data centers: elections have consequences

submitted by eric reyes, citizen journalist
edited & formatted by sarina e. guerra

The controversy surrounding the proposed Data Center on county land near Imperial and El Centro is more than a single land-use dispute—it is a reminder of how deeply local government decisions shape our communities for decades to come. Years ago, after speaking at a public hearing, a friend once asked why I regularly attend county, city, special district, and planning commission meetings. My answer was simple but sincere: the votes cast in those rooms determine what our communities will look like five, ten, twenty years into the future.

Too often, decisions are sold on short-term promises while their long-term consequences surface long after the elected officials who approved them have left office. The legacy of redevelopment bonds from now-defunct Redevelopment Agencies is a clear example—city budgets were burdened for years, while the promised economic revitalization rarely materialized. For many residents juggling work and family, these connections can be hard to see in real time, and that’s understandable. Civic participation has historically been limited, often dominated…

by those
with a Direct
Financial Interest.

Today’s Data Center debate presents a watershed moment. The question is whether the passion, frustration, and anger now filling public meetings will translate into sustained civic engagement—or fade once this single project moves forward. Will residents continue to show up as permits are issued and agencies grant approvals? Will they engage in future Data Centers and large-scale developments? Most importantly, will they channel this energy into the most powerful tool available: elections?

Many participants have only recently learned that Planning Commissioners are appointed, not elected—a misunderstanding that highlights how disconnected many of us have been from local government processes. But this moment can become a turning point. It can inspire deeper understanding of how decisions are made, fuel coalitions for change, and even encourage these community members to become candidates themselves. That is democracy in action.

This debate comes as Imperial County stands at an economic crossroads. Traditional agriculture—the backbone of the region for generations—is under pressure from global market shifts, exemplified by the closure of Spreckels Sugar and the ripple effects across jobs and local businesses including…

the Growers,
the harvesters,
the Truck Drivers,
the fuel businesses
& More

…including local businesses who lose the revolving economic input if this closure is not adequately replaced. Our region has long faced high unemployment, low per capita income, and environmental challenges, driving younger generations elsewhere in search of opportunity with that agricultural economic base.

Yet we are not without assets. Imperial County possesses extraordinary natural and strategic resources: unmatched solar and geothermal potential, lithium and rare earth minerals critical to global markets, comparatively affordable land, cross-border workforce access, easily accessible rail connectivity to the rest of the markets in the United States and Mexico, and significant (though complex) Colorado River water rights that are the largest of any water district by a large margin of the seven basin states that share the mighty river. These realities make the region attractive for investment, including Data Centers, energy generation, and mineral extraction. But whether these developments benefit residents or repeat past mistakes depends on who is at the decision-making table, the presence or lack of robust civil participation and whose agenda they represent.

That is why transparency, accountability, and participation are essential—from county and city governments, the Imperial Irrigation District, and elected officials at every level, and most critically…

from Residents
themselves.

This moment demands more than protest; it calls for sustained engagement in the civic process that determines who makes these decisions in the first place.

Elections have consequences. This is the opportunity to turn outrage into leadership, frustration into organization, and participation into power. Let this be the spark that creates a civic engagement tsunami—because the future of our community depends on it.

Citizen Journalist

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