drawing similarities in their potential impact on neighborhoods to that of data centers.