Why cities are pausing new data centers, and what comes next

The city's state advocate, the city's state legislative advocate, reported on the governor's final bill actions: a veto of AB 1383, which would have let local police and firefighters bargain for pensions as high as 3% at 55; a signed package of data center bills, including limits on permitting a data center before it files a water supply plan; and new wildfire recovery laws, including permanent mortgage forbearance protections after disasters. A resident asked the city to ban data centers; members said a possible local ordinance is already working its way through planning. 00:49:18

More on Pasadena's episode

• The city's state legislative advocate said the governor vetoed AB 1383, a costly bill on public safety pensions, and that it's expected back next year 00:49:52
• The city's state legislative advocate said new state law bars cities from permitting a data center until it has submitted a water supply plan 00:51:24
• The city's state legislative advocate said new wildfire laws double the mortgage forbearance window for LA fire survivors from 12 to 24 months 00:52:44
• The city's state legislative advocate said nothing in state law stops the city from regulating data centers on energy or land use 01:00:05
• A committee member said the Planning Commission held a study session on data centers in July, and supported some kind of ban or restriction 01:02:34
• The committee chair asked staff for a report on the new federal and state laws and whether the city needs its own legislation 01:04:30

Hilda Solis (Supervisor, First District; Chair)'s motion would have had Regional Planning draft a Title 22 zoning amendment, with an environmental (CEQA) analysis. The amendment would define data centers by acreage, square footage, energy use and water use, and would ban large-scale data centers, such as hyperscale and AI facilities, in all zones. The motion also asked for a review of noise rules covering low-frequency noise and for a moratorium to be ready if a threatening data center is proposed in an unincorporated area. At Hilda Solis (Supervisor, First District; Chair)'s request, the item was referred back to her office. No reason was given on the record. 00:15:07

More on LA County's episode

• Janice Hahn (Supervisor, Fourth District) moved, seconded by Kathryn Barger (Supervisor, Fifth District), to approve the continuances and referral read by the executive officer, including sending item 14 back to Hilda Solis (Supervisor, First District; Chair)'s office (no vote on the motion itself). Result: no action. 00:18:14

• The clerk announced that Hilda Solis (Supervisor, First District; Chair) asked for the item to be referred back to her office. 00:15:07

A committee report and urgency ordinance putting a citywide interim zoning moratorium on data centers for 45 days. The Land Use and Transportation Committee heard it October 5 and recommended it as amended. State law required nine votes, and as an urgency ordinance it takes effect immediately once passed on first reading. While it lasts, city approvals of data centers are paused as the Board and the Planning Department study the effects on energy, water, air quality, land use and communities and write permanent rules. Planning must report back within 25 days, with a hearing within 35 days. 00:17:43

More on San Francisco's episode

• Pass the urgency ordinance on first reading, same house, same call. Result: passed, without objection. 00:20:33

• The clerk noted that state law requires a four-fifths vote, nine members, and that the urgency ordinance takes effect immediately if passed 00:17:43
• A speaker described the 45-day moratorium as an interim measure under state law to give the city time to study data centers' impacts 00:18:26
• A speaker listed energy, water, air quality, land use and community impacts as issues to study, along with a clearer definition of data centers 00:18:26
• A speaker said the ordinance pauses city approvals of data centers while the Board and Planning develop long-term rules 00:18:26
• A speaker explained that Planning must report to the Clerk within 25 days, with a hearing on the report within 35 days of the ordinance taking effect 00:19:29
• A speaker thanked co-sponsors Connie Chan (Supervisor, District 1), Jackie Fielder (Supervisor, District 9) and Chyanne Chen (Supervisor, District 11) 00:19:29

California Public Policy Group, the city's Sacramento lobbyists, reviewed the 2026 legislative session. Topics included housing bills, data-center bills that affect water planning at Burbank Water and Power, wildfire liability, e-bike rules, extra time to answer public records requests, the state budget, $1.2 million in state money for the Burbank Reservoir and firefighter protective-gear storage, and what they expect in 2027. 00:29:54

