May 29, 2026 · 1 hr · 12 segments
Supervisor Manny Perez: The Coachella Data Center Fight - MITM Ep 30 Due to the importance of this episode, we’re jumping ahead in the schedule to bring it to you early. Mike sat down with Riverside…
Michael MeadeHost
Manny PerezGuestNo entities detected.
Proposed in the city of Coachella at the avenue, at the corner of Avenue 52 and Fillmore, sits a massive planned AI data center spanning up to 450 acres and more than three million square feet.
At full build-out, this project could consume up to 600 megawatts of electricity, an amount estimated to be nearly eight times the current energy consumption of the city of Coachella itself.
Water usage for the facility could reach nearly two billion gallons annually, potentially ri- rivaling or exceeding a substantial portion of the city's residential water demand in one of the driest regions in America.
Experts and residents have also raised concern about heat impacts, warning that industrial-scale computing infrastructure can create localized temperature increases, potentially affecting surrounding communities several miles away, and some studies ha- of hyperscale facilities have projected localized heat increase of three to five de- degrees under certain s- uh, conditions.
Again, this is in the desert, where temperatures can already reach naturally 130 degrees.
The constant low-frequency hum generated by large-scale cooling systems, chillers, and ventilation equipment, a per- p- a persistent industrial buzzing sound that nearby residents fear could affect neighborhoods and even an elementary school located roughly two miles from the proposed site.
As this project continues moving through public approval process, questions surrounding infrastructure, transparency, environmental impacts, energy reliability, and long-term community consequences continue to intensify.
Proposed in the city of Coachella at the avenue, at the corner of Avenue 52 and Fillmore, sits a massive planned AI data center spanning up to 450 acres and more than three million square feet.
At full build-out, this project could consume up to 600 megawatts of electricity, an amount estimated to be nearly eight times the current energy consumption of the city of Coachella itself.
Water usage for the facility could reach nearly two billion gallons annually, potentially ri- rivaling or exceeding a substantial portion of the city's residential water demand in one of the driest regions in America.
Experts and residents have also raised concern about heat impacts, warning that industrial-scale computing infrastructure can create localized temperature increases, potentially affecting surrounding communities several miles away, and some studies ha- of hyperscale facilities have projected localized heat increase of three to five de- degrees under certain s- uh, conditions.
Again, this is in the desert, where temperatures can already reach naturally 130 degrees.
The constant low-frequency hum generated by large-scale cooling systems, chillers, and ventilation equipment, a per- p- a persistent industrial buzzing sound that nearby residents fear could affect neighborhoods and even an elementary school located roughly two miles from the proposed site.
As this project continues moving through public approval process, questions surrounding infrastructure, transparency, environmental impacts, energy reliability, and long-term community consequences continue to intensify.
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