Supervisor Manuel Perez promises no more data center meetings as Riverside County residents push for moratorium

RIVERSIDE COUNTY, Calif. (KESQ)  — In our I-Team story, Data Centers: Outside City Limits, News Channel 3's Investigative reporter Tommy Gallegos looks at the growing push to slow or stop data center development in Riverside County. A petition is gaining momentum, with residents calling on county leaders to establish an immediate moratorium on new projects in unincorporated areas.

At Tuesday’s Riverside County Board of Supervisors meeting, local advocate Elizabeth Humphreys formally submitted a petition with more than 9,000 signatures calling for the county to temporarily halt approvals for new data centers while officials develop standards governing where and how the facilities could be built.

“Without appropriate standards, residents of unincorporated Riverside County and people living in neighboring cities could face massive data center developments before the county has fully determined what rules should govern them,” Humphreys told the board.

Humphreys, who has been involved in opposition to data center development in the Coachella Valley, said her concerns grew after she began researching so-called hyperscale data centers and their potential environmental impacts.

“I started to look into really what hyperscale data centers are and the more I looked into it, the more horrified I was,” Humphreys said. “I had no idea the environmental impacts.”

Her campaign now extends beyond incorporated cities such as Coachella to unincorporated communities across the eastern Coachella Valley, including Bermuda Dunes, Thousand Palms, Mecca, Thermal and North Shore.

For opponents, the issue is not necessarily about the technology itself, but where massive facilities should be located and what safeguards should be in place before development moves forward.

Humphreys said she is particularly concerned about the possibility of large-scale projects being proposed in eastern Coachella Valley communities.

“There’s no place for a 6 million square foot building of any kind here,” she said, “let alone one that then causes heat and pollutes our environment.”

Coachella's ban sparks wider debate

The concerns come after the City of Coachella enacted a ban on new data center development, following a period of growing community opposition.

Coachella Mayor Frank Figueroa said residents in the city's neighboring unincorporated communities face similar concerns but have fewer direct avenues to influence development decisions.

“I’ve been getting a lot of comments,” Figueroa said, including questions about how residents could work toward a ban in unincorporated areas of the eastern Coachella Valley.

Figueroa pointed out that while Coachella residents have a city council representing them, people living in unincorporated areas do not have the same municipal structure.

“We might be the city that did it,” Figueroa said, “but there’s those people that don’t have a city council.”

Figueroa urged residents in those communities to organize and make their concerns known to county officials.

County confirms preliminary data center discussions

Questions about potential data center development in unincorporated Riverside County prompted inquiries to the county's Transportation and Land Management Agency, which would be involved in land-use discussions surrounding potential projects.

The agency declined an interview request but confirmed to News Channel 3 that there has been recent interest and preliminary discussion with developers regarding a potential data center application.

The county said, however, that there are currently no commitments or formal proposals for a data center project in the unincorporated areas.

That distinction is important as county officials consider how, or whether, to establish regulations before a formal application is submitted.

Supervisor Perez says he has stopped data center meetings

Riverside County Fourth District Supervisor V. Manuel Perez, who represents much of the eastern Coachella Valley, said he has changed his position on data centers after facing criticism over his previous support for development in the City of Coachella.

Perez said he now regrets supporting the development.

“As far as my stance is concerned, I learned the hard way,” Perez said. “At that time I didn’t know all the repercussions.”

Perez acknowledged that he had not fully researched the potential consequences of data center development before supporting the policy.

“I also didn’t do all my homework, and I accept that,” he said.

Perez now says his district will not engage with data center developers.

“As far as I’m concerned here in the Fourth District, I’m not taking any meetings whatsoever when it comes to data centers,” Perez said.

He described the position as an internal administrative decision within his office, adding that his district is “not dealing with data centers whatsoever.”

Perez also referred to his position as a moratorium, but his action is limited to his own office and does not constitute a countywide ban.

Countywide action would require the Board of Supervisors

The larger question remains whether Riverside County will establish formal rules governing data centers in unincorporated areas.

Humphreys argues that the county needs regulations in place before a major project is proposed.

“Right now there is nothing in place to protect this area from those developments,” Humphreys said.

She said the absence of clear standards could put county officials in a difficult position if a developer submits a proposal that meets existing requirements.

According to Humphreys, rejecting such a proposal without established guidelines could potentially expose the county to litigation.

For now, the county says discussions with potential developers remain preliminary and that no formal application or commitment has been made.

But the debate is increasingly focused on what happens before an application arrives — and whether county leaders should establish standards first.

A countywide moratorium or ban on new data centers in unincorporated Riverside County would require formal action by the full Board of Supervisors.

Until then, residents and advocates on both sides of the debate will be watching closely as Riverside County weighs the potential economic benefits of a growing industry against concerns about land use, infrastructure and environmental impacts.

For Humphreys and other opponents, the question is ultimately about who gets to decide what the future of the Coachella Valley looks like — and whether residents have a say before large-scale development arrives.