In a first for the country, voters in Monterey Park ban data centers

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Residents of Monterey Park voted overwhelmingly to ban data centers on election day, making the San Gabriel Valley city the first in the nation to do so by public vote.As of Wednesday, 86% of votes were in favor of Measure NDC, the city ban, according to the Los Angeles County registrar-recorder/county clerk.Other cities and towns have passed moratoriums on data centers, as a wave of opposition sweeps the country.

But the Monterey Park vote can only be overturned by another ballot measure, making it the most permanent data center ban in a jurisdiction.Monterey Park’s City Council had already banned data centers by ordinance, after a proposed 247,000-square-foot data center met an outpouring of public anger and concern.The developer withdrew that plan.That facility would have been less than 500 feet away from the nearest home, and would have used three times the electricity of the entire 60,000-person city.

Residents said it would have caused noise and air pollution and driven up electricity rates.“This ensures long-lasting protections for current and future generations,” Amy Wong, co-founder of the group San Gabriel Valley Progressive Action, said of the vote.“It means that future city councils cannot overturn a data center ban, even if data center developers wanted to spend money to fund pro-data center candidates.”The measure had no formal opposition.

The developer of the proposed facility, investment firm HMC StratCap, said it wouldn’t engage in the ballot fight when it withdrew in March.The Data Center Coalition, an industry trade group, expressed disappointment in the vote.“It sends a signal that the area is closed for business, both for data centers and for other significant economic development projects,” state policy director Khara Boender said.“It deprives local residents of the opportunity to compete for jobs and investment, while also causing the are...