“It’s really been driven by speculation,” said Andrew Yip, an organizer with SVG Progressive Action. “Right now, you know, the faster your data center can process information, the more money can make. So that’s why we’re seeing larger data centers with more processing capabilities, meaning more energy use, more pollution, more water use. And so when we saw that come into Monterey Park, you know, just hearing all the horror stories from across the country. Yeah, we had to fight back.” Monterey Park may be the first city in California to ban data centers (and not just pause them); if the voters give them the thumbs down in June, it will be the first time American citizens directly vote to ban them.

"Monterey Park becomes the first city in California to ban "all data centers within city limits""

Extremely clean and elegant quote here. This is pretty much it folks:

www.bloodinthemachine.com/p/monterey-p...

Monterey Park becomes the first city in California to ban "all data centers within city limits" Residents of the small enclave east of LA not only killed their city's proposed 250,000 square foot data center, they pushed city council to ban them altogether

The "public comments at the hearing before the vote left little doubt that Monterey Park residents overwhelmingly disdained not only the prospect of a massive, noisy, and polluting infrastructure project being erected in their backyards, but who that project would benefit, at their expense.”

This comes, notably, after Meta's announcement that it will lay off 8,000 workers next month.

Never underestimate the unifying power of a private equity firm promising to build a thrumming megacomplex and eight giant diesel generators in your backyard for an AI company that has promised to automate everyone's jobs

never underestimate the unifying power of a private equity firm promising to build a thrumming megacomplex and eight giant diesel generators in your backyard for an AI company that has promised to automate your job

were you at the hearing last night?

How to Stop A Data Center in Your Backyard ~ L.A. TACO These are lessons from San Gabriel Valley neighbors and activists who outsmarted developers and lobbyists.

I also want to shout @lataco.bsky.social's great feature on the organizing in Monterey Park, aptly titled "How to Stop a Data Center in Your Backyard":

It's open season for refusing AI There's been a wave of successful efforts to ban, reject and shut down AI.

If you want to understand the powerful backlash to AI, and why it's open season for refusing such projects, local data center movements are a great place to start. Especially since they've gone national.

People clearly felt that until they mobilized, they weren't being listened to, that their homes were treated like a dumping ground for big tech's project. That if a major project were to be built in their city, they wanted it to benefit the community, and no one had bothered to explain how it would.

As I listened to the countless public comments against the data center, I was struck by the robustness of the critique. It was not *just* NIMBYism, that the project would be noisy, polluting and use a lot of energy, but what all that was *in service of*: Big tech. The rich. An oligarchy.

But the organizers weren’t done. They pushed for a permanent ban, and to put a measure to voters to enshrine it at the ballot box—ensuring the ban could only be overturned by another such democratic vote. The ordinance passed last nigh, and the ballot measure is up for a vote on June 2nd.

Rage against the machine: a California community rallied against a datacenter – and won Organizers in Monterey Park took inspiration from other US cities to fight against the construction of a giant datacenter

Led by local groups No Data Center Monterey Park and San Gabriel Valley Progressive Action, residents mobilized, and rallied the city council to overturn the approval, pass a temporary moratorium, and spurred the asset manager to abandon the project.

That victory is captured nicely here:

The ban was passed after a grassroots campaign led by local residents took shape to contest a 250,000 square foot data center that had been proposed by an Australian asset manager and approved for construction by the city near a residential area without standard environmental review.

Monterey Park becomes the first city in California to ban "all data centers within city limits" Residents of the small enclave east of LA not only killed their city's proposed 250,000 square foot data center, they pushed city council to ban them altogether

Last night, after an hours-long public hearing, Monterey Park became the first city in California to pass an ordinance permanently banning data centers.

The city council voted unanimously to declare data centers a public nuisance, and to "prohibit all data centers within city limits."

My story:

At a city council meeting in Monterey Park where an ordinance to ban data centers is under consideration. It’s all true—people are extremely fired up about shutting down data centers. Noise, pollution, NIMBY complaints are all in the mix, but residents are calling out big tech and the rich too.

bring back shame

Techno-Negative A radical history of technology told through acts of resistance, not progressThe history of technology is often told as a history of progress, moving optimis...

For those interested in the full story, Thomas has a great book out this month, Techno-Negative: A Long History of Refusing the Machine:

www.upress.umn.edu/978151791773...

A brief history of techno-negativity From the techne pessimists of Ancient Greece to the computer firebombers of the Information Age, here's a look at the long—and fruitful—legacy of refusing the machine.

From the techné pessimists of Ancient Greece to the computer to the loom-breaking Luddites to the firebombers of the Information Age, here's a look at the long—and fruitful—legacy of refusing the machine.

By @thomas-dekeyser.bsky.social, for BITM:

This was many years ago but yes lol

How Email Open Tracking Quietly Took Over the Web You give up more privacy than you might think each time you open an email.

In honor of Tim Cook's stepping down, here is the story of how I emailed him, not once but twice, with open email tracking enabled, only to discover that, not once but twice, my emails to the CEO of Apple were opened on a computer running Windows.

And we have receipts. Jim Dolan's security team at Madison Square Garden surveilled this woman over the course of *years* and in the smallest detail ... because she was trans.

🤖🔨❤️

Follow and support the work of @bcmerchant.bsky.social who is documenting the ongoing revolt against techno-fascism.

🤖🔨❤️

🤖🔨❤️

brian's writing is always excellent, but this piece is especially badly-needed at this moment (when AI boosters and their uncritical documentarians are *just now* realizing they're not popular and this project is reviled, and their analyses of that situation are woefully incurious and insufficient)

How is the beast?

also can we trade jobs for the day

Mystery AI Hype Theater 3000 LIVE! The Mystery AI Hype Theater 3000 pod is coming to New York for our first LIVE show! We’ll be at Starr Bar in Brooklyn on April 30.

NYC friends what are you doing on Thursday April 30? How about joining me and @alexhanna.bsky.social for our first ever live taping of Mystery AI Hype Theater 3000?

www.eventbrite.com/e/mystery-ai...

Frank Herbert I apologize for ever doubting you

"The rise of extreme wealth is one of the clearest signs of this imbalance. In 1987, billionaires held wealth equal to 3% of global GDP. Today this tiny elite, just 0.0001% of the world population, owns the equivalent of *16%* of world GDP in wealth."