The Guardian · California · Original story
They fought against datacenters. Now they are running for local offices
Across the US, anti-datacenter organizers are harnessing community anger to win local elections
After four months of teach-ins and canvassing, Steven Kung helped Monterey Park, just east of Los Angeles, become the first US city to ban datacenter construction. Now, the organizer is running for city council – and he’s taking on an incumbent who supported the development of the sprawling facility.
“The datacenter coming to my neighborhood turned my life upside down,” said Kung. “I saw that there’s a dismantling of democracy at a local level.”
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Claire Wang · Tue, Sep 15, 2026, 3:00 AM
California | The Guardian
Across the US, anti-datacenter organizers are harnessing community anger to win local elections
After four months of teach-ins and canvassing, Steven Kung helped Monterey Park, just east of Los Angeles, become the first US city to ban datacenter construction. Now, the organizer is running for city council – and he’s taking on an incumbent who supported the development of the sprawling facility.
“The datacenter coming to my neighborhood turned my life upside down,” said Kung. “I saw that there’s a dismantling of democracy at a local level.”
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