Monterey Park Voters Approve Permanent Data Center Ban

Residents of Monterey Park, California, have voted overwhelmingly to permanently ban data centers within their city, marking the first such prohibition enacted by public ballot in the United States. With most votes counted, approximately 86 percent of voters approved Measure NDC, which prohibits all future data center development.

The ballot initiative followed significant community opposition to a proposed 247,000-square-foot data center that was planned less than 500 feet from homes. Residents raised concerns that the facility would triple the city’s electricity consumption, drive up utility rates, and create noise and air pollution. The developer, investment firm HMC StratCap, withdrew its application earlier this year.

Steven Kung, co-founder of the group No Data Center Monterey Park, called the vote a landslide victory. He argued the proposed facility’s impacts on electricity rates and pollution did not make sense for the community. City Councilmember Jose Sanchez stated the vote unequivocally shows residents do not want data centers in Monterey Park.

The city council had previously passed an indefinite moratorium on data centers in April. The ballot measure makes the ban...