In first, California city overwhelmingly votes to permanently ban datacenters
While many US city councils have passed moratoriums, Monterey Park is first where residents have voted on a ban
TL;DR
- Monterey Park, California, held the first US ballot initiative vote on a permanent ban of datacenters.
- Early results show over 86% of votes in favor of the ban.
- Residents expressed concerns about environmental effects, utility prices, and proximity to homes.
- The city council had previously passed an indefinite moratorium on datacenters.
- The ballot measure aims to make the ban more permanent and legally robust.
- Other municipalities are also exploring ballot measures or referendums to regulate datacenters.
- A national poll indicates that seven in 10 Americans oppose the construction of AI datacenters in their local areas.
- The Data Center Coalition opposes the ban, citing potential negative impacts on jobs and investment.