How an Asian-majority city passed the US' first permanent data center ban

California's Monterey Park is at the forefront of America's growing pushback to AI infrastructure

Monterey Park, with a population of less than 65,000, of whom 65.6% identify as Asian, became the first city in the U.S. to put in place a permanent ban on data centers. (Photo by Yifan Yu)

MONTEREY PARK, California -- Last year's holiday season turned out to be a chaotic one for Hrag Balian and his wife. The couple, who moved to Monterey Park in 2021, learned in early December that the local government was on the cusp of approving the construction of a nearly 23,000-sq.-meter data center in their city.