Hundreds of San Gabriel Valley residents turned out at Peter F. Schabarum Regional Park in Rowland Heights on Saturday, May 2, 2026, to push back against a proposed battery‑energy storage facility in the nearby City of Industry. Organizers and parents said the 400‑megawatt project would sit on roughly nine acres near the Puente Hills Mall, raising alarms about fire risk, air pollution and the possibility that it could pave the way for future data‑center development. The family‑friendly rally drew neighborhood groups, school‑board members and advocacy organizations from across the valley to a stretch of sidewalk along Colima Road.
What the project would look like
The proposal, which is billed as the Marici Energy Storage System Facility, would redevelop about 9.2 acres along Gale Avenue and install roughly 400 megawatts of lithium‑ion battery capacity, according to the project's CEQA filing. CEQAnet shows the plan would use multiple Gale Avenue parcels and make minor improvements to the adjacent SCE Walnut Substation for interconnection. The state record lists a mitigated negative declaration and notes the project would require zoning amendments, a conditional‑use permit and other local approvals before construction.
Organizers and neighbors
The event was organized by the No Data Centers SGV Coalition, which told participants to meet at the park entrance and remain on the sidewalk along Colima Road. The No Data Centers SGV Coalition and the Puente Hills Community Preservation Association have pressed officials for broader review of the plan. "Pollution does not end right at the border," organizer Andrew Yip said in an interview with LAist, arguing that the effects would not stop at the City of Industry city limits.
Who would run the site
Project documents list Marici Project LLC as the applicant and identify Aypa Power as the intended operator. Aypa is described in company press materials as a Blackstone‑backed energy developer, and a recent PR Newswire release highlights the firm as a major utility‑scale storage developer. Opponents say the Blackstone connection adds to their concern that large battery projects could be followed by high‑power industrial uses that generate little direct benefit for nearby neighborhoods.
Safety, zoning and county concern
Neighbors point to high‑profile BESS incidents elsewhere, including the Moss Landing blaze that prompted evacuations and environmental testing, as evidence that the technology can pose difficult safety and pollution challenges. Coverage in outlets such as the San Francisco Chronicle has kept that episode in the public eye. Closer to home, reporting from InvestigateLA and a motion by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors have flagged fast‑moving zoning changes in the area and asked regional agencies to study how data centers and BESS projects might affect health, water resources and the power grid.
Legal challenge
Advocates say they are preparing legal options rather than relying solely on public comment. The Puente Hills Community Preservation Association describes its work as focused on transparency and litigation‑oriented review of BESS and data‑center proposals. PHCPA is soliciting support for legal fees and expert analysis and has urged officials to require a full environmental‑impact report instead of a mitigated negative declaration. Project records remain available through the state CEQA database while community groups weigh petitions, public‑records requests and potential court action.
What's next
The May 2 rally marked the latest step in months of regional organizing, and coalition leaders say they will keep pressing neighboring cities to consider moratoria and ballot measures that restrict data centers and other high‑power uses. City of Industry officials did not respond to interview requests and, according to reporting, Aypa did not return requests for comment. The project still needs local permits, and any CEQA challenge could slow it down as the fight plays out in council chambers and potentially in court.
_01.JPG){kind=link}