Santa Ana to weigh data center ban in zoning overhaul

Santa Ana officials are expected to consider whether to ban new data centers as part of a zoning code overhaul after a proposed 45-day moratorium failed to advance, according to Voice of OC.

The debate comes as city officials and labor representatives weigh concerns over water use, electrical infrastructure, noise and design against arguments that some data centers serve local offices and public agencies.

Planning commissioners voted at the end of last month to approve a comprehensive zoning code update and directed city staff to add an explicit ban on new data centers before the proposal goes to the City Council for final approval, Voice of OC reported.

Councilwoman Jessie Lopez had requested a temporary 45-day ban. Her request said the pause would give the city time to consider whether Santa Ana should follow approaches used in Coachella and Monterey Park or adopt more specific rules. "The City of Santa Ana’s moratorium period, if pursued, would allow staff and the City Council to evaluate whether Coachella and Monterey Park’s approach of an eventual permanent prohibition is the right fit for Santa Ana, or whether a more tailored framework, such as conditional standards addressing water use, electrical infrastructure impact, noise, and design, better serves the City’s interests," Lopez’s request said, according to Voice of OC.

Councilman Phil Bacerra opposed the moratorium, saying the matter was already headed to the council through zoning changes. "It’s not that I don’t have concerns about the data centers, but the fact of the matter is we’re literally going to deal with this in two weeks," Bacerra said at Tuesday’s meeting, according to Voice of OC.

Planning and Building Director Ali Pezeshkpour said Santa Ana has three relatively small data centers: one county-owned facility serving the County of Orange, one used by Verizon Wireless on East Deer Avenue and another on East Dyer Road, Voice of OC reported. Pezeshkpour said none is larger than 100,000 square feet, and city staff said there have been no new data center applications.

Labor representatives urged regulation rather than a ban. "We shouldn’t run away and hide from new things, but we shouldn’t let things be built willy nilly," Doug Mangione, political director of the International Brotherhood of Electrician Workers – Local 441, said at Tuesday’s meeting, according to Voice of OC.

Councilman David Penaloza said data centers should be banned, citing utility concerns. "It’s definitely a problem that we are seeing increase throughout, not just here but around the world, of these data centers getting built and whatnot, and the usage of water – the amount of water they’re using and the stress on our electrical grid," Penaloza said at Tuesday’s meeting, according to Voice of OC. The outlet also reported that Penaloza’s campaign has received nearly $1.4 million in campaign support from a committee funded by Google and Meta since April, according to the Secretary of State website.

Councilwoman Thai Viet Phan opposed the temporary moratorium, saying the city had not clearly defined data centers. "Doing an outright ban of data centers when we don’t actually know what they look like in the city, what they’re doing, and how they actually affect us is, I think, not the best route to take," Phan said at Tuesday’s meeting, according to Voice of OC.