Monterey Park Council Adopts Moratorium on Data Centers

The Monterey Park City Council unanimously adopted an ordinance establishing a 45-day moratorium on data center development during its January 21 meeting.

By Melissa Michelson

The ordinance was brought forward at the request of Council Member Vinh Ngo of District 5. It places a temporary halt on data center projects while city staff prepare regulations for City Council consideration that would prohibit data centers throughout Monterey Park.

An estimated 200+ people packed City Hall. The chambers were standing room only, with tons more lingering outside the entry. In the front hall, another 50 chairs that were set up in front of a small screen projecting the proceedings were not enough to accommodate the overflow crowd.

A pre-rally put on by SGV Progressive Action prepped the crowd outside.

The public were allowed to use their full 5 minutes, though Mayor Elizabeth Yang requested they not repeat what others said.  The public spoke for about four hours, submitting 95 speaker cards, sharing their opposition to data centers and insisting that an independent Environmental Impact Report (EIR) be completed. Many who spoke currently live in Monterey Park. Only a few speakers were in favor of the data center at 1977 Saturn Street including a spokesperson for the applicant, HMC StratCap.

HMC Strat Cap, out of Australia, bought the 1977 Saturn property for $39million and another property across the street at 1980 Saturn for $33.5 million.

At around midnight, Mayor Yang told the crowd that since pulling the item from the December 3 agenda, she had expected the applicant to host community town halls and provide the City with more facts about their proposal. “Nearly two months later–We received almost nothing from them.” Citing the public’s comments, she added, “When one side provides all the information and the other provides zero, the decision becomes clear.”

In a social media post, SGV Progressive Action writes, “Had the community not spoken up, this project would have quietly moved forward after appearing on a December City Council agenda.”

According to the city, the proposed regulations will be brought forward for a future public hearing before March 7, 2026, and will be noticed in accordance with California law.

The ordinance is available for public review at the following PDF link. Once a meeting date is announced and the agenda is published, it will be posted on the city’s Agendas and Minutes webpage, where City Council meeting videos are also available.