Perris' City Council voted on Tuesday night to direct planning staff to draft an ordinance to ban data centers citywide. The decision comes as cities across Southern California initiate their own bans and moratoriums.
Councilman David Starr Rabb asked planning staff in January to research data centers. Perris' planning services department provided an overview during the meeting of the different types of data centers, including their size, purpose, potential land use designations, economic benefits and environmental impacts.
Rafael Garcia, a planner with the Perris Planning Division, said most of Riverside County's data centers are small-scale facilities of less than 40,000 square feet that provide data services to regional businesses. According to Garcia and city staff reports, Riverside County does not currently have any large-scale data centers.
"The city's code does not currently define or regulate these data centers," said Garcia. "There are no unique development standards that specifically apply to these facilities."
But Garcia said large data centers can require significant utility resources. Facilities can exceed 1.5 million square feet and consume up to 100 megawatts of electricity to power and cool computer systems. One megawatt can power roughly 1,000 homes.
Water demand can also be substantial. Garcia said estimates for large data centers range from 200,000 gallons to several million gallons of water per day. By comparison, warehouses typically use between 5,000 and 50,000 gallons daily, while an average household uses about 300 gallons a day.
Garcia said council members could have chosen several approaches to regulate data centers, including requiring a conditional use permit, allowing them in industrial zones or adopting a hybrid approach.
Members of the public lining up outside Perris City Hall to speak on data centers during the council meeting on Tuesday, June 10, 2026.
Ultimately, the council voted unanimously to direct staff to pursue a citywide ban. Councilwoman Marisela Nava then motioned to send the proposal to the planning commission for review.
Close to 30 people spoke at the meeting in support of a city-wide ban. Grassroots environmental justice groups — Perris Neighbors in Action and the Mead Valley Coalition for Clean Air — provided comments in opposition. Critics of data centers raised concerns about the loud humming noises and water pollution caused by data center development.
"It's not good for the community," said Perris resident Tiernan Riggs. "It raises electric bills, lowers quality of water, you know, all the environmental impacts, and it has the influence to push residents out, and that's not fair to homeowners and to current residents."
Rabb, who proposed the item, wasn't present in person but expressed appreciation for staff's efforts to present facts about data centers to the council and public. Nava and Councilwoman Elizabeth Vallejo agreed, while encouraging residents to stay engaged on the issue.
"Please keep on fighting the good fight, because we can beat these billionaires," said Vallejo.
The proposal will next go before the planning commission for review and a recommendation before returning to the city council for a final vote at a later date.
