Monterey Park to explore permanent data center ban through potential ballot measure ...Middle East

Responding to public pressure, the Monterey Park City Council on Wednesday, Feb. 4, directed city staffers to start exploring potential ballot options prohibiting data centers citywide, amid data center applicant StrapCap’s concern that the city has “crossed the line” into advocating against its controversial project.

The unanimous council wants staff to “explore” all options, including potential for a ballot measure that could go to voters within a year. The ballot could include a ban on centers and allowing housing development within Saturn Park, the site in which StratCap Data Centers has proposed a nearly 250,000-square-foot center, dubbed the 1977 Saturn Data Center Project.

Staffers are now exploring ballot language for the council to consider at a later date. Complicating matters, officials said, is that it might not be feasible to put banning data centers and allowing housing on one ballot proposition, as opposed to two.

Still, local leaders appeared steadfast in working though such matters, given the level of public outcry against the project, which was formalized in January with the council’s backing of a 45-day moratorium on data centers in the city.

“There might be multiple paths that might get us to ultimately banning data centers in Monterey Park, but the message is clear to me from residents that data centers in our communities is not the path,” said Councilmember Jose Sanchez said, who has firmly expressed concerns to community members’ in past meetings.

He said that the ballot vote would be a good way to lead to a permanent data center ban.

The proposed center would house a wide range of computers and support equipment for private clients, who, according to officials, would either use the project as a place to relocate existing servers or operate new servers and expand storage capacity. Potential users could be in the fields of artificial intelligence, cloud computing; financial services, government; healthcare, education, media and general corporate enterprises.

But opponents of the proposed facility have raised concerns about water and air quality, as well as traffic and other worries. The company has said that such concerns are unfounded and they will share more information in the weeks ahead.

In a statement Thursday, StratCap said they’ve reached out to engage with Monterey Park community members and affirm that they want to do an environmental impact report on the project.

“Over the past several weeks, we’ve been actively engaging with the Monterey Park community — canvassing local businesses, going door to door, attending neighborhood events, and launching a website to share more information about the project.

“Last night’s meeting reflected that work,” according to the statement, which said residents, many of them union workers, also showed up to voice support for the project “and urged the Council to allow it to move forward through the Environmental Impact Review process before making any decisions.”

Since Dec. 3, community members have turned out en masse to all council meetings to largely oppose data center development.

The potential for a ballot measure caught community members, including SGV Progressive Action Organizer Amy Wong, “by surprise.” The group hosted a second informational session on the matter an hour before the meeting.

“We expected to see draft language for a permanent moratorium, […] but the path to get there may not be as straightforward as we’d like. We want to make sure the city evaluates all possible options to a permanent ban,” Wong said.

City Attorney Karl Berger explained how taking immediate action is not recommended, because it could open the city up to potential lawsuit with the applicant, StratCap. Should the city take action to ban StratCap’s proposed data center, StratCap could potentially argue whether their data center fits the City’s agreement to a data processing facility.

Before the meeting, Berger received an attorney letter from StratCap representative James Pugh, saying that the city created “roadblocks” to StratCap’s application by asking for higher environmental review — a letter which Mayor Elizabeth Yang described as “nasty.”

On Dec. 3, the council asked StratCap to undergo higher environmental review requirements. StratCap offered to host informational sessions to address community concerns.

StratCap voluntarily agreed to proceed with the review on Dec. 20 and affirmed their commitment to community outreach.

Then, on Jan. 21, Yang expressed her disappointment with StratCap for failing to both provide the council with proper information about the project and host any informational community meetings. The meeting’s move for a 45-day moratorium led to StratCap’s reaffirmation that they’d continue to address community concerns. They have yet to do so, according to both Council and community.

“There were promises made to the City Council [by StratCap to address community concerns], and certainly, my view, taking off my City Attorney hat — I just don’t understand why they’re coming so late to the party,” Berger said.

Berger reasserted that the council has the right to approve the client, should they have both a development agreement and a zoning change.

Community turnout on Wednesday continued to be high, with speakers for Item 9A on the council’s agenda estimated at around 80 by Wong.

“If this issue gets on the ballot, we’ll have a lot more organizing ahead of us,” Wong said. “We won’t stop organizing until data centers are permanently banned in the city. They don’t belong here in Monterey Park, and the San Gabriel Valley.”

While there is no timeline on the ballot measure at the moment, Sanchez thinks that if a ballot vote happens, it might be within the year, though it is too “premature” to tell.

“The deadline to file for a June ballot is quickly approaching and I think everyone knows that, so I am eagerly waiting to see what options staff brings us back at the Feb. 18 meeting,” Sanchez said.

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Joshua Silla is a correspondent for the Southern California News Group.

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