Date:
August 18, 2026
26
To:
Board of Supervisors
Title
Protecting Communities from Big Tech Data Centers by Backing Statewide Ratepayer and Environmental Safeguards (Districts: All)
End
Overview
Hyperscale data centers-vast warehouses filled with servers for running compute-intensive artificial intelligence (AI) applications-are exploding in number and size. Meta recently announced one of the largest ever, a four million square foot data center in Louisiana that delivers five gigawatts of AI computing power. Next door in Imperial County, a one million square foot data center has been proposed in their unincorporated areas that would be the largest in the state. Analysts project upwards of $1 trillion in North American data center projects by the end of the decade.i
Increasingly hyperscale data center developers and their Big Tech backers push the costs and consequences of the AI buildout onto ordinary ratepayers and local communities. The Board of Supervisor took action previously (January 14, 2026, Item #4) to explore concerns and impacts around AI data center development in San Diego County. Today's item takes the next step by calling on the Board to express support for establishing statewide standards that protect ratepayers, safeguard public health and the environment, and ensure local communities benefit from any future projects.
Data Centers and Ratepayer Risks
Hyperscale data centers consume enormous amounts of electricity to power their servers and cooling systems, which often require upgrades to generation and transmission capacity. Everyday ratepayers are at risk of footing the bill for infrastructure that primarily benefits Big Tech's bottom line. Bloomberg estimates that households near clusters of data center activity saw their electricity bills rise 267% over five years.ii Rapid growth in large data center loads can also destabilize the grid itself. The North American Electric Reliability Corporation identified data center growth a...
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