City of Lake Elsinore Meeting Date:
City Council Meeting October 06, 2026
Special Meeting Agenda
Cultural Center Meeting Time:
183 N. Main Street Open Session: 5:00 PM
Lake Elsinore, CA 92530
And via Zoom
Mayor Magee
Mayor Pro Tem Sheridan
Council Member Tisdale
Council Member Manos
Council Member Carroll
Welcome
The City of Lake Elsinore appreciates your attendance and participation. Citizens’ comments, input, and interests provide the City Council with valuable information regarding community issues.
Meeting Information
Regular Meetings are held on the 2nd and 4th Tuesdays of every month, and the agenda is posted outside City Hall 72 hours prior to each meeting. The agenda and related reports are also available on the City’s website at www.Lake-Elsinore.org.
Attendance
Members of the public may attend this meeting in person or remotely via Zoom. Meetings are conducted in person at the Lake Elsinore Cultural Center, televised live on Spectrum Cable Station Channel 29 and Frontier Cable Channel 31, streamed online at http://www.lake-elsinore.org/city-government/city-council/webcastvideos, and remotely via Zoom. If you are attending the meeting in person, please park in the parking lot across the street from the Cultural Center to assist us in limiting the impact of meetings on the Downtown Business District. Thank you for your cooperation. Join the meeting via the Zoom application or call in at 1- 699-254-5252 and press pound (#) and enter Meeting ID 810 9416 6634 and passcode 059299.
Public Comments – Addressing the City Council
We respectfully ask those interested in addressing the City Council to either submit a request to speak online at http://www.lake-elsinore.org/city-government/agendas-and-minutes or submit a completed “Request to Speak” form to the City Clerk at the meeting. This Form is available on the table located inside the Council Chamber. Public comment may be provided during the Public Comment to address specific agenda items are subject to the time limits and procedures announced by the Mayor and are limited to the items listed on the agenda. Members of the public wishing to provide comments on Agenda items must note the item on the “Request to Speak” form. Persons requesting to speak will be called to address the City Council when the applicable item is considered by the City Council during the meeting. Members of the public who wish to speak remotely should follow the instructions provided in the Zoom meeting and/or announced by staff at the meeting. Speakers are subject to the same time limits and decorum requirements as in-person speakers. Inperson speakers will be called to speak, followed by remote speakers.
Written Communications
If you would like to submit written comments, you may do so prior to the meeting either by entering them online at the link above or emailing them to the City Clerk at [email protected]. Any written communications or additional documents distributed to the City Council within 72 hours of the meeting will also be made available to the public in accordance with Government Code Section 54957.5.
Language Access
Translated agenda materials and meeting information, if required, are available at http://www.lakeelsinore.org/city-government/agendas-and-minutes. For language assistance or interpretation requests, please contact the City Clerk at [email protected].
Accessibility Accommodations
In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, any person with a disability who requires a modification or accommodation in order to participate in a meeting should contact the City Clerk’s Department at (951) 674- 3124, Option 6, at least 48 hours before the meeting to make reasonable arrangements to ensure accessibility.
Dream Extreme 2040 is the City’s FIRST long-term strategic plan to assist the City in its pursuit of achieving its vision. The plan is a living document that will be updated regularly and serve as the framework to guide all decision-making over the next 20 years by identifying key Anchors, Aspirations, and Strategies.
Our Vision is that the City of Lake Elsinore will be the ultimate destination where all can live, work, play, build futures, and fulfill dreams.
The Anchors are the City of Lake Elsinore’s unique community assets and opportunities: The Lake, Downtown, and Action and Adventure.
Our Aspirations are broad, long-term goals that encapsulate what we hope to achieve in Lake Elsinore’s future. The City has identified 4 key aspirations to work towards.
Items on the agenda that align with Aspirations from the Dream Extreme 2040 Plan are noted by the Aspiration’s icon to highlight City Council actions that help the City pursue its goals.
To read the plan and learn more about its implementation, visit www.Lake-Elsinore.org/DreamExtreme2040.
