On August 18, the Tulare County 24th District Agricultural Association (DAA) held its monthly meeting at the Tulare County Fairgrounds, where concerned constituents offered public comments about a proposed data center by Global Stack LLC. Unlike at the July 21 meeting, speakers were not given five minutes; instead, they were limited to two minutes each to express their concerns.
Board president Gary Castro gave the opening remarks and reminded community members in attendance that no information or updates on the proposal would be given that evening. Castro also said the board has neither approved nor considered the proposed data center at the Fairgrounds.
“As stewards of the property, the board, staff, and beneficiaries have the responsibility of exploring long-term projects for the sustainability of the fairgrounds,” said Castro.
Castro then added that the board of directors entered a non-binding agreement with the Southern California-based company Global Stack LLC.
“The MOU that has been signed is non-binding. It does not approve a project, authorize construction, or commit the fairgrounds to any changes moving forward. We are currently in the fact-finding and feasibility phase to determine what, if anything, may be appropriate to this project,” explained Castro.
Global Stack LLC has since presented a similar proposal in Kings County and throughout other California Fairgrounds. The company aims to have 70 of these California Fairgrounds powered by the same system by at least 2030; it is said this project will primarily assist first responders in an emergency. Its main function would be to serve as an alleged emergency resilience center.
However, community members are not convinced by the language and information provided by both Global Stack and the board members. They urged the board to take a similar approach to data centers like the Tulare County Board of Supervisors, who imposed a 45-day temporary ordinance on a data center development.
Back in April, Director Jonathan Porter, seconded by Director Grace Calderon and with board members voting yes, approved Global Stack LLC’s Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) presentation and tabled the lease agreement because it was not ready to be presented for approval. Last month, the board met again; in a heated conversation, board members heard nearly two hours of public comments from concerned constituents and community members who opposed the project.
One community member asked when the board or Global Stack would provide further information on the infrastructure to the public. During public comments, board members under the Brown Act are not allowed to answer questions or to make a decision on an item not on the official meeting agenda; however, a spokesperson from the board relayed the following comment to the public.
“We’re not supposed to respond tonight, nor is the board supposed to respond, but there will be a presentation in January from Global Stack,” said the spokesperson.
It is still unclear what day Global Stack LLC plans to present its project.
Jordan, a community member and resident of Porterville, an incorporated city located within Tulare County, addressed the board and voiced his opposition.
“Both the board and company claim this is an emergency response center and not a data center. They also claim just now that if this proposal is approved, they will be entering a legally non-binding contract,” said Jordan.
The concerned Tulare County resident added that, before the August 18 meeting agenda, the publications from the past two meetings were removed from the website. Jordan was referring to the Action item that stated the DAA and Global Stacks rental agreement.
“If this is truly not a legally binding agreement why was this not specified? Why was there a mention of the 100-year lease, if more time and information is needed and if a fact-finding process is needed? Then why is a rental agreement or lease listed as an Action item?” said Jordan.
Another community member weighed in on the issue and expressed how this proposed data center would severely impact her mother, who suffers from vertigo. That community member previously lived in Visalia and recently moved to Tulare County, and lives near the fairgrounds where the data center will be built.
“ I live less than five minutes away from the fairgrounds, and I have a single working mother who cannot afford to move. She has chronic vertigo, and this will deeply impact her. I am not for anyone. There are so many people here today who have experienced this same situation, who feel powerless in this experience. We don’t want a data center,” said the concerned resident.
According to Environmental Health Services, nuclear power released from these data centers poses a health risk to human lives.
“Exposure to ionizing radiation is associated with increased health risks of cancer, genetic damage, and other adverse effects,” wrote the organization.
Additionally, Environmental and Energy Study Institute project manager Miguel Yanez Barnuevo published an article explaining that the amount of water data centers use is harming communities.
“A medium-sized data center can consume up to roughly 110 million gallons of water per year for cooling purposes, equivalent to the annual water usage of approximately 1,000 households,” wrote Barnuevo.
Ale, an organizer with Loud For Tomorrow, asked the board to take a moment and decide what type of ancestors they are. The organizer reminded the board that water resources are crucial not just for people, but for the environment.
“But if you don’t, every time you interact with water, every time you drink it, every time you shower in it, every time you see your kids play with water, I want you to remember that water does not forget. So, Gary Castro, water does not forget. Rosa Villalobos, water does not forget. So Joseph, water does not forget. Greg Gomez, water does not forget. Grace Calderon, water does not forget. And Jonathan Porter, water will not forget,” said Ale.
The next Tulare County Fairgrounds meeting will be held in November.
