In December 2025, the Kapor Foundation published a map of California's 300+ data centers. The pattern was clear: 82% sit in census tracts with the highest diesel pollution levels, 65% in areas with the greatest groundwater threat and 79% in tracts with the most hazardous waste. Bayview-Hunters Point, Del Paso Heights, Hawthorne, majority Black, Latino and Asian neighborhoods. That is no accident.
Why There
Data centers look for cheap industrial land, access to electrical substations and fast permits. Those conditions exist precisely in the places that already carry refineries, ports, freeways and power plants, the so-called "sacrifice zones."
What It Costs in Health
A Next 10 / UC Riverside report (November 2025) estimated that pollution from California data centers cost $155 million in public health in 2023, more than triple 2019. Electricity consumption was 10.8 terawatt-hours, and on-site water use 2,302 acre-feet. Projections point to 25 TWh by 2028.
What "Environmental Justice" Means in Law
California defines environmental justice as the fair treatment of all people, regardless of race or income, in the development and enforcement of environmental laws (Government Code §65040.12). Since SB 1000, city general plans must include an environmental justice element. CEQA requires evaluating cumulative impacts, what a new project adds to the burden that already exists.
Community Benefits Agreements
The new 2026 laws (SB 887) condition fast-track permitting on "community benefits": health funds, local hiring, clean generators, air monitoring. A community benefits agreement (CBA) is a contract negotiated between the developer and neighborhood organizations. It works only if the community is organized and advised.
What a Resident Can Do
Participate in CEQA processes and council hearings; file air complaints with a reference number; document health symptoms; and connect with organizations like the Center for Biological Diversity, Earthjustice or local groups already working on these issues.
Our Commitment
We are not an environmental organization; we are a law firm that serves in Spanish. Our role is to guide residents, refer them where appropriate and evaluate whether they have individual claims. The consultation is free.