City Council Agenda October 06, 2026
City of Lake Elsinore Page 2
CALL TO ORDER
The Special Meeting of the City Council will be called to order.
PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE
ROLL CALL
PUBLIC COMMENTS
Please read & complete a Request to Address the City Council form prior to the start of the meeting and turn it in to the City Clerk. The Mayor or City Clerk will call on you to speak. Only items listed on this Special Meeting Agenda may be discussed.
PUBLIC HEARING
Urgency Ordinance Extending the Temporary Moratorium on Data Center Development for 10 Months and 15 Days and Issuance of Written Report Pursuant to Government Code Section 65858
Adopt AN URGENCY ORDINANCE OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF LAKE
ELSINORE, CALIFORNIA, ENACTED PURSUANT TO GOVERNMENT CODE SECTION 65858 EXTENDING URGENCY ORDINANCE NO. 2026-1539 FOR AN ADDITIONAL 10 MONTHS AND 15 DAYS FOR THE TEMPORARY MORATORIUM ON THE
ACCEPTANCE AND PROCESSING OF NEW ENTITLEMENT APPLICATIONS RELATED TO DATA CENTERS.
BUSINESS ITEM
Discussion on the Name of the New Building Page 18
Consider a request by Mayor Pro Tem Sheridan and Council Member Carroll for discussion on whether the building should be named the “Civic Center” or “City Hall.” Provide direction to City Staff on the name of the new building. directing city staff to name the building "City Hall" and the fourth floor of City Hall "Civic Center Terrace".
ADJOURNMENT
The Lake Elsinore City Council will adjourn to the next Regular meeting on Tuesday, October 13, 2026 in the Cultural Center located at 183 N. Main Street. Closed Session will commence at 5:00 p.m. or such later time as noticed on the Agenda, and the regular Open Session business meeting will commence at 7:00 p.m.
1. 2.
3. 4.
5. 5.1
6. 6.1
7. City Council Agenda October 06, 2026
City of Lake Elsinore Page 3
AFFIDAVIT OF POSTING
I, Candice Alvarez, MMC, City Clerk of the City of Lake Elsinore, do hereby affirm that a copy of the foregoing agenda was posted at City Hall at 1:00 p.m. on Monday, October 5, 2026.
8. City Council Agenda October 06, 2026
City of Lake Elsinore Page 4
NOTICE OF SPECIAL MEETING
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that a Special Meeting of the Lake Elsinore City Council will be held on Tuesday, October 6, 2026 at 5:00 p.m. in the Lake Elsinore Cultural Center, 183 N. Main Street, Lake Elsinore, California. The purpose of the Special Meeting is to discuss the following matters:
1. CALL TO ORDER
The Special Meeting of the City Council will be called to order.
2. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE
3. ROLL CALL
4. PUBLIC COMMENTS
Please read & complete a Request to Address the City Council form prior to the start of the meeting and turn it in to the City Clerk. The Mayor or City Clerk will call on you to speak. Only items listed on this Special Meeting Agenda may be discussed.
5. PUBLIC HEARING
5.1 Urgency Ordinance Extending the Temporary Moratorium on Data Center Development for 10 Months and 15 Days and Issuance of Written Report Pursuant to Government Code Section 65858
Adopt AN URGENCY ORDINANCE OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF
LAKE ELSINORE, CALIFORNIA, ENACTED PURSUANT TO GOVERNMENT CODE SECTION 65858 EXTENDING URGENCY ORDINANCE NO. 2026-1539 FOR AN ADDITIONAL 10 MONTHS AND 15 DAYS FOR THE TEMPORARY
MORATORIUM ON THE ACCEPTANCE AND PROCESSING OF NEW
ENTITLEMENT APPLICATIONS RELATED TO DATA CENTERS.
6. BUSINESS ITEM
6.1 Discussion on the Name of the New Building
Consider a request by Mayor Pro Tem Sheridan and Council Member Carroll for discussion on whether the building should be named the “Civic Center” or “City Hall.” Provide direction to City Staff on the name of the new building.
