Imperial County

Moratoriums and bans

1. Oct. 6, 2026 Imperial County: Moratorium (struck down, then reinstated). Supervisors adopted an emergency data center moratorium in June 2026 and voted unanimously on July 14 to stretch it to a full year; a judge barred its enforcement in September, and the board reinstated a temporary moratorium 5-0 on Oct. 6. Two supervisors back a voter ban on unincorporated land. (CalMatters, June 23, 2026; The Registry SoCal, July 21, 2026; KPBS, Oct. 8, 2026)
2. July 2026 City of Imperial: Moratorium. The city adopted an emergency 45-day moratorium in early June 2026 and extended it in July to May 2027. (KPBS, Aug. 4, 2026)
3. July 1, 2026 Calexico: Ban (in progress). The council voted unanimously to have staff draft a permanent ban, pending a public hearing. (KPBS, Aug. 4, 2026)
4. July 14, 2026 Calipatria: Ban (in progress). The council voted 3-2 to advance a permanent ban ordinance, pending a public hearing. (KPBS, Aug. 4, 2026)

Updates, newest first

1. Oct. 6, 2026 Imperial Valley Data Center (Imperial Valley Computer Manufacturing) · Supervisors voted 5-0 to reinstate a temporary moratorium on data centers on county land. (KPBS, Oct. 8, 2026)
2. Oct. 6, 2026 Imperial County: Moratorium (struck down, then reinstated) · Supervisors adopted an emergency data center moratorium in June 2026 and voted unanimously on July 14 to stretch it to a full year; a judge barred its enforcement in September, and the board reinstated a temporary moratorium 5-0 on Oct. 6. Two supervisors back a voter ban on unincorporated land. (CalMatters, June 23, 2026; The Registry SoCal, July 21, 2026; KPBS, Oct. 8, 2026)
3. Sept. 2026 Imperial Valley Data Center (Imperial Valley Computer Manufacturing) · Judge Jeffrey Jones barred enforcement of the county moratorium, finding no showing of an immediate threat to public health or safety. (KPBS, Oct. 8, 2026; KPBS, Aug. 28, 2026)
4. Sept. 2026 Imperial Valley Data Center (Imperial Valley Computer Manufacturing) · Judge L. Brooks Anderholt issued a tentative ruling on Aug. 31 that the county should not have approved the lot merger without CEQA review; the court later set the approval aside and ordered environmental review. (KPBS, Sept. 1, 2026; KPBS, Oct. 8, 2026)
5. July 14, 2026 Calipatria: Ban (in progress) · The council voted 3-2 to advance a permanent ban ordinance, pending a public hearing. (KPBS, Aug. 4, 2026)
6. July 1, 2026 Calexico: Ban (in progress) · The council voted unanimously to have staff draft a permanent ban, pending a public hearing. (KPBS, Aug. 4, 2026)
7. July 2026 City of Imperial: Moratorium · The city adopted an emergency 45-day moratorium in early June 2026 and extended it in July to May 2027. (KPBS, Aug. 4, 2026)
8. June 2026 Imperial Valley Data Center (Imperial Valley Computer Manufacturing) · The county adopted an emergency moratorium on data centers and later extended it; the developer challenged it in court. (CalMatters, June 23, 2026; KPBS, Aug. 4, 2026)
9. May 1, 2026 Imperial Valley Data Center (Imperial Valley Computer Manufacturing) · The Imperial Irrigation District denied the company's request for about 880 acre-feet a year of water; the company sued IID on June 5. (Western-Water.com, Aug. 4, 2026)
10. April 7, 2026 Imperial Valley Data Center (Imperial Valley Computer Manufacturing) · Supervisors approved the lot merger (Resolution 2026-057), with one supervisor voting no. (Western-Water.com, Aug. 4, 2026; KPBS, Oct. 8, 2026)
11. Jan. 10, 2026 Imperial Valley Data Center (Imperial Valley Computer Manufacturing) · Baxtel reported project documents showing a 330 MW building, an 862 MWh battery system and 100 natural gas backup generators on about 74 acres. (Baxtel, Jan. 10, 2026)
12. Dec. 18, 2025 Imperial Valley Data Center (Imperial Valley Computer Manufacturing) · The county Planning Commission did not approve the lot merger the project needs; the developer appealed to the supervisors. (inewsource, April 5, 2026; KPBS, Aug. 28, 2026)
13. Dec. 4, 2025 Imperial Valley Data Center (Imperial Valley Computer Manufacturing) · The City of Imperial sued the county and the developer, arguing the project needs full CEQA review instead of a by-right approval. (Western-Water.com, Aug. 4, 2026; inewsource, April 5, 2026)
14. Nov. 26, 2025 Imperial Valley Data Center (Imperial Valley Computer Manufacturing) · The City of Imperial pulled out of the recycled-water arrangement the project had relied on; El Centro followed about a week later. (Western-Water.com, Aug. 4, 2026)

Statewide

No state sales or use tax exemption specific to data centers; SB 58 (2025), a partial exemption for renewable-energy-related equipment, died in the Senate Revenue and Taxation Committee. (Mayer Brown, Dec. 1, 2025) SB 57 (Padilla, 2025), signed Oct. 11, 2025, has the CPUC assess whether new data center load shifts costs to other customers and report by Jan. 1, 2027; AB 93 (2025 water-use estimates) was vetoed. (Mayer Brown, Dec. 1, 2025) Seven bills signed Sept. 21, 2026, mostly effective Jan. 1, 2027: SB 886 and AB 2383 (CPUC data center tariffs so large loads bear their grid and supply costs), SB 1168 (rate-structure review), SB 887 (limits CEQA categorical exemptions for data centers), AB 2469 (water disclosure before local approval), AB 1577 and AB 2619 (energy and water reporting). (KQED, Sept. 21, 2026; The National Law Review (Greenberg Traurig), Oct. 5, 2026) Large-load tariff: PG&E Electric Rule 30 for transmission-level retail customers (CPUC A.24-11-007, filed Nov. 21, 2024); the CPUC partly granted interim use in July 2025, and the proceeding remained open in August 2026. Individual agreements go by advice letter (e.g., Resolution E-5455 for Google, held to Oct. 29, 2026). (California Public Utilities Commission, Aug. 7, 2026; California Public Utilities Commission, June 20, 2025; Mayer Brown, Dec. 1, 2025; Stoel Rives, Oct. 14, 2026) Backup generators of 50-100 MW at data centers go through the California Energy Commission's small power plant exemption (SPPE), with the CEC as CEQA lead agency; most large California data centers appear in its dockets. (California Energy Commission, undated; Union of Concerned Scientists, May 2026) California data centers →