Archived: Voters back first-in-nation permanent data center ban in city near L.A.

This is a simplified archive of the page at https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2026/06/05/voters-monterey-park-california-overwhelmingly-back-data-center-ban/

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The ban on computer warehouses in Monterey Park won overwhelming approval as the tech industry struggles against pushback across the country.

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Democracy Dies in Darkness

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The ban on computer warehouses in Monterey Park won overwhelming approval as the tech industry struggles against pushback across the country.

The Vantage data center in Sterling, Virginia. (Maxine Wallace/The Washington Post)

As a backlash against data centers spreads across the nation, sparked by worries the giant computing warehouses will raise energy bills and increase pollution, voters in one California city have a clear message for Silicon Valley: Don’t bring your projects here. Ever.