7. ADJOURNMENT
The Lake Elsinore City Council will adjourn to the next Regular meeting on Tuesday, October 13, 2026 in the Cultural Center located at 183 N. Main Street. Closed Session will commence at 5:00 p.m. or such later time as noticed on the Agenda, and the regular
9. City Council Agenda October 06, 2026
City of Lake Elsinore Page 5
Open Session business meeting will commence at 7:00 p.m.
8. AFFIDAVIT OF POSTING
I, Candice Alvarez, MMC, City Clerk of the City of Lake Elsinore, do hereby affirm that a copy of the foregoing agenda was posted at City Hall at 1:00 p.m. on Monday, October 5, 2026.
This Notice of Special Meeting and the Special Meeting Agenda shall be posted outside of City Hall and on the City’s website at least 24 hours prior to the Special Meeting.
Date: October 5, 2026
Candice Alvarez, MMC
City Clerk
**********************
STATE OF CALIFORNIA ) AFFIDAVIT OF POSTING
COUNTY OF RIVERSIDE ) SS
CITY OF LAKE ELSINORE )
I, Candice Alvarez, MMC, declare as follows:
That I am the City Clerk of the Lake Elsinore City Council and that I caused to be posted this Notice of a Special Meeting in a conspicuous place at City Hall, 130 S. Main Street, Lake Elsinore, CA, at least 24 hours before said meeting.
I declare under penalty of perjury that the foregoing is true and correct.
Dated: October 5, 2026
Candice Alvarez, MMC
City Council Agenda October 06, 2026
City of Lake Elsinore Page 6
REPORT TO CITY COUNCIL
To: Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
From: Jason Simpson, City Manager
Prepared by: Damaris Abraham, Community Development Director Date: October 6, 2026
Subject: Urgency Ordinance Extending the Temporary Moratorium on Data Center Development for 10 Months and 15 Days and Issuance of Written Report Pursuant to Government Code Section 65858
Recommendation
Adopt AN URGENCY ORDINANCE OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF LAKE ELSINORE, CALIFORNIA, ENACTED PURSUANT TO GOVERNMENT CODE SECTION 65858 EXTENDING URGENCY ORDINANCE NO. 2026-1539 FOR AN ADDITIONAL 10 MONTHS AND 15 DAYS FOR THE TEMPORARY MORATORIUM ON THE ACCEPTANCE AND PROCESSING OF NEW ENTITLEMENT APPLICATIONS RELATED TO DATA CENTERS.
Background
On August 25, 2026, by a unanimous vote, the City Council adopted Urgency Ordinance No. 2026-1539 imposing a temporary 45-day moratorium on the approval of any data center development. The intent of the moratorium was to provide staff the time necessary to: (1) evaluate the energy, water, climate, air quality, and land use impacts associated with large-scale data center development; (2) review the regulatory approaches adopted by other California jurisdictions; and (3) develop appropriate zoning regulations and development standards for City Council consideration and to evaluate whether these uses are supported within the City.
Discussion
Urgency Ordinance No. 2026-1539 established a 45-day moratorium on data center development.
Government Code Section 65858 authorizes the City Council to extend the moratorium for an additional 10 months and 15 days, and requires the City to prepare a progress report describing the measures being taken to alleviate the conditions that gave rise to the need for the moratorium.
Any extension requires a four-fifths vote, at a noticed public hearing.
Data Centers – Urgency Ordinance
This Urgency Ordinance proposes extending the moratorium for an additional 10 months and 15 days to ensure that proposed changes to the City’s Municipal Code that are approved by City Council are enacted prior to the lapse of the current prohibition of data center uses in the City.
Government Code Section 65858(d) requires a written report describing the measures taken to alleviate the threat to the public health, safety, or welfare caused by the potential development of a data center within the City that led to the adoption of a temporary moratorium prior to any extension of that moratorium. The statutorily required Written Report is attached to this staff report.
