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"content": "\n\u003cp>As San José officials rolled out new proposed \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12099195/full-on-backlash-against-data-centers-occurring-as-san-jose-courts-them\">data center development standards\u003c/a>, moving one step closer to enshrining them, residents and environmental advocates staged rallies and packed City Hall demanding an outright moratorium on the power-hungry facilities.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>During a community meeting on Thursday night, high-ranking city staff members proffered new rules and requirements for future data centers such as requiring recycled water use, aesthetic design enhancements, sound dampeners, limits on backup generator runtime for testing and maintenance, and developer fees for affordable housing. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>While the city garnered commendations for its proposals from business groups and union laborers who build data centers, community groups and residents from around San José called for a pause on all data center approvals and applications, saying the standards don’t do enough to protect people from risks of air and water pollution, \u003ca href=\"https://www.cnn.com/2026/03/30/climate/data-centers-are-having-an-underrported\">increased local temperatures\u003c/a> and constant noise. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“The very least that we could expect is that our government, which is funded by our tax dollars and led by people who we elected to serve us, does not blindly follow corporations and billionaires into the unknown,” Kylie Clark, policy director at the Silicon Valley Council of Nonprofits, said during a rally before the meeting. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261015-DATACENTERMEET-JG-7-KQED-e20fe58e.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12104842\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261015-DATACENTERMEET-JG-7-KQED-e20fe58e.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261015-DATACENTERMEET-JG-7-KQED-e20fe58e-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261015-DATACENTERMEET-JG-7-KQED-e20fe58e-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Kylie Clark of the Silicon Valley Council of Nonprofits speaks during a rally ahead of a community meeting about data centers at San José City Hall on Oct. 15, 2026. (Joseph Geha/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp>“These decisions are not reversible. They will define our city for generations to come. So our question is, what is the rush? Why in the world wouldn’t we take our time, understand the impacts, and get it right?” Clark said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>While other Bay Area cities including \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12099583/san-francisco-supervisors-push-for-moratorium-on-new-data-centers\">San Francisco\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12097506/oakland-residents-continue-push-against-data-centers\">Oakland\u003c/a>, Richmond, Gilroy and Oakley have passed temporary moratoriums on data centers out of concern about health and environmental impacts, and to give city officials time to plan out codes and regulations, San José has continued a policy of courting data center developers.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Mayor Matt Mahan, who attended part of Thursday evening’s meeting, has said previously the city should lead the way in helping shape how such significant investments benefit municipalities, and has likened an outright ban on data center development to burying “our heads in the sand.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>He pledged in an interview last month that the city would set some of the “highest, strictest standards in every category of concern we’ve heard” from residents. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>City officials, including Deputy City Manager Manuel Pineda, who oversees the city’s energy and environmental services work, reiterated Thursday that the City Council has not directed staff to work toward a moratorium, despite public calls to do so.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Instead, the city is pushing ahead with a process that began in August to hold community meetings and accept feedback from residents to help craft new rules around data center development, monitoring and requirements for ensuring such projects help support affordable housing fees. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Long before responding to concerns from residents by ramping up this public input process, however, San José had established dedicated staffing to attract data centers, inked a power reliability \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12049830/san-jose-and-pge-strike-deal-to-attract-data-centers-to-south-bay\">agreement with PG&E\u003c/a>, and offered “concierge-style support” to data center developers. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“We are still listening as we continue to develop those standards, to make them the best standards possible,” Pineda said Thursday at the meeting. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The city’s proposed standards include requirements that data centers use recycled water for cooling the intensive heat put off by racks of processors and servers, or use low-water systems that use air or “closed-loop” design. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Data centers would need to use completely carbon-neutral electricity, limit the time their backup generators are run for testing or maintenance to only 25 hours per year, as opposed to state rules of 50 hours annually, and must regularly report their water and electricity usage to the city, with third-party verification every five years. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261015-DATACENTERMEET-JG-3-KQED-760c7631.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12104840\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261015-DATACENTERMEET-JG-3-KQED-760c7631.