More on Burbank's episode

• A speaker flagged two data-center bills requiring water assessments before any data-center permit, which the firm said are the main ones affecting local agencies 00:32:25
• A speaker said she understood council would get an early staff report on data centers in December 00:33:25
• A speaker noted a new law that changes the deadline for answering public records requests from ten days to ten business days 00:38:17
• A speaker said a pension bill letting safety officers retire at 55 failed but is expected back in January 00:38:17
• A speaker reported the city took positions on 28 bills and the final result matched the city's position 61% of the time 00:39:19
• A speaker said the state budget includes $1.2 million for the Burbank Reservoir and for storage of firefighter protective equipment 00:41:22
• Konstantine Anthony (Council Member) asked whether any other state tax credit program is uncapped, in light of the attorney general's push to uncap the film and TV tax credit 00:46:17
• A speaker asked which legislator might carry a bill to expand the film tax credit 00:47:03
• Zizette Mullins (Council Member; Vice Mayor) asked whether the state has done anything about high utility costs for consumers 00:48:37
• A council member asked whether the police department had been briefed on the new state e-bike definitions 00:51:17

On October 6, 2026, the council approved a 45-day interim emergency moratorium, Ordinance No. 13899 C.M.S. (agenda). It pauses approval of land use entitlements and agreements for developing or operating data centers in Oakland. The item is sponsored by Carroll Fife (Councilmember, District 3; Chair, Life Enrichment Committee) and the Planning and Building Department and has two parts. First is a resolution adopting the written report that Government Code section 65858(d) requires within 35 days of the moratorium's passage. The report describes the measures taken to address the conditions that led to the moratorium, and the resolution makes CEQA findings. Second is an interim emergency ordinance extending the moratorium by ten months and fifteen days. The committee scheduled both for the November 10, 2026 special City Council agenda as a public hearing. It used Rule 24 to bypass committee review because state law deadlines require the hearing on that date. 00:06:24

More on Oakland's episode

• Janani Ramachandran (Councilmember, District 4; Chair, Finance and Management Committee) moved, seconded by Rowena Brown (Councilmember, At Large; Chair, Community and Economic Development Committee; Chair, Education Partnership Committee), to approve item three as is, which scheduled items 3.1 and 3.2 as requested. Result: passed, 4-0. 00:11:39

• The city clerk read the reason for skipping committee review: state law requires the council to hear a written report 35 days after the moratorium was adopted, and the report would let the council consider an extension 00:07:28
• The city clerk stated that to meet state deadlines, the item must be on the November 10 council agenda as a public hearing 00:08:34

City Manager's Office staff answered commissioners' questions about data centers before the proposed citywide data center standards come to the commission on November 18 and the City Council on December 8. Topics included where data centers are allowed, how they are permitted, the revenue the city expects, and emissions. Staff also described a proposed change that would send appeals of data center permits straight to the City Council, where today the Planning Commission has the final say. A commissioner objected that it takes away a hearing where residents can speak; staff said it answers residents who want the council to decide controversial data center cases. 01:33:05

More on San Jose's episode

• City staff said the standards will come before the commission on November 18, so this session would not present them 01:33:05
• City staff said data centers are already allowed with a special use permit in four industrial and commercial zoning districts, which limits what the city can require 01:35:08
• City staff said the California Energy Commission leads environmental review when backup generation exceeds 50 megawatts 01:36:11
• City staff estimated a 99-megawatt data center brings about $6 million a year in utility user tax 01:39:20
• City staff estimated annual property tax at $500,000 to $1 million for a 99-megawatt data center 01:40:22
• City staff said one-time construction tax is likely closer to $17 million, and a commercial linkage fee and an energy programs fee are being proposed 01:40:22
• City staff said the proposal caps backup generators at 25 hours a year with Tier 4 certification, versus the air district's 50 hours 01:43:17
• City staff said the city's proposed requirements add to state CEQA standards even when the state leads the review 01:44:42
• City staff said council directed the standards in a May rules memo voted in June, and an August memo added community benefits, tax revenue and design 01:45:28
• City staff said the proposal sends all appeals of data center special use permits from the director's hearing to the City Council, bypassing the commission 01:48:49
• A commissioner objected that removing the commission takes away a chance for residents to give input, noting community concern and moratoriums elsewhere 01:53:04
• City staff said the appeal change responds to residents who want controversial data center decisions made by the council 01:53:20
• City staff said council directed staff to develop standards, not a moratorium, and that choice rests with the council 01:56:12
• A commissioner relayed residents' reports that no council members attend the data center listening sessions 01:57:05
• City staff said the full package goes to the commission and then to the City Council on December 8, with materials public November 10 02:02:17
• City staff said a draft at roughly 80% was presented at a community meeting last week 02:01:08
• City staff said the last community meeting drew over 300 people 02:06:25
• City staff said remaining input opportunities include the Youth Commission on October 26 and an online comment form 02:05:24
• A commissioner praised staff outreach and said he would rather see data centers in San Jose than elsewhere, with safeguards 02:08:53
• City staff estimated about 20 data centers operate in the city, mostly much smaller than the 99-megawatt ones now proposed 02:10:32
• City staff said many projects cap at 99 megawatts to stay under the Energy Commission's small power plant exemption 02:11:24
• City staff said the standards are not streamlining, citing limits on cooling systems and generator hours 02:13:58
• City staff said Santa Clara has so many data centers because its utility costs are lower than neighboring cities 02:14:38

