Data Center Bans
By Mia Rotell
Small cities, towns, and rural communities nationwide have formed a powerful opposition bloc fighting the prospect of data centers being located in their communities. Data Center Watch, which assesses the depth of local pushback, reports that last year alone, 156 billion dollars’ worth of data centers were either blocked or delayed across the country, according to the Associated Press.
Riverside County locales are in the fight, and the City of Perris prepares to take its own key vote next week.
Photo by Mia Rotell
At Perris’ City Council meeting June 9, Perris Principal Planner Rafael Garcia presented the council the possible impacts of implementing a large-scale AI data center in Perris, both pro and con.
Garcia said building an AI data center would bring more high-paying jobs to the area and increase property tax revenue.
In the well-attended council meeting, the Inland Valley Alliance (IVA), Mead Valley Cleaner Coalition (MVCC), Perris Neighbors in Action (PNA) and Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) rallied together and encouraged dozens of residents to attend the meeting and express their disapproval of Perris hosting an AI data center.
Karla Cervantes, who was representing IVA, MVCC and PNA, passed out signs that read, “No Data Centers in Perris,” before the meeting.
All 27 speakers, each in opposition, took their place at the podium one by one — expressing their opinion in the one-minute-per-speaker allotted time.
Residents’ concerns included the size of large-scale data centers, which can range from 250,000 to 1 million square feet, the constant “mechanical hum” they emit, and their use of hundreds of thousands to millions of gallons of water each day to cool computers.
“We don’t want loopholes if there is a ban,” Cervantes said. “We need stronger protections and to ban them outright and in perpetuity.”
Many of the residents who spoke at the meeting were concerned about loopholes that could allow a different type or size of data center to be approved. They also wanted to prevent future council members from repealing the ban.
Opera singer Sabrina Dominguez, whose family owns a farm in Mead Valley, has lived in Perris for most of her life. Dominguez said data centers bring dirty water, light pollution and noise pollution, and that AI hurts livelihoods.
“… I’m a small-town farm girl trying to make a living and do music and art full time … I hate that people think AI can do just as good a job as humans,” Dominguez said. “AI sucks.”
“(AI data centers are) a net negative on jobs,” Odeh Gammo said. “It’s a net negative for the community because water and electric prices will be raised.”
Perris Principal Planner Garcia pointed out that data centers support cloud services, such as the extra storage many people purchase on their iPhones and other electronic devices. He said they also support high-speed internet and communications networks, allowing calls and texts to move quickly while helping streaming services and other high-traffic websites operate smoothly.
But, ue to the heavy use of water and power, homes near newly built data centers can face higher utility bills. Garcia cited Virginia as an example, noting that the state has more than 600 data centers. According to the Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI), a private non-profit formed by a bipartisan congressional panel in the 1980s, Virginia residents’ utility bills have increased 267% over the past five years.
Before opening the floor for public comment, Councilwoman Marisela Nava voiced her support for a ban.
“I’m reading the room, I am ready to jump in and make a motion,” Nava said, “… to direct staff to move forward with the ban of data centers citywide and then schedule the item before the planning commission.”
The council will take up the matter again at its next meeting at City Hall on Tuesday, June 23, at 6:30 p.m.
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