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261015-DATACENTERMEET-JG-3-KQED-760c7631-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261015-DATACENTERMEET-JG-3-KQED-760c7631-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">San José Mayor Matt Mahan watches a community meeting about data center development standards inside San José City Hall on Oct. 15, 2026. (Joseph Geha/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp>San José’s proposed standards also could require sewer discharge and noise monitoring, and would expand the radius for who receives mailed notification cards about a possible data center project to 1,500 feet, from the current maximum of 1,000 feet. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>During the meeting, and at rallies before and after outside City Hall, residents expressed outright distrust of city leadership and staff, saying the public engagement process has felt rushed and has resulted in proposed standards that some characterized as weak or a giveaway to AI data center developers. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Some residents also asked for a moratorium because the limited regulatory reach of the city will not be able to encompass broader concerns stemming from data center development, like the unknown cumulative impacts of having too many in one area, the risk of groundwater pollution from harsh chemicals used in some cooling processes, and even the potential for security risk, citing Ukraine and Russia ramping up attacks on each other’s data centers this week. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Ted Smith, a longtime resident of San José, helped lead the charge for a right-to-know ordinance in the 1980s after the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11630861/how-silicon-valley-industry-polluted-the-sylvan-california-dream\">semiconductor industry’s\u003c/a> unrestrained growth led to mass pollution in the county due to mismanaged solvents used in chipmaking, all while leaders of companies like Fairchild and Intel said their industry was a clean one. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261015-DATACENTERMEET-JG-9-KQED-6d4d94e2.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12104844\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261015-DATACENTERMEET-JG-9-KQED-6d4d94e2.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261015-DATACENTERMEET-JG-9-KQED-6d4d94e2-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261015-DATACENTERMEET-JG-9-KQED-6d4d94e2-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A man holds up signs during a rally by people demanding a halt to data center development outside of San José City Hall on Oct. 15, 2026. (Joseph Geha/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-3 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" data-id=\"12104839\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261015-DATACENTERMEET-JG-2-KQED-6a0c332c.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12104839\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261015-DATACENTERMEET-JG-2-KQED-6a0c332c.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261015-DATACENTERMEET-JG-2-KQED-6a0c332c-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261015-DATACENTERMEET-JG-2-KQED-6a0c332c-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Attendees listen during a community meeting about data center development standards inside San José City Hall on Oct. 15, 2026. (Joseph Geha/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" data-id=\"12104838\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261015-DATACENTERMEET-JG-1-KQED-4189affe.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12104838\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261015-DATACENTERMEET-JG-1-KQED-4189affe.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261015-DATACENTERMEET-JG-1-KQED-4189affe-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261015-DATACENTERMEET-JG-1-KQED-4189affe-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Thurston Brevett, of San José, speaks to city officials about his concerns with data centers during a community meeting inside San José City Hall on Oct. 15, 2026. (Joseph Geha/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Mayor Janet Gray Hayes, at the time, said she was horn-swoggled by the fact that they didn’t understand what was going on. I’m afraid we’re walking right back into that same trap,” Smith told city officials. “I see your standards here; I think you could drive a truck through a lot of those in terms of what they can put over on you.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Shaf Khan, another resident, agreed, saying they were worried history would repeat itself. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I live in an area with three data centers already. I’d like to know the impacts of those over a long period of time, especially on young and developing children and expecting parents before we move on with making more,” Khan said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Bob Staedler, a longtime San José land use consultant, said in an interview that the city is being too “chummy” with data center developers, and has tools at its disposal if it wanted to more closely restrict how many are allowed in any one area, such as how it recently put a moratorium on all new \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12063060/san-jose-is-cracking-down-on-smoke-shops-and-sales-of-nitrous-oxide-whip-its\">smoke shops\u003c/a> through late 2027 due to concerns about overconcentration. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261015-DATACENTERMEET-JG-8-KQED-66ac0646.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12104843\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261015-DATACENTERMEET-JG-8-KQED-66ac0646.