For this November election cycle, Alhambra residents will get a voice in deciding if there will be a citywide ban on data centers. Measure DB is a ballot measure that will forbid data centers in the city.
The ballot measure says, “Shall an ordinance be adopted affirming the Council-adopted ban on “Data Centers” by amending the Alhambra Municipal Code to again define “Data Centers” and prohibit them in all zones of the City?”
Data centers are physical buildings that house computer systems, servers, and networking hardware to process digital information.
When it comes to artificial intelligence, these data centers run software applications and websites that train A.I. models. For this process to work, they need freshwater and backup diesel generators to keep the computers cool.
According to the Environmental and Energy Study Institute, some data centers use up to 5 million gallons of freshwater every day.
Alhambra isn’t the first city to try to ban them; in June, Monterey Park was successful with Measure NDC, which revised the city’s Land Use and Urban Design Element to prohibit data centers. In August, the city of Coachella passed an ordinance that permanently banned data centers, with only a few exceptions. Earlier this month, San Francisco passed a temporary 45-day ban on the creation of new data centers due to concerns over public safety, health, and energy use.
The post Alhambra Considers Data Center Ban Over Environmental Concerns appeared first on LAmag.
