‘I Heard Them,’ Mayor Figueroa Says

After Hundreds Attend City Council Meeting to Oppose Data Center, Mayor Says, ‘I heard them.’

COACHELLA — Hundreds of people have stood in line outside City Hall in the past months to protest a proposed data center in their community — seemingly to no avail. On Wednesday, May 27, they finally received the holy grail of responses. They got an ear. Someone heard them.

Following that meeting and extensive public comments regarding the City’s Municipal Utility Development Agreement with Stronghold Power Systems, Inc., Mayor Frank Figueroa issued the following statement, outlining next steps:

“Last night, residents showed up, stayed engaged, and made their concerns clear. I want the community to know that I heard them. The concerns raised about data centers, water, air quality, energy demand, public health, ratepayer risk, transparency, and long-term impacts deserve a serious and public response.”

The City Council discussed the need for independent review, stronger public accountability, and next steps related to data centers and other high-energy industrial uses, the mayor said, clearly taking a leadership role.

“My position remains clear: the City of Coachella should not move forward on an agreement of this magnitude without transparency, independent legal review, public confidence, and a full understanding of the impacts to residents.

Any third-party review must be truly independent. The public needs confidence that the review will examine the full record, including the agreement, the process, the City’s obligations, potential risks, and any related implementation steps.”

The Data Center is technically known as the Coachella Valley Technology Campus. The proposed development would be built on 240 acres of agricultural land about 2.5 miles east of downtown Coachella and 1.5 miles south of Interstate 10. It would be located near Avenue 52 and Fillmore Street, roughly two miles away from Valle del Sol Elementary and across the street from a mobile home park.

Figeruoa saif he also believes the city must bring back a public discussion on the Joint Powers Agreement with IID and the Coachella Electric Financing Authority. Residents deserve to understand the public infrastructure pathway that has already been approved, what it means, what it may cost, what projects it includes, and how it compares to the Municipal Utility Development Agreement.

“The next steps should include an urgency moratorium or interim ordinance addressing data centers, technology campuses, private microgrids, high-load energy users, and related infrastructure at the earliest legally available meeting. The City should also provide a full accounting of legal, consultant, financing, public relations, and staff costs connected to the municipal utility process.”

The balance of the City Council indicated it also will support a moratorium.

“This is not about being anti-development. It is about responsible development, public trust, and protecting Coachella residents before major decisions are made that could affect our water, power system, air quality, public health, emergency response, ratepayers, and long-term future.”

The night of May 27 was an “important moment” for our community, the mayor said. “Now the city must follow through. My priority is to protect Coachella residents, restore public confidence, and make sure any decision about our utility’s future is made openly, lawfully, and in the best interest of the people we serve.”

Figueroa said he will continue to support a transparent process that includes independent legal review, a public JPA study session, consideration of an urgency moratorium, and full disclosure of costs, risks, and impacts before any further major action is taken.