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261015-DATACENTERMEET-JG-8-KQED-66ac0646-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261015-DATACENTERMEET-JG-8-KQED-66ac0646-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Misrayn Mendoza of community group Amigos de Guadalupe speaks during a rally calling for a data center moratorium outside San José City Hall on Oct. 15, 2026. (Joseph Geha/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp>“This just seems to just be ignoring the huge issues of our time, where you’ve got things like cumulative concentration,” Staedler said of the proposed data center standards. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“We spend more time worrying about weed shops and alcohol and smoke shops than we are going to do with data centers,” Staedler said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>While the city’s standards would regulate how often diesel or natural gas backup generators can be run for testing and maintenance, they would not apply during a power outage, one of the primary concerns from residents. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“What happens when there’s a heat wave, as we are constantly experiencing year after year,” Ellina Yin, who closely tracks data center development in the city, said at a rally she helped organize before the meeting. “What happens when the power goes out and all of the generators kick on?”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>During a community meeting on Thursday night, high-ranking city staff members proffered new rules and requirements for future data centers such as requiring recycled water use, aesthetic design enhancements, sound dampeners, limits on backup generator runtime for testing and maintenance, and developer fees for affordable housing. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>During a community meeting on Thursday night, high-ranking city staff members proffered new rules and requirements for future data centers such as requiring recycled water use, aesthetic design enhancements, sound dampeners, limits on backup generator runtime for testing and maintenance, and developer fees for affordable housing. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>While the city garnered commendations for its proposals from business groups and union laborers who build data centers, community groups and residents from around San José called for a pause on all data center approvals and applications, saying the standards don’t do enough to protect people from risks of air and water pollution, \u003ca href=\"https://www.cnn.com/2026/03/30/climate/data-centers-are-having-an-underrported\">increased local temperatures\u003c/a> and constant noise. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>While the city garnered commendations for its proposals from business groups and union laborers who build data centers, community groups and residents from around San José called for a pause on all data center approvals and applications, saying the standards don’t do enough to protect people from risks of air and water pollution, \u003ca href=\"https://www.cnn.com/2026/03/30/climate/data-centers-are-having-an-underrported\">increased local temperatures\u003c/a> and constant noise. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“The very least that we could expect is that our government, which is funded by our tax dollars and led by people who we elected to serve us, does not blindly follow corporations and billionaires into the unknown,” Kylie Clark, policy director at the Silicon Valley Council of Nonprofits, said during a rally before the meeting. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“The very least that we could expect is that our government, which is funded by our tax dollars and led by people who we elected to serve us, does not blindly follow corporations and billionaires into the unknown,” Kylie Clark, policy director at the Silicon Valley Council of Nonprofits, said during a rally before the meeting. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261015-DATACENTERMEET-JG-7-KQED-e20fe58e.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12104842\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261015-DATACENTERMEET-JG-7-KQED-e20fe58e.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261015-DATACENTERMEET-JG-7-KQED-e20fe58e-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261015-DATACENTERMEET-JG-7-KQED-e20fe58e-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Kylie Clark of the Silicon Valley Council of Nonprofits speaks during a rally ahead of a community meeting about data centers at San José City Hall on Oct. 15, 2026.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Joseph Geha/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261015-DATACENTERMEET-JG-7-KQED-e20fe58e.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12104842\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Kylie Clark of the Silicon Valley Council of Nonprofits speaks during a rally ahead of a community meeting about data centers at San José City Hall on Oct. 15, 2026.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Joseph Geha/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“These decisions are not reversible. They will define our city for generations to come. So our question is, what is the rush? Why in the world wouldn’t we take our time, understand the impacts, and get it right?” Clark said. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“These decisions are not reversible. They will define our city for generations to come. So our question is, what is the rush? Why in the world wouldn’t we take our time, understand the impacts, and get it right?” Clark said. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>While other Bay Area cities including \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12099583/san-francisco-supervisors-push-for-moratorium-on-new-data-centers\">San Francisco\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12097506/oakland-residents-continue-push-against-data-centers\">Oakland\u003c/a>, Richmond, Gilroy and Oakley have passed temporary moratoriums on data centers out of concern about health and environmental impacts, and to give city officials time to plan out codes and regulations, San José has continued a policy of courting data center developers.