Steven Kung and the Fight Against Data Centers

A hyperscale data center was about to be built in Monterey Park. Today, data centers are banned in the city by an 88% voter mandate. Steven was instrumental in driving that outcome.

In December of 2025, when Steven first heard of the threat of a hyperscale data center being built within walking distance from his house, he immediately leapt into action.

He connected with neighbors and local organizers. He later co-founded No Data Center Monterey Park with other residents. Over the next six months, he played a key role in building a grassroots movement that made history.

Steven Kung at Monterey Park City Council Meeting Cheers

Steven Kung No Data Center Teach In Group

He dug into public records, consulted legal advisors, and connected with nonprofits including the Center for Biological Diversity, spoke with legal advisors, and combed through countless public records to learn all he could about the city council’s process and the proposed data center.

Then came building the community. On January 10th, 2026 NDCMPK and San Gabriel Valley Progressive Action (SGVPA) collaborated in organizing and leading a teach-in. Residents learned the proposed data center would be the size of four football fields, increase electricity costs, have 24 diesel generators, and produce constant noise - all while having fewer permanent jobs than a McDonald’s. The people rallied, and a movement was born.

Steven Kung at Monterey Park City Council Meeting

At rallies and council meetings, Steven discredited the lobbyists who shilled for corporate interests instead of workers’ rights. He exposed the data center developer's bad faith efforts to engage the community and deflected their intimidation tactics.

He criticized City Hall’s insufficient communication with residents about the pending approval of a data center. He held those in power accountable while working to build the coalitions needed to win.

Under community pressure, the city council passed a moratorium and an ordinance to permanently ban data centers citywide. But in return, they asked the residents to hold a referendum on a data center ban.

Steven, his husband Jesse, and fellow NDCMPK co-founders Hrag, Emily and Roxana stepped up to the plate. They opened the ballot measure committee for Yes on Measure NDC and on March 29, 2026, Steven and Jesse opened their home to the community to host a launch party for the campaign. In attendance to endorse the measure were Congresswoman Judy Chu, State Senator Sasha Renée Pérez, Monterey Park Mayor Elizabeth Yang, Mayor Pro Tem Henry Lo, and Councilmembers Jose Sanchez, Vinh Ngo and Thomas Wong.

The city united, and on June 2, 2026, the residents of Monterey Park passed Measure NDC with 88% of the vote, an unheard of number in electoral politics.

This fight, and this outcome, showed Steven what's possible when a community organizes around shared values. Steven is a strong anti-data center activist, but he is an even stronger pro-Monterey Park advocate. It's why he's running for city council: to bring that same dedication to transparency, accountability, and putting residents first.

He’ll continue to fight hard for residents, because he is a true believer in the power of the people to improve the everyday quality of life. Steven knows Monterey Parkans want clean air, decreased noise pollution, community spaces, and utilities at a fair cost. With Steven as the City Councilmember for District 5, we can have faith in the future.

Press Releases

ABC7 - Monterey Park voters approve Measure NDC, banning power-hungry data centers within city limits - The election data is in and data centers are out -- at least in Monterey Park.

SFGATE - Calif. residents dubbed ‘uninformed mob’ win triple victory in data center fight - The Monterey Park City Council is bringing a multipronged approach to blocking data center development in its Los Angeles suburb

KCRW - Monterey Park takes some big steps toward a data center ban - Since December, residents and activists have urged Monterey Park's city council to reject a proposed hyperscale data center project.

The Guardian - Rage against the machine: a California community rallied against a datacenter – and won - Organizers in Monterey Park took inspiration from other US cities to fight against the construction of a giant datacenter

LAist - How Monterey Park residents pushed back on a data center — and changed the course - Hundreds packed into Monterey Park City Hall to call for a moratorium on data centers.