Tulare County just extended its pause on new data center construction by ten months and fifteen days — but a pause isn't protection. The Board of Supervisors voted unanimously this week to keep studying the issue instead of committing to a permanent ban, even after residents packed a public hearing to demand one.

This matters most for communities like Matheny Tract, Tooleville, and Pixley, which already deal with unreliable drinking water, high electricity costs, and poor air quality. Adding massive, resource-hungry data centers to that burden isn't a risk these neighborhoods should have to keep absorbing while officials "study" the problem for another ten months.

"These communities already face significant environmental burdens, including drinking water challenges, high electricity costs, and poor air quality," said Mariela Loera, policy manager with Leadership Counsel for Justice and Accountability. Loera has urged the county to use this pause to move toward a permanent ban, not just another extension.

Joe Delgado, Organizing Director with Power California, put it plainly: "Residents here need economic relief. Instead, our representatives fast track profitable projects, while failing to address critical and urgent solutions, such as ensuring Tulare County residents have access to clean and safe water."

A temporary moratorium can expire, get watered down, or quietly lapse into approvals. A permanent ban can't. Tulare County's Board of Supervisors has said "all options are on the table" — it's time for them to choose the one that actually protects residents for good.

Sign the petition to demand Tulare County's Board of Supervisors make the data center moratorium permanent — before a temporary pause turns into a permanent problem.