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>While other Bay Area cities including \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12099583/san-francisco-supervisors-push-for-moratorium-on-new-data-centers\">San Francisco\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12097506/oakland-residents-continue-push-against-data-centers\">Oakland\u003c/a>, Richmond, Gilroy and Oakley have passed temporary moratoriums on data centers out of concern about health and environmental impacts, and to give city officials time to plan out codes and regulations, San José has continued a policy of courting data center developers.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Mayor Matt Mahan, who attended part of Thursday evening’s meeting, has said previously the city should lead the way in helping shape how such significant investments benefit municipalities, and has likened an outright ban on data center development to burying “our heads in the sand.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Mayor Matt Mahan, who attended part of Thursday evening’s meeting, has said previously the city should lead the way in helping shape how such significant investments benefit municipalities, and has likened an outright ban on data center development to burying “our heads in the sand.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>He pledged in an interview last month that the city would set some of the “highest, strictest standards in every category of concern we’ve heard” from residents. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>City officials, including Deputy City Manager Manuel Pineda, who oversees the city’s energy and environmental services work, reiterated Thursday that the City Council has not directed staff to work toward a moratorium, despite public calls to do so.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>City officials, including Deputy City Manager Manuel Pineda, who oversees the city’s energy and environmental services work, reiterated Thursday that the City Council has not directed staff to work toward a moratorium, despite public calls to do so.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Instead, the city is pushing ahead with a process that began in August to hold community meetings and accept feedback from residents to help craft new rules around data center development, monitoring and requirements for ensuring such projects help support affordable housing fees. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Instead, the city is pushing ahead with a process that began in August to hold community meetings and accept feedback from residents to help craft new rules around data center development, monitoring and requirements for ensuring such projects help support affordable housing fees. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Long before responding to concerns from residents by ramping up this public input process, however, San José had established dedicated staffing to attract data centers, inked a power reliability \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12049830/san-jose-and-pge-strike-deal-to-attract-data-centers-to-south-bay\">agreement with PG&E\u003c/a>, and offered “concierge-style support” to data center developers. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Long before responding to concerns from residents by ramping up this public input process, however, San José had established dedicated staffing to attract data centers, inked a power reliability \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12049830/san-jose-and-pge-strike-deal-to-attract-data-centers-to-south-bay\">agreement with PG&E\u003c/a>, and offered “concierge-style support” to data center developers. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“We are still listening as we continue to develop those standards, to make them the best standards possible,” Pineda said Thursday at the meeting. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“We are still listening as we continue to develop those standards, to make them the best standards possible,” Pineda said Thursday at the meeting. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The city’s proposed standards include requirements that data centers use recycled water for cooling the intensive heat put off by racks of processors and servers, or use low-water systems that use air or “closed-loop” design. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The city’s proposed standards include requirements that data centers use recycled water for cooling the intensive heat put off by racks of processors and servers, or use low-water systems that use air or “closed-loop” design. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Data centers would need to use completely carbon-neutral electricity, limit the time their backup generators are run for testing or maintenance to only 25 hours per year, as opposed to state rules of 50 hours annually, and must regularly report their water and electricity usage to the city, with third-party verification every five years. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>San José’s proposed standards also could require sewer discharge and noise monitoring, and would expand the radius for who receives mailed notification cards about a possible data center project to 1,500 feet, from the current maximum of 1,000 feet. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>During the meeting, and at rallies before and after outside City Hall, residents expressed outright distrust of city leadership and staff, saying the public engagement process has felt rushed and has resulted in proposed standards that some characterized as weak or a giveaway to AI data center developers. