Monterey Park Becomes First U.S. City to Ban Data Centers by Public Vote

Monterey Park, California, has become the first U.S. city to ban data centers by public vote, with 86% of voters approving the measure. The ban, which can only be overturned by another vote, follows community backlash against a proposed facility over its high electricity and water use. The vote is a significant win for anti-data center activists amid a nationwide boom in AI infrastructure construction.

Monterey Park datacenter ban vote

• ▪The vote makes Monterey Park the first U.S. city to ban data centers by public ballot initiative
• ▪The ban can only be overturned by another public vote, not by the city council
• ▪Monterey Park residents voted overwhelmingly to permanently ban data centers via a ballot measure known as Measure NDC
• ▪Early results on June 3, 2026, showed 86% of over 7,000 votes counted were in favor of the ban

Environmental and utility concerns

• ▪Concerns from residents included high electricity and water consumption and potential air pollution from diesel backup generators
• ▪The community backlash was triggered by a proposed 247,000-square-foot data center from developer HMC StratCap
• ▪The proposed facility would have used three times the electricity of the entire 60,000-person city and been less than 500 feet from homes
• ▪The ballot measure aimed to protect air quality, drinking water, and public health, and to prevent utility rate increases

Municipal ballot measures nationwide

• ▪Monterey Park is believed to be the second U.S. city to pass an anti-data center referendum, following an April 2026 vote in a Milwaukee suburb
• ▪Other cities in the San Gabriel Valley, including Montebello, El Monte, and Baldwin Park, have enacted their own temporary moratoriums
• ▪Similar anti-data center ballot measures have been passed or are planned in cities in Wisconsin and Michigan

National opposition to datacenters

• ▪A Gallup poll found that 7 in 10 Americans oppose the construction of AI data centers in their local areas
• ▪Tech companies' race to develop AI models is driving an explosion of developer interest in constructing new data centers
• ▪The Data Center Coalition warned the ban sends a signal that the area is closed for business, depriving it of jobs and investment

Grassroots campaign tactics

• ▪Activist group San Gabriel Valley Progressive Action, co-founded by Amy J. Wong, helped lead the campaign for the ban
• ▪The developer, HMC StratCap, withdrew its proposal and did not formally oppose the ballot measure
• ▪Organizers printed 10,000 flyers and sent mailers in English, Chinese, and Spanish in the two months before the vote

State-level moratorium debates

• ▪The issue has become a point of contention in the gubernatorial races of Pennsylvania and Georgia
• ▪At least a dozen states are considering statewide moratoriums on data centers, though none have been signed into law as of June 2026
• ▪California is not currently considering a statewide moratorium on data centers