Data center moratorium and proposed citywide ban
Monterey Park
Summary
The council extended its emergency moratorium on data center applications through January 2027 and weighed asking voters in June to ban data centers citywide. Residents overwhelmingly demanded a permanent ordinance ban, while the developer's representatives warned of litigation and pitched a negotiated land-use plan for Saturn Park instead.
At a glance
- Total mentions
- 4
- Last 30 days
- 0
Last discussed Mar 4, 2026.
Impact analysis
A special election would cost about $210,000, with another $100,000 set aside for expected litigation; the proposed data center project claims $5-7 million in revenue that residents dispute.
Residents near Saturn Park and across the city gain temporary protection from data center development while the city studies permanent rules.
The developer, HMC StratCap, faces continued delay of its 1977 Saturn Street project, and union workers hoping for construction jobs see the project further postponed.
Mentions & discussions (7)
More and More Communities Speaking Out in Opposition of Data Centers
More and More Communities Speaking Out in Opposition of Data Centers KQED
Monterey Park City Council Adopts Moratorium on Data Centers
Monterey Park City Council Adopts Moratorium on Data Centers Local News Pasadena
City Council - Mar 4, 2026
The council extended its emergency moratorium on data center applications through January 2027 and weighed asking voters in June to ban data centers citywide. Residents overwhelmingly demanded a permanent ordinance ban, while the developer's representatives warned of litigation and pitched a negotiated land-use plan for Saturn Park instead.
City Council - Mar 4, 2026
The council is weighing whether to put a citywide data center ban on a June 2, 2026 special election ballot — and whether to also pass its own ordinance doing the same thing. Residents are demanding both, saying the ballot alone is too risky and leaves a loophole for data centers under one acre.
City Council - Feb 18, 2026
A resident warned the council that data centers drive up electricity rates and criticized the HMC StratCap project's threat to sue the city, ahead of a data center agenda item expected March 4.
45-day data center moratorium passed in Monterey Park, California, with more permanent regulations to come
45-day data center moratorium passed in Monterey Park, California, with more permanent regulations to come Data Center Dynamics
City Council - Jan 21, 2026
The proposed 1977 Saturn Avenue data center drew hours of overwhelmingly opposed testimony. The council adopted a 45-day urgency moratorium and went further, directing staff to draft rules that would ban data centers citywide and to research housing alternatives for the zoning.
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