Data center moratorium

Retired El Centro senior cited fire, airport, and Kinder Morgan proximity concerns and urged a moratorium.

ACCE organizer from Brawley urged adoption of the moratorium and application of the committee's recommendations.

Still supported the moratorium but asked the county to draft it to survive a legal challenge.

Chair of the Data Center Advisory Committee presented the committee's unanimous resolution supporting the moratorium.

Argued the county shouldn't approve projects before protective rules exist, urging setbacks, fire standards, and evacuation planning first.

A 21-year-old El Centro resident living near the site asked the board to pass a legally airtight moratorium for the sake of children growing up with pollution.

Asked for a second moratorium, supervisor term limits, and a special election letting voters decide on data centers.

Demanded to know how the county will protect Victoria Homes residents after the moratorium was invalidated, saying the GIS risk report was ignored.

A working professional with autism, she asked that data centers be kept away from residences because constant electrical noise can permanently harm people with neurological conditions.

Cited lawsuits elsewhere over noise, water and air promises, questioned the legality of accepting applications during a moratorium, and warned water is finite in the drought-stricken West.

Newly appointed committee member urged extension, comparing data centers to solar and wind projects that brought few local jobs while exporting benefits and leaving the environmental footprint here.

A 20-year resident, he warned about water consumption, rising electric bills, diesel backup generators, noise and property values, and asked the board to let SECA complete its report.

Supported the extension but demanded it end in a permanent ban, arguing the ordinance still lets applications be processed as a waiting room for developers.

Supported the extension, said farmers just want to farm, and criticized the county's transparency on the project.

Spoke in favor of extending the moratorium.

Said the county is still accepting data center applications despite the moratorium, calling it a broken promise, and urged the board to resolve the litigation and implement a real moratorium.

IBEW Local 569 representative urged rejection of the extension and instead asked for workforce standards, community benefit agreements and clean on-site power requirements.

Sierra Club's chapter director supported the transparent process, the moratorium, and CEQA's role, urging environmental considerations stay central to the committee's work.

Supported both items but said the moratorium must cover pending projects, and demanded the Imperial hyperscale project be voided and subjected to CEQA.

Supported the moratorium but said it must stop pending projects too, and criticized the committee as government 'grading its own homework' unless the public can review its work.

Urged the Board to act with courage and wisdom and stated her support for the moratorium.

Called the moratorium 'garbage' and demanded a full ban, listing roughly ten data center projects in the county pipeline.

Submitted a 50-page document and demanded the moratorium apply retroactively to pending projects, asking counsel for a yes-or-no answer.

Urged yes votes on both items, asked for public noticing of committee meetings, a 30-day public comment period on recommendations, a January 2027 deadline, and voiding of the Imperial and Mesquite projects.

A landowner in the Mesquite Lake industrial area opposed the moratorium, saying he and his partner have invested millions trying to develop industrial property there.

Argued the moratorium's exemption and exit language makes it meaningless and questioned what benefit data centers bring.

With LiUNA Local 1184, supported the advisory committee but urged rejection of the moratorium, saying it pushes jobs and investment elsewhere.

Of DeBose Design Group, supported the committee with economic development representation but opposed the moratorium, and argued the first data center project would keep IID energy sales local.

With the Building and Construction Trades Council, supported the 45-day moratorium and committee as a path to balanced policy.

An electrician who supported both items, urged no tax breaks for developers and that money stay in the valley.

Supported both items but asked whether the moratorium covers current projects and whether developers will get tax breaks or incentives.

With IBEW 569, urged the community to use the 45 days to build solutions and asked that active residents be considered for the committee.

Supported the committee but not the moratorium, urging the county not to send the message it is 'closed for business.'

Cited data center fires and failures worldwide, argued a pause isn't a solution, and urged a ban.

Supported item 16 but said the board should ultimately ban hyperscale AI data centers, citing emergency response readiness and water security.

Asked for an update on Escobar's direction for a data-center siting ordinance and urged a Government Code 65858 moratorium; questioned Hawk's land comments.

Urged the Board to adopt a moratorium on new data centers, citing San Diego County's safeguards, five projects reportedly in the works, and lessons from Loudoun County, Virginia.