Open public comment at the end of the retreat. One speaker, on Zoom, addressed the data center standards. 02:14:49

More on San Jose's episode

• A commissioner thanked the speaker and invited them to attend the November hearing 02:17:42

An emergency ordinance, brought by the mayor's office after an executive order, that pauses citywide for 45 days the acceptance, processing and approval of permits for new, expanded or intensified data centers, plus a resolution finding it exempt from CEQA. Staff said the city's code doesn't define data centers and currently permits them under rules for telecom switching stations. They cited the facilities' demands on electricity, water and land and the risk of higher utility bills. The pause has exemptions, including small accessory server rooms, public safety and emergency communications facilities, telecom carrier and utility facilities, and minor repairs that don't add floor area, power or water demand. It doesn't apply to federal land, including the Navy's NAVWAR campus near Old Town, where news reports described a proposed 400-megawatt data center. The agenda says the ordinance needed 8 votes under state law and isn't subject to the mayor's veto. The item was moved from Monday so at least eight members would be present. 00:42:48

More on San Diego's episode

• Sean Elo-Rivera (Councilmember, District 9) moved the staff recommendation (CEQA exemption resolution, plus introduction and adoption of the emergency ordinance) with added direction that isn't written into the ordinance: staff notify the council within seven days of any data center developer inquiry; a set of principles for the permanent policy; progress updates from the working group, the first within 45 days; and lobbying by the Office of Government Affairs against a large data center at NAVWAR. Kent Lee (Councilmember, District 6; President Pro Tem, City Council) seconded. Result: passed, 9-0. 02:47:59

