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Moreno Valley council continues general plan update as residents demand warehouse moratorium
Summary
Moreno Valley City Council unanimously continued the public hearing on the general plan update, climate action plan and related EIR to a date uncertain after residents urged a pause on warehouse approvals citing air quality, truck traffic, and school proximity. The city attorney said continuation allows further negotiations with the California Attorney General under Assembly Bill 98.
The Moreno Valley City Council unanimously voted Tuesday to continue the public hearing on the city’s general plan update, climate action plan and associated environmental impact report to a date uncertain, while residents and community groups urged a pause on new warehouse development.
Speakers from the Inland Valley Alliance for Environmental Justice and allied groups told the council the Inland Empire is already saturated with logistics facilities and called for a moratorium while the city studies public‑health and traffic impacts. Franco Pacheco of the Inland Valley Alliance asked the council to “not approve any more warehouses while that’s being handled” and cited actions taken by nearby cities to pause warehouse approvals. Alexis Morelos of the Inland Empire Democratic Socialists of America said the city has “36 warehouses waiting to be built” and warned of thousands of added daily truck trips onto SR‑60 and local streets.
City Attorney Steven Quintanilla told the council his office recommended continuing the hearing to allow further negotiation with the California Attorney General on issues tied to Assembly Bill 98 and proposed mitigation measures for warehouse facilities, including distance requirements from sensitive receptors and truck‑route provisions. Quintanilla cautioned that, if continued, public comment on merits tonight would not become part of the administrative record for litigation but would still be allowed under the public comment rules.
After staff and council discussion, a motion to continue item J‑1 passed unanimously (Council members Bernard, Gonzales, Delgado, Mayor Pro Tem Baca Santa Cruz and Mayor Cabrera voting yes). Council members and multiple public commenters also pressed staff to ensure notices, attachments and letters submitted to planning bodies are reliably delivered and available in advance to commissioners.
The continuation removes the general plan update and related zoning item from tonight’s decisions and gives staff time to negotiate with the state on AB‑98‑related issues. The council did not set a new hearing date.
What happens next: Staff will continue negotiations with the California Attorney General and prepare revised materials for the council and public; the city has not specified when the matter will return to a public hearing.