Data center developments are reported to create significant impacts to communities. These impacts include rising electricity demand and potential ratepayer costs. A modern AI data center can use as much power as roughly 100,000 homes, and some projections suggest data centers could account for up to 12% of U.S. electricity consumption by 2028. Utilities may need substantial investments in generation, transmission, and substations. Data centers also require significant amounts of water with projected estimates of AI-related data centers requiring up to 32 billion gallons of water annually in the U.S. by 2028.
Additionally, many data centers rely on fossil-fuel generation and diesel backup systems that emit high levels of pollutants such as nitrogen oxides and fine particulate matter, air pollution and climate impacts. Further, noise impacts from construction activity, cooling equipment, and backup generators have led to reported sleep disruption, headaches, and reduced quality of life by residents living near data centers.
Finally, the City’s existing zoning code and development standards were adopted before the emergence of data centers and therefore do not adequately regulate the intensity, utility demand, operational characteristics, environmental impacts, or cumulative impacts associated with such facilities.
Given these characteristics, consideration of any data center project, especially a large-scale data center project, would create a current and immediate threat to the public health, safety, or welfare in the absence of reasonable zoning and other regulations.
Urgency Ordinance No. 2026-1539 established a 45-day moratorium on the approval of any land use entitlement for a “Data Center” in the City of Lake Elsinore. A “data center” was defined in the ordinance as a structure or site used primarily for the storage, management, processing, and transmission of digital data and that houses computer or network equipment, systems, servers, appliances, and other associated components related to digital data storage, processing, and related operations. Data center uses include data storage facilities including for small data storage.
The Urgency Ordinance was enacted in response to growing concerns regarding:
• The threats data centers pose to electrical infrastructure and grid reliability; • The concerns data centers raise with respect to water supply and drought resiliency; • The public health impacts caused by data centers; and Data Centers – Urgency Ordinance
• The concerns data centers raise with respect to fire and emergency response and public safety generally.
Since the adoption of Urgency Ordinance No. 2026-1539, City staff has undertaken the following efforts to study and address these concerns:
1. Review of Existing Regulations: Staff is conducting a comprehensive review of Title 17 of the Lake Elsinore Municipal Code, as well as other current municipal code provisions that would regulate potential data centers within the City.
2. Research of Best Practices: Staff has examined regulatory frameworks used by other California cities to effectively mitigate the impact of data centers on infrastructure, utilities, and public health and safety.
3. Zoning Analysis: Staff has evaluated zoning strategies to best regulate the presence of data centers within the City.
4. Coordination with Legal Counsel: The City Attorney’s Office has been consulted to ensure any proposed regulations are legally defensible and consistent with state law.
The findings in Urgency Ordinance No. 2026-1539 regarding data centers, detailing their emerging nature; their threats to electrical infrastructure and grid reliability; the concerns they raise with respect to water supply and drought resiliency; their public health impacts; and the concerns they raise with respect to fire and emergency response, and public safety generally, are still applicable as staff continues to study and prepare appropriate zoning regulations and development standards for data centers within the City.
Environmental Determination
The proposed regulations will place a temporary moratorium on the acceptance and processing of new entitlement applications for data center related land uses and does not include any direct or related action which would have a significant effect on the environment. Accordingly, the proposed ordinance is exempt from the CEQA based on CEQA Guidelines Sections 15061(b)(3), 15262 and 15306. Section 15061(b)(3) exempts actions where “it can be seen with certainty that there is no possibility that the activity in question may have a significant effect on the environment.” Section 15262 exempts actions involving only feasibility and planning studies for possible future adoption of an ordinance that has not yet been prepared or adopted. Section 15306 exempts actions consisting of basic data collection, research, experimental management, and resource evaluation activities which do not result in a serious or major disturbance to an environmental resource.
Fiscal Impact
Adoption of this Urgency Ordinance is not expected to have a significant direct fiscal impact on the City.
