Since January 2021, several cities in California’s Inland Empire have enacted temporary bans on the construction of warehouse-distribution facilities. Cities such as Perris, Hemet, Chino, and Norco each imposed 45-day moratoriums to reconsider their approach to logistics development. Other cities like Rialto extended their bans for up to six months, while Jurupa Valley and Colton had longer moratoriums lasting two years and one year respectively. Redlands implemented a 145-day ban in June 2022 before later introducing strict regulations instead of an outright prohibition.
These measures were largely a response to the rapid expansion of logistics projects across Riverside and San Bernardino counties, which now collectively contain more than one billion square feet of logistics space. In contrast to these trends, Moreno Valley recently considered but ultimately did not pass a similar moratorium.
On February 3, the Moreno Valley City Council voted 3-2 in favor of banning new warehouse-distribution facility construction; however, four votes were required for approval. As a result, the proposed ban did not take effect.
Ana Gonzalez, executive director of the Center for Community Action and Environmental Justice in Jurupa Valley, commented on the outcome: “That only three council members voted in favor of the relatively short-term ban was ‘a shock and a surprise.’ I expected a different outcome, because a lot of cities have been adopting these moratoriums, and I thought Moreno Valley would do the same,” Gonzalez said. “AB 98 has caused a lot of cities to update their general plans, like Moreno Valley is doing now.”
Assembly Bill 98 (AB 98), signed into law by Governor Gavin Newsom in September 2024, set mandatory standards for locating and operating warehouse-distribution facilities. The law requires local governments to establish truck routes that avoid schools and residential neighborhoods and imposes strict design requirements on such projects. Most provisions took effect at the start of this year; all California cities must update their general plans by January 2028 to comply with AB 98’s standards.
Before AB 98 was enacted, Moreno Valley faced legal challenges over its general plan. In May 2024, a Riverside County judge ruled that it violated state environmental laws following a lawsuit from the state attorney general alleging insufficient action against air pollution from logistics growth.
Gonzalez suggested that approving the moratorium could have helped resolve these issues: “This was Moreno Valley’s opportunity to be in compliance with AB 98, get their general plan in order, and resolve the lawsuit with the attorney general,” she said. “It’s unfortunate for the people of Moreno Valley that the council didn’t take that opportunity, because they’re taking the brunt of the pollution in the Inland (Empire).”
Moreno Valley currently has about four million square feet of industrial space within its boundaries. It is also home to the World Logistics Center (WLC), a $25 billion project under construction since two years ago between Redlands Boulevard and Gilman Springs Road. When completed after seven years of work, WLC will consist of 27 buildings covering approximately 26 acres with structures up to eighty feet high. According to developer Highland Fairview based in Moreno Valley, WLC is projected to create more than thirty-three thousand jobs during construction and operation phases while generating around $22 million annually in tax revenue.
During public comments at recent council meetings regarding future logistics development decisions Franco Pacheco—a Perris resident and co-founder of Inland Valley Alliance for Environmental Justice—said: “We have over twenty years of (warehouse development), in a lot of places that used to be neighborhoods… A lot of people feel like Moreno Valley is built out… You should come up with an ordinance that bans more warehouse development in Moreno Valley.”
Mayor Ulises Cabrera opposed enacting an immediate blanket ban alongside Councilman Erlan Gonzalez: “I’ve seen the positives and negatives of industrial development in the city,” Cabrera stated. “If we had had higher standards ten or fifteen years ago we wouldn’t be in this situation now.” He added: “If we give up something we should get something in return… To vote for something without getting anything doesn’t strike me as a good way to negotiate.”
Cabrera noted ongoing negotiations with state officials regarding updates required by both litigation outcomes and new state law: “The general plan negotiations are going well,” he said. “We’ve been in litigation and negotiations for about two years now… A lot of projects are being held up because of [these] negotiations.”
