Los Angeles County Data Center Opposition Heats Up

The opposition to data centers and battery energy storage systems has become a hot topic in the Los Angeles County election, with several cities and school districts taking a stand against the projects. In Monterey Park, voters passed a pioneering ballot measure in June to ban data centers, setting a precedent for neighboring cities. The measure, known as Measure DB, was put to a vote on November 3, and if passed, would upgrade the existing administrative ban to a permanent voter-approved ban, prohibiting any changes without a public vote. The opposition movement has also led to several community leaders entering the political arena, including Amy J. Wong, co-founder of the grassroots movement against the Monterey Park data center, who announced her candidacy for the Alhambra City Council, advocating for a city-wide ballot measure to implement a permanent ban. Her opponent, Ron Sahu, also expressed support for the ban. In West Covina, Leslie Garcia, an expert from the South Coast Air Quality Management District, decided to run for the second district city council seat after participating in the opposition. In addition to data centers, the battery energy storage systems (BESS) have also raised significant safety concerns. The City of Industry Council approved a 400-megawatt large-scale energy storage facility project on Gale Avenue in February, sparking strong backlash from neighboring cities. Stefanie Leilua, a candidate for the Walnut City Council, pointed out that a water district energy storage facility fire in La Verne in September caused a four-day evacuation of residents, and the facility was only 250 kilowatts, while the Industry City project is much larger, raising concerns about chemical pollution. Due to the lack of independent city councils in unincorporated areas, residents have turned to seeking support from school district boards. The Rowland Unified School District and the Bassett Unified School District have both passed resolutions opposing the City of Industry’s bill allowing data centers and energy storage facilities throughout the area. Falynn Love Thompson, a candidate for the Rowland School District Board of Education, and Samuel Brown Vazquez, a candidate for the Bassett School District Board of Education, both stated that the school district must speak on behalf of the residents.