Woman Removed From California County Meeting Amid Data Center Debate

A woman was escorted out of a Tulare County Board of Supervisors meeting in Visalia, California, on Tuesday after disrupting the proceedings to protest proposed AI data centers. The incident occurred during a contentious debate over the expansion of data center facilities within the county.

"Talk about the data center! This is a global problem, not a local problem!" the woman shouted, as captured in a video shared by FOX 26.

The meeting was prompted by a proposal earlier in July to build a data center at the Tulare County Fairgrounds. In response to public outcry, the County Board had initially enacted a 45-day moratorium on all new data center projects in unincorporated areas.

During Tuesday's session, supervisors unanimously voted 5-0 to extend this moratorium. The extension will last for an additional 10 months and 15 days, allowing the county to further consider and develop future regulations for such facilities.

Concerns about the economic impact and cost of living were voiced by residents. "Tulare County communities are living paycheck to paycheck, to survive a cost-of-living crisis that’s only getting worse," said Joe Delgado of the group Power California, according to The Fresno Bee. "Residents here need economic relief. Instead, our representatives fast track profitable project, while failing to address critical and urgent solutions…"

Global Stack, the company behind the fairgrounds proposal, aimed to lease between two to five acres for 100 years. The company has also been in discussions with other fairgrounds across California to develop similar data center projects, viewing fairgrounds as underutilized public land capable of generating revenue.

Public opinion on new data center construction appears divided. A poll by The Economist and YouGov indicated that nearly two-thirds of Americans oppose the development of new data centers in their communities.