Attachments
Attachment 1 – Ordinance
Data Centers – Urgency Ordinance
Attachment 2 – Written Report
Attachment 3 – Notice of Public Hearing
ORDINANCE NO. 2026-__
AN URGENCY ORDINANCE OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF LAKE
ELSINORE, CALIFORNIA, ENACTED PURSUANT TO GOVERNMENT CODE SECTION 65858 EXTENDING URGENCY ORDINANCE NO. 2026-1539 FOR AN ADDITIONAL 10 MONTHS AND 15 DAYS FOR THE TEMPORARY MORATORIUM
ON THE ACCEPTANCE AND PROCESSING OF NEW ENTITLEMENT
APPLICATIONS RELATED TO DATA CENTERS
Whereas, the City of Lake Elsinore desires to establish interim zoning controls applicable to data centers, including the temporary suspension or restriction of zoning approvals for such uses, while comprehensive zoning standards are evaluated and developed; Whereas, recent advances in artificial intelligence (AI), cloud computing, and highintensity digital infrastructures have resulted in increased interest in the positioning of large-scale centers;
Whereas, data centers are facilities that support continuous, high-intensity computing operations and are characterized by substantial electrical demand, cooling, and water requirements, emergency power generation, and 24-hour operations; Whereas, the Lake Elsinore Municipal Code Title 17 (Zoning) does not currently contain specific definitions, use classifications, or development standards governing artificial intelligence data centers or similarly intensive computing facilities; Whereas, absent interim zoning controls, data centers could be established, expanded, or intensified in zoning districts not designed to accommodate their operational impacts, potentially affecting public health, safety, and welfare; Whereas, cities throughout California and the nation have begun to adopt interim zoning controls or moratoriums on data center developments to allow time to evaluate appropriate land use regulations and infrastructure capacity;
Whereas, in order to allow time for the City to consider and study possible enactments or other implementing regulations, it is necessary to suspend acceptance of any new applications for data center uses;
Whereas, Government Code Section 65858 allows the City Council to adopt as an urgency measure an interim ordinance prohibiting any uses that may be in conflict with a contemplated zoning proposal that the City Council, the Planning Commission, or the Community Development Department intends to study within a reasonable time; Whereas, on August 25, 2026, the City Council determined that there was a need to act immediately in order to protect the public safety, health, and welfare from data center uses and, pursuant to Government Code Section 65858, adopted an interim urgency ordinance imposing a 45-day moratorium on the acceptance and processing of new entitlement applications for data center related uses;
Whereas, in accordance with Section 65858(a) of the California Government Code, Ordinance No. 2026-1539 shall expire and be of no further force and effect forty-five (45) days from its date of adoption, or October 9, 2026;
Whereas, Section 65858(a) of the California Government Code provides that prior to the expiration of Ordinance No. 2026-1539, the City may extend Ordinance No. 2026-1539 for up to an additional ten (10) months and fifteen (15) days after giving notice pursuant to Section 65090 of the California Government Code and conducting a public hearing; Whereas, in accordance with Government Code Section 65858(d), prior to the October 6, 2026 noticed public hearing, the City Council issued a written report describing the measures taken to alleviate the condition which led to the adoption of Urgency Ordinance No. 2026-1539 or any extension; and
Whereas, on October 6, 2026, at a duly noticed Public Hearing, the City Council considered the written report as well as the staff report and other evidence presented by the Community Development Department and other interested parties and, based thereon has determined there is a need to extend the temporary prohibition on the acceptance and processing of entitlement applications for data center related land uses as currently authorized under Urgency Ordinance No. 2026-1539.
NOW, THEREFORE, THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF LAKE ELSINORE HEREBY ORDAINS AS FOLLOWS:
Section 1. Incorporation of Recitals. The foregoing recitals are true and correct and are hereby incorporated into the body of this Ordinance as substantive findings of the City Council.
