CALIFORNIA STATE – The artificial intelligence boom is creating demand for an enormous new kind of infrastructure: sprawling data centers packed with the servers that help power chatbots, cloud computing and AI tools.
But in parts of California, local governments are beginning to say no.
Monterey Park, a city east of Los Angeles, has become the most dramatic example. On June 2, voters approved Measure NDC, a citywide prohibition on data centers, with more than 88% voting yes…