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Data centers in California: 55 projects mapped
California has 16 data center projects proposed or under construction, the most of them in Santa Clara County, but the sharpest local fights are in the Imperial and Coachella valleys. On September 9 an Imperial County judge overturned the county's approval of developer Sebastian Rucci's nearly 1-million-square-foot data center complex next to the Victoria Ranch neighborhood near the city of Imperial, and ordered a full environmental review. Rucci said he would seek a new trial and, failing that, appeal.
Imperial County supervisors paused all data center projects on county land in June and later extended the pause through May 2027; the city of Imperial did the same. A county advisory committee is due to report on zoning rules in January. "We are disappointed but not deterred," Rucci told KPBS after the ruling.
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In the Coachella Valley, Coachella became the first Riverside County city to ban data centers permanently, after residents fought Stronghold Power Systems' planned campus at Avenue 52 and Fillmore Street. Indio extended its moratorium through October 16 while it drafts a ban, Desert Hot Springs extended its pause to two years, and Palm Springs adopted a 45-day moratorium on August 26.
In Los Angeles County, Monterey Park voters approved a permanent ban on June 2, making it the first US city to ban data centers outright; the developer had already withdrawn. In Santa Clara, finished data centers built by Digital Realty and Stack have sat empty waiting for Silicon Valley Power to finish a $450 million grid upgrade due in 2028.
On September 21 Gov. Gavin Newsom signed seven bills that make data centers pay for the grid upgrades they cause and disclose expected water use to local governments. Indio's council was scheduled to take up its permanent ban in September; no result has been published, and its moratorium runs through October 16.
19 counties with tracked projects
Only places with at least one project have a page.
- Santa Clara County22
- Los Angeles County7
- Alameda County3
- Kern County3
- Sacramento County3
- San Francisco County2
- San Mateo County2
- Solano County2
- Amador County1
- Contra Costa County1
- Imperial County1
- Kings County1
- Napa County1
- Riverside County1
- San Joaquin County1
- Siskiyou County1
- Stanislaus County1
- Tulare County1
- Ventura County1
Where this comes from
The reporting above was written from these. Open one and check it yourself.
Where people here have won
Projects stopped by a vote, pulled by their developer, or blocked in court.
| Place | What happened | Date | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Imperial CountySebastian Rucci | Blocked in court Court overturned the county approval and ordered a full environmental review. | Sep 9, 2026 | nearly 1 million sq ft | Story off site ↗ |
| El SegundoEight Form | Withdrawn by the developer The developer withdrew on the spot at the planning commission after three hours of resident opposition. | Jul 9, 2026 | 50 MW, 230,780 sq ft | Story off site ↗ |
| Mount Shasta | Denied by a vote The city manager called it dead on arrival over the water rights attached to the site and told the company no the same afternoon. | Jun 22, 2026 | Not reported |
Moratoriums and bans in effect
Places in California that have paused or banned new data centers.
| Place | Type | Started | Ends | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CoachellaTown or city | Ban | Aug 26, 2026 | No end date | Record off site ↗ |
| Imperial County | Moratorium | Jun 16, 2026 | May 2027 | Record off site ↗ |
| Monterey ParkTown or city | Ban | Jun 3, 2026 | No end date | Record off site ↗ |
| IndioTown or city | Moratorium | Not reported | Oct 16, 2026 | Record off site ↗ |
Every project above is drawn from public records, filings and local reporting. Each row links to what it is based on. Statuses change, so check the source date before you rely on one. Found something wrong? Write to [email protected] and it gets fixed.