Section 2. Findings. The City Council finds and determines as follows:
(a) the City has made a conscientious effort to plan for specific uses within all zone districts and to anticipate conflicts between competing land uses in order to protect the public’s health, safety and welfare;
(b) for the benefit of applicants and residents of the City alike, it is critical that appropriate regulations to implement the General Plan Land Use Element objectives and policies are established within the City’s Zoning Ordinance;
(c) the circumstances and conditions that led to the adoption of Urgency Ordinance No. 2026-1539, which are set forth in the recitals of Urgency Ordinance No. 2026-1539 and are fully incorporated herein by this reference, have not been alleviated and continue to create the concerns described in Urgency Ordinance No. 2026-1539;
(d) the City is continuing to study potential amendments to its General Plan, Zoning Ordinance, development standards, infrastructure policies, utility allocation procedures, environmental review thresholds, and performance standards relating to the establishment, expansion, and operation of data centers and high-intensity digital infrastructure uses to determine appropriate regulatory standards or, alternatively, their prohibition; (e) there is still a current and immediate threat to the public health, safety, and welfare arising from the potential establishment of data centers under the City’s existing zoning and development regulations, which were not designed to address the unique and intensive operational characteristics of such uses;
(f) the approval of additional land use entitlements, building permits, grading permits, use permits, variances, subdivisions, or any other applicable approvals for data center development;
(g) without the immediate extension of the moratorium, developers could obtain vested rights or approvals under existing regulations before the City has an opportunity to complete the studies and adopt reasonable regulations necessary to protect the public health, safety, and welfare;
(h) extending the moratorium is necessary to preserve the status quo while the City considers appropriate amendments to its General Plan, Zoning Ordinance, development standards, utility allocation policies, environmental review procedures, and/or public safety regulations applicable to data centers; and
(i) the adoption of this urgency ordinance is necessary for the continued preservation of the public peace, health, safety, and welfare pursuant to California Government Code Section 65858.
Section 3. Imposition of Moratorium. Pursuant to section 65858 of the California Government Code, adoption of this Ordinance shall constitute an extension of Urgency Ordinance No. 2026-1539 for a period of ten (10) months and fifteen (15) days, ending on August 24, 2027.
During the extended moratorium period adopted by this Urgency Ordinance, no entitlement application for a data center land use, including proposed new uses and expansion of existing uses shall be accepted for processing.
For purposes of this Urgency Ordinance, “data center” shall mean a structure or site used primarily for the storage, management, processing, and transmission of digital data and that houses computer or network equipment, systems, servers, appliances, and other associated components related to digital data storage, processing, and related operations. Data center uses include data storage facilities and small data storage.
Section 4. Study. The City Council hereby directs the Community Development Department to prepare the report required by subdivision (d) of Government Code Section 65858 describing the measures taken to alleviate the condition which led to adoption of this Ordinance— for presentation to the City Council—no later than ten (10) days prior to the expiration of this Ordinance.
Section 5. CEQA Exemption. The City Council finds and determines that the adoption of this Ordinance is exempt from the application of the California Environmental Quality Act, Public Resources Code Section 21000 et seq., pursuant to Sections 15061(b), 15262 and 15306 of the State CEQA Guidelines, 14 California Code of Regulations Section 15000, et seq Section 5. Severability. If any provision of this Ordinance or its application is held invalid by a court of competent jurisdiction, such invalidity shall not affect other provisions, sections, or applications of the Ordinance which can be given effect without the invalid provision or application, and to this end each phrase, section, sentence, or word is declared to be severable.
Section 6. Effective Date. This Urgency Ordinance shall be immediately effective upon adoption by a four-fifths vote of the City Council and shall extend the moratorium enacted by Urgency Ordinance No. 2026-1539 effective as of August 25, 2026.
Section 7. Certification. The City Clerk shall certify to the passage of this Ordinance and shall cause a synopsis of the same to be published according to law.
PASSED, APPROVED, AND ADOPTED at a regular meeting of the City Council of the City of Lake Elsinore, California, on the 6th day of October, 2026. _______________________________
Robert E. Magee
Mayor
Attest:
___________________________________
Candice Alvarez, MMC
City Clerk
STATE OF CALIFORNIA )
COUNTY OF RIVERSIDE )ss.
