Legislative Threat
SB 886 & SB 887: How Sacramento is trying to kill Imperial Valley's biggest investment
State Senator Steve Padilla (D-San Diego) has introduced two companion bills that would retroactively strip data centers of their ministerial development rights and force them into years of environmental litigation — directly threatening the $10 billion Imperial Valley Data Center.
Legislative Alert
SB 886 would reclassify data center projects from ministerial approvals to discretionary approvals, subjecting them to full CEQA environmental review — even projects already approved and under construction.
SB 887 would impose new water and energy reporting requirements specifically designed to create litigation vectors for environmental groups opposing data center projects.
What this means for Imperial Valley
The IVDC was lawfully approved as a ministerial project on appropriately zoned I-2 heavy industrial land. A Superior Court confirmed this on February 27, 2026, dismissing the City of Imperial's lawsuit. Padilla's bills would retroactively invalidate that ruling.
Why it matters
If these bills become law, the IVDC would be forced into a CEQA review process that typically takes 3-5 years and costs tens of millions of dollars in legal fees. Environmental groups that already demanded $83 million in greenmail would gain new legal weapons to delay or kill the project entirely. Meanwhile, Imperial Valley loses $30 million in annual IID revenue, 1,688 union jobs, and $28.75 million in property taxes every year the project is stalled.
Who benefits from these bills?
Not Imperial Valley ratepayers. Not unemployed construction workers. Not the schools and fire departments that need property tax revenue.
Follow the incentives
- Environmental litigation groups gain new lawsuit opportunities and settlement leverage (the $83 million "greenmail" playbook)
- Competing coastal counties avoid having their own NIMBYism exposed when projects move to willing rural communities
- Incumbent IID Board members get political cover for blocking the project — "Sacramento won't let us" replaces "we demanded a $4 billion poison pill"
- Z-Global-connected insiders protect their interconnection queue position from a massive new competitor
What you can do
Contact Senator Padilla
Call (619) 409-7690 or email [email protected]. Tell him his bills will kill 1,688 union jobs in the poorest county in California.
Contact your Assemblymember
These bills must pass the Assembly too. Let your representative know that Imperial Valley needs this investment, not Sacramento interference.
Contact the Governor
Governor Newsom has championed data center investment in California. Urge him to veto SB 886 and SB 887 if they reach his desk.
Share this page
Most Imperial Valley residents don't know about these bills. Share this analysis on social media, in community groups, and with your neighbors.
“A San Diego senator is telling Imperial Valley — the poorest county in California — that it cannot accept a $10 billion private investment that would create 1,688 union jobs and lower electricity rates. Who asked him?”
Sacramento doesn't get to decide Imperial Valley's future. You do.
Vote for reform on June 2nd.
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