In a tense and tightly controlled public hearing Tuesday, the Imperial County Board of Supervisors voted to clear the way for a massive data center complex that supporters say would generate new revenue and some jobs — and opponents fear could strain the rural county’s power grid, water supply and air quality.
County officials restricted dozens of residents from entering the meeting, citing fire safety concerns. Armed sheriff’s deputies patrolled the Board’s chambers and removed at least three people who had come to oppose the data center project, forcibly dragging one protester from the room.
The proposed data center could rank among the largest in the U.S. and would include its own power substation, a massive battery system and a bank of natural gas generators for backup power. It has faced fierce opposition from thousands of county residents and some state and local officials who worry about the potential environmental impacts of the facility.
On Tuesday, the five supervisors voted 4-1 to approve a “lot merger” tied to the project, combining several parcels of unincorporated land next to the small city of Imperial. The decision was the only step where the county has discretion over whether the project moves forward, according to county planning officials.
The project’s developer, Huntington Beach-based Imperial Valley Computer Manufacturing (IVCM), still needs to convince the region’s public utility to agree to provide energy for the project and find a water provider.
Christopher Scurries, a local music teacher and organizer with NIMBY Imperial, the group of residents opposing the project, said he was disturbed by how aggressive deputies had been with attendees.
“(I’m) surprised that they would go to the extent to kick people out so cavalierly,” Scurries said. “We are the taxpayers, and we have every right to protest.”
IVCM Chief Executive Officer Sebastian Rucci said he was pleased that supervisors had decided to allow the merger to move ahead but acknowledged that the project would not be able to move forward immediately.
“We’ve shown our willingness to make changes, we’ll continue to make changes,” Rucci told KPBS following the decision. “There’s a lot of steps to go.”
Late last month, Rucci said the company would dramatically reduce the size of their planned backup generator system and would build a dirt embankment between the complex and the neighboring homes.
Tuesday’s decision could still be challenged in court. The city of Imperial is currently suing the county over the data center project, arguing that they need a stronger environmental analysis.
Just last week, the city sought an emergency court order to halt the Board of Supervisors from voting on the lot merger. A judge denied their request.
City of Imperial attorney Alene Taber declined to say whether they would challenge the board’s decision Wednesday morning.
Restricting access and removing protesters
Tuesday’s meeting had a very different feel to it than previous county meetings related to the controversial data center project.
As recently as two weeks ago, residents opposing the project packed the supervisors meetings to raise their concerns. But on Tuesday, the room was instead filled with people wearing the bright orange vests and shirts of the construction union Laborers' International Union of North America (LiUNA). The union is a strong supporter of the project.
Although the land use hearing was scheduled to begin at 11 a.m., the orange-shirted attendees said many of them had arrived at 7:30 a.m.
County officials restricted dozens of residents from participating in the hearing even though it was part of a regularly-scheduled meeting. They limited the number of people who could access the county building and did not make additional space for overflow until halfway through the hearing.
Multiple residents who spoke at the hearing accused the union of bringing in workers from out-of-town to prevent them from taking seats.
“These chairs are for the community, not for people that are just working out here,” said Calexico resident Ismael Arvizu. “We pay for these taxes, these chairs, this paper.”
When asked, one LiUNA member told KPBS he was from San Diego. Others declined to answer questions, referring KPBS to a union spokesperson. The spokesperson, LiUNA Executive Board Member Nicholas Gumbleton, said he did not know where everyone was from.
“I’m not sure where everybody lives today,” Gumbleton said.
Several of the orange-shirted attendees identified themselves as students at Imperial Valley College, the local community college. They said union organizers had invited them to the meeting and that they supported the data center project.
Imperial Valley College student Brandon Franco said he understood that the proposed complex would mostly generate short-term construction work and would likely not create many long-term jobs. But he views the project as a spark that could lead to more investment.
“If these big investors see opportunity here, then that gives us more opportunity as well,” Franco said.
County Chair Peggy Price and other county officials were quick to order law enforcement to remove people from the room. In some cases, county officials accused them of disturbing the meeting. But in other cases, it wasn’t clear what the person had done.
At one point, three deputies forced Arvizu out of his seat and shoved him towards the exit. As he questioned why they were removing him, several deputies grabbed him by the arms and forcibly dragged him from the room. A lieutenant later told KPBS they had arrested Arvizu on charges of disorderly conduct and resisting arrest.
In an interview late Wednesday morning, Arvizu said he was uninjured but felt that county officials had violated his right to participate in the democratic process.
“I really felt like I was targeted,” he said. “I had to be there, I had to fill up a spot. I was representing too many people.”
Focus shifts to power and water
The decision comes after months of charged debate over the proposed data center complex.
Much remains uncertain about the project, including where it will get the power and water it will need to operate. KPBS previously reported the data center could consume almost double the amount of electricity that the entirety of Imperial County used in 2024 and could also need 750,000 gallons of water per day.
Despite those immense demands, the project’s developer is openly seeking to avoid an environmental review under California’s Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). In interviews, Rucci said that was because he is aiming to begin construction as soon as possible.
Rucci told KPBS they would take steps to reduce the project’s environmental footprint. He said they would use renewable energy, buy recycled municipal water from nearby cities and cover the cost of necessary infrastructure upgrades.
Local officials in those cities have said they had discussed supplying water but had not reached any formal agreements. At a March meeting, Rucci acknowledged that the company was exploring other options, including purchasing the water from San Diego.
That uncertainty has rattled many Imperial County residents, especially those who live close to the planned data center. Over the last several months, they have sharply criticized the lack of environmental analysis and raised fears that the project will strain the rural valley’s power grid and water supply with little benefit for the people who live here.
Supervisors echoed some of those questions, and raised concerns of their own, during Tuesday’s meeting.
Supervisor Jesus Eduardo Escobar pointedly questioned Rucci and Tom DuBose, a consultant on the project, about dust emissions and air pollution.
At Escobar’s request, county planners also clarified that they would not be able to grant the project a final “certificate of occupancy,” which would allow the facility to become operational, until IVCM had secured access to power and water.
County Chair Peggy Price focused more on the debate over the project and how it had affected her as an elected official. She said she had faced threats and attacks on her integrity and argued the lot merger was just one small element of the larger project.
Supervisor John Hawk said he had lost sleep over the project and that it was “not one that we had asked for.” But he emphasized that the developer will need to meet the power and water requirements, and other procedural thresholds, before it can be brought online.
“This project has a number of hurdles to overcome,” Hawk told meeting attendees. “There is a ways to come.”
Supervisor Martha Cardenas-Singh was the lone vote against the merger. During the middle of the hearing, she left the room and demanded that county staff open an overflow room for older residents waiting outside for their chance to speak.
In brief final remarks, Cardenas-Singh said only that she hoped county residents felt they had been heard.
“I hope that I have met that obligation to hear all sides of the story,” she said.
Scurries and other organizers with NIMBY Imperial said they will continue to fight it. They announced Tuesday that they will be launching a recall effort against Price, whose district includes the planned project.
The group is also collecting signatures for a potential November ballot measure, nicknamed the “Imperial County Data Center Prohibition Act,” which would ban data centers on unincorporated county land.
“We're still keeping up the good fight,” Scurries said. "We know that this isn't the end."
