Monterey Park votes to permanently ban data centers

Monterey Park voters made history Tuesday by passing the first permanent ban on data centers nationwide.

Voters are on track to overwhelmingly approve the ban, with 86% in favor according to the latest ballot count, leading organizers to claim victory (the official results won’t be certified until July 10). Where other jurisdictions have passed temporary measures to curb the controversial development of these massive server farms, Monterey Park voters’ decision in this election will keep developers at bay unless voters want to revisit the decision in a future election.

“It really goes to show the power of community,” Monterey Park Mayor Elizabeth Yang told SFGATE. “We had sufficient community support and community members that were willing to come out to be civilly engaged and speak up.”

For residents and organizers of the Los Angeles suburb in the San Gabriel Valley, the vote puts a definitive end to a fight to stave off construction of a massive data center between a residential neighborhood and Highway 60.





https://www.sfgate.com/politics/article/monterey-park-data-center-ban-22290345.php