• The mayor's office said the municipal code doesn't define data centers, which are permitted today under rules written for telecom switching stations 00:44:35
• The mayor's office explained the ordinance would set a 45-day moratorium within the city's jurisdiction while rules are written 00:44:35
• The mayor's office acknowledged the moratorium does not settle what happens on the federally owned Navy site and said the city's government affairs team would press Sacramento and Washington 00:45:36
• City staff explained the ordinance takes effect immediately with a four-fifths vote and lasts 45 days, with a possible extension after another noticed hearing 00:47:41
• City staff noted the city has no land use authority over the federal NAVWAR site but said the proposal there shows how immediate the interest in large data centers is 00:50:53
• City staff listed exemptions, starting with accessory server rooms that serve only on-site operations 00:54:04
• City staff said the mayor signed an executive order last Thursday creating a stakeholder working group, whose input will shape Land Development Code amendments returning to council next year 00:55:05
• A councilmember allowed public comment on both the moratorium and the proposal on federal land, calling the federal proposal a separate matter 00:56:55
• A councilmember reminded members the emergency action needs eight yes votes, which is why it was moved from Monday 02:20:08
• City staff explained state law allows 45 days at first, then an extension of up to 10 months and 15 days, then another of up to a year 02:21:22
• A councilmember cited a Voice of San Diego report that a developer was exploring a 400-megawatt data center at the Navy site and called on the congressional delegation to stop it 02:23:49
• A councilmember asked staff about the ordinance's statement that industry representatives were interested in standalone data centers and vacant office space 02:23:49
• City staff answered that staff was mainly citing newspaper reports on the Navy site and possible downtown sites in empty buildings 02:24:27
• The mayor's office said the working group is still being formed and would include labor, community advocates, utility, water, housing, technology, environmental and higher education representatives 02:26:47
• A councilmember objected to including SDG&E in the working group and suggested San Diego Community Power instead 02:27:19
• A councilmember moved the item with added direction, including that staff notify the council within seven days of any inquiry from a prospective data center developer 02:28:34
• A councilmember proposed principles for the permanent policy: no by-right approval, approval only if housing isn't feasible on the site, all-renewable power, no fossil fuel backup, and recycled water for cooling 02:28:34
• A councilmember also asked for working group progress updates, the first within 45 days, and for the Office of Government Affairs to lobby against a large data center at NAVWAR 02:29:35
• A councilmember asked the city attorneys to confirm the added direction wouldn't compromise the moratorium's legal requirements 02:30:26
• A councilmember said he requested legal research on regulating data centers in early August and had been preparing a policy for his committee 02:31:20
• A councilmember described the Navy site proposal as a hyperscale campus of 400 to 500 megawatts, far larger than typical data centers 02:32:22
• A councilmember argued families and small businesses should not pay for data centers' water, power and infrastructure, and cited a recent papal encyclical on concentrated technological power 02:34:36
• A councilmember warned some members might need to leave by 1 p.m. and the item needed eight yes votes 02:36:21
• A councilmember said he was confident the council would extend the moratorium for the following ten and a half months 02:38:09
• A councilmember argued the Navy site, next to the Old Town Amtrak station and transit center, should be used for housing, including for service members 02:38:09
• A councilmember called the Navy site a once-in-a-generation opportunity for housing and transit-oriented development 02:40:16
• A councilmember asked whether the city, not an applicant, decides if a project qualifies for an exemption, and staff confirmed it does 02:41:18
• A councilmember said data centers must cover their own electricity and water costs and create good jobs for local skilled workers, and that she would vote yes 02:42:04
• A councilmember said he supports making things harder for data centers, as speakers urged, but that it will take time to make the required findings 02:44:31
• A councilmember called for studying the leverage the city has through its utility franchise agreement and its role in community power 02:45:32
• A councilmember warned the NAVWAR developer that if the data center proposal is a stalking horse for another agenda, there would be a price to pay 02:45:32
• An attorney for the city clarified for the record that the amendments are part of the motion but won't be written into the ordinance 02:47:08
• City staff said staff had no concerns with the added direction but would look into some items and report back 02:47:29

Staff said the commission will meet only once in November, on Wednesday, November 18, because of the Veterans Day holiday and Thanksgiving eve. That meeting will be identified as a special meeting. Staff listed study sessions, including one on safe parking, and a public hearing on data centers, and said an item on possibly changing the meeting date will also come. 02:00:27

More on Pasadena's episode

• City staff announced a single November meeting on Wednesday, November 18 02:01:05
• City staff listed a study session on safe parking among the items for that meeting 02:01:05

The roll call for introductions resumed after the commendations. A supervisor introduced a ten-month, fifteen-day extension of the city's interim moratorium on data centers. A supervisor introduced a resolution putting Public Works' street tree and sidewalk commitments on the record. A supervisor introduced a resolution urging the city and state pension systems to review their risk from AI investments and urging Congress to reject corporate bailouts. A supervisor introduced a resolution affirming election integrity and opposing intimidation of election workers and voters. These were introductions only; nothing was voted on. 01:37:08

More on San Francisco's episode

• A supervisor introduced a ten-month, fifteen-day extension of the interim data center moratorium 01:37:25
• A supervisor argued data centers can place heavy demands on the electrical grid and differ from other commercial development 01:37:25
• A supervisor pointed to moratoriums adopted by other Bay Area cities, including Richmond and Oakland 01:38:27
• A supervisor said the board will review the Planning Department's November 10 report and keep working toward stronger regulations 01:40:31
• A supervisor said Public Works committed at a committee hearing to finish the first pruning cycle by year's end and move to about 25,000 prunings a year 01:41:29
• A supervisor said the street tree resolution asks for a six-month progress update 01:41:29
• A supervisor introduced a resolution urging the city and state public employee pension systems to review concentrated and correlated risks from AI investments 01:42:53
• A supervisor argued taxpayers should not bail out private companies if inflated AI valuations collapse 01:44:02
• A supervisor introduced a resolution affirming election integrity, supporting election workers and opposing intimidation of election officials and voters 01:45:18