CITY OF LAKE ELSINORE )
I, Candice Alvarez, MMC, City Clerk of the City of Lake Elsinore, California, do hereby certify that Urgency Ordinance No. 2026- ______ was adopted by the City Council of the City of Lake Elsinore, California, at the Special meeting of , 2026 and that the same was adopted by the following vote:
AYES:
NOES:
ABSENT:
ABSTAIN:
Candice Alvarez, MMC
City Clerk
1 | P a g e
WRITTEN REPORT
To: Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
From: Jason Simpson, City Manager
Date: October 6, 2026
Subject: Written Report Pursuant to Government Code Section 65858: Measures Taken to Alleviate Conditions Which Led to Adoption of Urgency Ordinance No. 2026-1539 This report is submitted in accordance with Government Code Section 65858(d), which requires a written report describing the measures taken to alleviate the threat to the public health, safety, or welfare caused by the potential development of a data center within the City that led to the adoption of a temporary moratorium prior to any extension of that moratorium.
On August 25, 2026, City Council adopted Urgency Ordinance No. 2026-1539, establishing a 45- day moratorium on the approval of any land use entitlement and/or agreement that would allow the operation of data centers in the City. The moratorium was enacted in response to growing concerns regarding:
• The threats data centers pose to electrical infrastructure and grid reliability; • The concerns data centers raise with respect to water supply and drought resiliency; • The public health impacts caused by data centers; and • The concerns data centers raise with respect to fire and emergency response, and public safety generally.
Since the adoption of Urgency Ordinance No. 2026-1539, City staff has undertaken the following efforts to study and address these concerns:
1. Review of Existing Regulations: Staff has conducted a comprehensive review of Title 17 of the Lake Elsinore Municipal Code, as well as other current municipal code provisions that would regulate potential data centers within the City.
2. Research of Best Practices: Staff has examined regulatory frameworks used by other California cities to effectively mitigate the impact of data centers on infrastructure, utilities, and public health and safety.
3. Zoning Analysis: Staff has evaluated zoning strategies to best regulate the presence of data centers within the City.
2 | P a g e
4. Coordination with Legal Counsel: The City Attorney’s Office has been consulted to ensure any proposed regulations are legally defensible and consistent with state law.
The findings in Urgency Ordinance No. 2026-1539 regarding data centers, detailing their emerging nature; their threats to electrical infrastructure and grid reliability; the concerns they raise with respect to water supply and drought resiliency; their public health impacts; and the concerns they raise with respect to fire and emergency response, and public safety generally, are still applicable as staff continues to study and prepare appropriate zoning regulations and development standards for data centers within the City.
To avoid a lapse in the prohibition of data centers within the City, staff recommends that the City Council adopt another urgency ordinance extending the moratorium for an additional ten (10) months and fifteen (15) days, through August 24, 2027.
The Press-Enterprise
3512 14 Street
Riverside, California 92501
(951) 368-9229
City of Lake Elsinore
130 South Main Street
Lake Elsinore, California 92530
Publication: The Press-Enterprise
PROOF OF PUBLICATION OF
Ad Desc: 0011812472
FILE NO. 0011812472
PROOF OF PUBLICATION
I am a citizen of the United States. I
am over the age of eighteen years and
not party to or interested in the aboveentitled matter. I am an authorized representative of THE PRESSENTERPRISE, a newspaper of
general circulation, printed and
published daily in the County of
Riverside, and which newspaper has
been adjudicated a newspaper of
general circulation by the Superior
Court of the County of Riverside, State
of California, under date of April 25,
1952, Case Number 54446, under
date of March 29, 1957, Case Number
65673, under date of August 25, 1995,
Case Number 267864, and under date
of September 16, 2013, Case Number
RIC 1309013; that the notice, of which
the annexed is a printed copy, has
been published in said newspaper in
accordance with the instructions of the
person(s) requesting publication, and
not in any supplement thereof on the
following dates, to wit:
09/25/2026
I certify (or declare) under the penalty
of perjury that the foregoing is true and
correct.
