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Residents tell Monterey Park council data centers would bring noise, water and pollution
Summary
Dozens of residents urged the City Council to permanently ban data centers, citing 24/7 industrial noise, high water use, diesel generator emissions and declines in property values; several called for the city to also study standalone battery energy storage systems.
A steady stream of residents at a special Monterey Park City Council public hearing urged elected officials on April 20 to permanently ban standalone commercial data centers, saying the facilities would degrade quality of life through constant noise, large water consumption and air pollution from diesel backup generators.
Felicia Sandoval, a teacher and Area 3 resident, said data centers "do nothing for our communities" and called them "a scourge" that would reduce property values and harm families. Utilities engineer Madeline Ocampo cited technical concerns, saying data centers require industrial-scale cooling and that "a single data center can consume millions of gallons of water annually." Several speakers also asked the council to study battery energy storage systems (BESS), citing fire and leakage concerns raised in other jurisdictions.
Commenters described months of canvassing and organizing ahead of the June 2 ballot and urged council support for Measure NDC. Multiple speakers asked the council to remove any code language that might allow a data processing facility loophole and to ensure accessory server rooms that support ordinary businesses remain allowed. The council accepted public testimony, agreed staff would clarify code references, and later directed staff to research battery storage systems in a follow-up report.
