The Monterey Park City Council on Monday, April 20, unanimously approved a historic measure that would enshrine a permanent ban on data center construction in the city, if voters approve.
Reflecting months-long public pushback against data center development citywide, the council approved placing Measure NDC on the June 2 special election ballot, banning construction; codified the city’s previous interim protections against development into a permanent land-use policy in the municipal code; and declared data centers a “public nuisance.”
City Councilmember Henry Lo said he is “very confident that Measure NDC will pass overwhelmingly in June,” citing large grassroots campaign efforts that have sprung up since December.
Part of No Data Center Monterey Park, the Yes on Measure NDC effort has has seen support from the city’s Mayor Elizabeth Yang; Lo; Rep. Judy Chu, D-Pasadena; and state Sen. Sasha Renee Perez, who has introduced statewide legislation that reins in data centers.
Yang and Lo donated $1,000 each, according to No Data Center Co-founder Steven Kung.
“You put your money where your mouth is, as we see that, and we are grateful” Kung said. “I also want to thank the entire council and staff for drafting a data center ban and taking our notes. We do not take this for granted.”
Data centers are the facilities that house data storage systems and servers that enable everything from the internet to artificial intelligence.
But with the rise of AI, the high amounts of power they need to fuel the boom has come under scrutiny, as local communities contemplate the utility, environmental and land-use costs to customers.
In L.A. County, Monterey Park became an early flashpoint as local data center critics pounced on even the hint of the arrival of potential centers in an array of L.A. County cities, using social media, petitions, community forums and converging at local public meetings to voice concerns.
If Measure NDC passes on June 2, Monterey Park would be the first city to ban data centers through public vote.
According to Yang, continued community engagement similar to Monday’s meeting is key to residents’ grassroots efforts to successfully push back against development.
“Similar to how all our past meetings have gone, the community engaged and voiced their opinions, our MPK council listened, and took action in accordance with what representation of constituents should look like,” Yang said.
Since December, when the months-long pushback about data center development began, Yang and other council members have continually directed staff to adjust proposed ordinance language in response to speakers’ feedback made during public comment.
In January, Monterey Park resident Carrie Lee asked city staffers to remove the requirement that the city manager ask all pending applicants to prepare an environmental impact report.
Public backlash also led to data center developer HMC StrapCap to withdraw its application for a potential data center at Saturn Park.
HMC StratCap still owns the property, but city officials confirmed that there has not been conversation between the company and the city on the property’s future.
Monday’s approval saw council direct city staffers to research Battery Energy Storage System facilities and bring the findings back for discussion, after several comments from the public drawing similarities to the effects of data centers and BESS facilities on nearby neighborhoods.
“If there are any deficiencies in legislation regarding BESS systems, I think this is where we, as a committee, need to also speak out to our state representatives,” Lo said.
The city’s proposed ban on data centers will come before voters for the June 2 special election.
Joshua Silla is a correspondent for the Southern California News Group.