Date: September 25, 2026.
At: Riverside, California
______________________________
Signature
Interim Urg Ord Extension - Page 1 of 1
REPORT TO CITY COUNCIL
To: Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
From: Jason Simpson, City Manager
Prepared by: Jason Simpson,t City Manager
Date: October 6, 2026
Subject: Discussion on the Name of the New Building
Recommendation
Consider a request by Mayor Pro Tem Sheridan and Council Member Carroll for discussion on whether the building should be named the “Civic Center” or “City Hall.” Provide direction to City Staff on the name of the new building.
Background
The request stems from public inquiries about the building's name both Mayor Pro Tem Sheridan and Council Member Carroll have received.
Discussion
On September 25, 2018, the Lake Elsinore City Council approved the City-initiated Downtown Elsinore Specific Plan. The Downtown Elsinore Specific Plan (PDF) (DESP) is a flexible development plan that replaced the previously approved 2011 Downtown Master Plan (2011 DMP). The Downtown Elsinore Specific Plan, on page B-7, summarizes a workshop that took place that presented the need for a new city hall, council chambers, post office, public library, business incubator, and other government offices in downtown. Instead of concentrating these uses into one Civic Center, there is an opportunity to spread these uses along Main Street to help catalyze new investment and development around existing historic shops and other uses, while also addressing some of the vacancies and infrastructure needs in downtown. Traditionally, Civic buildings are the most prominent features of a downtown, embodying the spirit the community at large. They become the visual representation of where a city has been and where it is going.
The name “Civic Center” has been presented since as early as 2017.
Name of New Building
The name “Lake Elsinore Civic Center” was chosen because the building anchors a larger public core on historic Main Street. That core includes the new library, the Cultural Center, Gediman Square, the Lake Community Center, the Dream Extreme Neighborhood Center, and the future amphitheater connecting the lake to the historic downtown. City Hall and the Council Chambers are inside the Civic Center. The Civic Center is the larger home around it. Together, they reflect our theme: honoring our history and building our future.
Meeting
date Body Document or item
1 05/09/17 City Council Preliminary capital improvement budget, project Z20006
2 05/16/17 Planning Commission Capital improvement budget exhibit, project Z20006
3 06/05/18 Planning Commission Proposed capital improvement budget, project Z20006
4 09/04/18 Planning Commission Draft Downtown Elsinore Specific Plan exhibit 5 09/25/18 City Council Draft Downtown Elsinore Specific Plan exhibit 6 11/27/18 City Council AB 1600 annual-report exhibit
7 05/21/19 Planning Commission Proposed FY 2019–20 capital improvement budget
8 06/11/19 City Council FY 2019–20 through 2023–24 capital improvement budget
9 08/20/19 Planning Commission Draft Active LE plan
10 10/22/19 City Council Active LE plan exhibit
11 06/02/20 Planning Commission Proposed FY 2020–21 through 2024–25 capital improvement budget
12 06/23/20 City Council FY 2020–21 through 2024–25 capital improvement budget
13 06/01/21 Planning Commission Proposed FY 2021–22 through 2025–26 capital improvement budget
14 06/22/21 City Council FY 2021–22 through 2025–26 capital improvement budget
15 05/17/22 Planning Commission Proposed FY 2022–23 through 2026–27 capital improvement budget
16 06/28/22 City Council FY 2022–23 through 2026–27 capital improvement budget
17 06/06/23 Planning Commission Proposed FY 2023–24 through 2027–28 capital improvement budget
18 06/27/23 City Council FY 2023–24 through 2027–28 capital improvement budget
Name of New Building
19 06/25/24 City Council FY 2024–25 through 2028–29 capital improvement budget
20 06/03/25 Planning Commission Proposed FY 2025–26 through 2029–30 capital improvement budget
21 06/24/25 City Council FY 2025–26 through 2029–30 capital improvement budget
Fiscal Impact
There is no fiscal impact from discussing the name of the new building.
Attachments
None