Data center ban

A scientist and Riverside resident demanded a complete citywide data center ban, citing housing and air quality failures, and threatened legal action and referral to the state Attorney General if the council doesn't act.

A Ward 2 resident and UCR-affiliated researcher urged a ban, citing asthma rates, power outages, water strain, and health impacts worse than warehouses.

A Ward 4 resident, musician, and wife of an RUSD teacher argued a ban is a net positive and questioned what the community actually gains from a local AI data center.

A Ward 3 resident supported the ban, noting few environmental impact reports exist for data centers and no water disclosure laws.

A Moreno Valley organizer with the Center for Community Action and Environmental Justice urged Riverside to follow neighboring cities in banning or pausing AI data centers, citing energy and water consumption data.

A Ward 3 resident opposed the ban, calling it premature since no project is on the table, citing Loudoun County revenue data and national security considerations near March Air Force Base.

A caller who has lived in Riverside since 2010 said data centers are the wrong way to grow the city, citing pollution and resource waste.

A caller rejected the national-security framing and demanded a complete citywide ban, threatening court action and ballot-box consequences.

A Ward 1 UCR PhD student urged a yes vote on the ban, citing Amazon's Canton, Mississippi facility's unfulfilled job promises and environmental harm.

A real estate advisor urged the committee to study the issue further before any ban, noting smaller and medium-scale facilities and closed-loop cooling systems could work in existing buildings.