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Some residents also asked for a moratorium because the limited regulatory reach of the city will not be able to encompass broader concerns stemming from data center development, like the unknown cumulative impacts of having too many in one area, the risk of groundwater pollution from harsh chemicals used in some cooling processes, and even the potential for security risk, citing Ukraine and Russia ramping up attacks on each other’s data centers this week. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Ted Smith, a longtime resident of San José, helped lead the charge for a right-to-know ordinance in the 1980s after the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11630861/how-silicon-valley-industry-polluted-the-sylvan-california-dream\">semiconductor industry’s\u003c/a> unrestrained growth led to mass pollution in the county due to mismanaged solvents used in chipmaking, all while leaders of companies like Fairchild and Intel said their industry was a clean one. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261015-DATACENTERMEET-JG-1-KQED-4189affe.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12104838\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Thurston Brevett, of San José, speaks to city officials about his concerns with data centers during a community meeting inside San José City Hall on Oct. 15, 2026.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Mayor Janet Gray Hayes, at the time, said she was horn-swoggled by the fact that they didn’t understand what was going on. I’m afraid we’re walking right back into that same trap,” Smith told city officials. “I see your standards here; I think you could drive a truck through a lot of those in terms of what they can put over on you.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“Mayor Janet Gray Hayes, at the time, said she was horn-swoggled by the fact that they didn’t understand what was going on. I’m afraid we’re walking right back into that same trap,” Smith told city officials. “I see your standards here; I think you could drive a truck through a lot of those in terms of what they can put over on you.” \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Shaf Khan, another resident, agreed, saying they were worried history would repeat itself. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“I live in an area with three data centers already. I’d like to know the impacts of those over a long period of time, especially on young and developing children and expecting parents before we move on with making more,” Khan said. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“I live in an area with three data centers already. I’d like to know the impacts of those over a long period of time, especially on young and developing children and expecting parents before we move on with making more,” Khan said. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Bob Staedler, a longtime San José land use consultant, said in an interview that the city is being too “chummy” with data center developers, and has tools at its disposal if it wanted to more closely restrict how many are allowed in any one area, such as how it recently put a moratorium on all new \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12063060/san-jose-is-cracking-down-on-smoke-shops-and-sales-of-nitrous-oxide-whip-its\">smoke shops\u003c/a> through late 2027 due to concerns about overconcentration. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Bob Staedler, a longtime San José land use consultant, said in an interview that the city is being too “chummy” with data center developers, and has tools at its disposal if it wanted to more closely restrict how many are allowed in any one area, such as how it recently put a moratorium on all new \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12063060/san-jose-is-cracking-down-on-smoke-shops-and-sales-of-nitrous-oxide-whip-its\">smoke shops\u003c/a> through late 2027 due to concerns about overconcentration. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261015-DATACENTERMEET-JG-8-KQED-66ac0646.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12104843\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261015-DATACENTERMEET-JG-8-KQED-66ac0646.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261015-DATACENTERMEET-JG-8-KQED-66ac0646-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261015-DATACENTERMEET-JG-8-KQED-66ac0646-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Misrayn Mendoza of community group Amigos de Guadalupe speaks during a rally calling for a data center moratorium outside San José City Hall on Oct. 15, 2026.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Joseph Geha/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261015-DATACENTERMEET-JG-8-KQED-66ac0646.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12104843\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Misrayn Mendoza of community group Amigos de Guadalupe speaks during a rally calling for a data center moratorium outside San José City Hall on Oct. 15, 2026.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Joseph Geha/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“This just seems to just be ignoring the huge issues of our time, where you’ve got things like cumulative concentration,” Staedler said of the proposed data center standards. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“We spend more time worrying about weed shops and alcohol and smoke shops than we are going to do with data centers,” Staedler said. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>While the city’s standards would regulate how often diesel or natural gas backup generators can be run for testing and maintenance, they would not apply during a power outage, one of the primary concerns from residents. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“What happens when there’s a heat wave, as we are constantly experiencing year after year,” Ellina Yin, who closely tracks data center development in the city, said at a rally she helped organize before the meeting. “What happens when the power goes out and all of the generators kick on?”\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\n\u003cp>As San José officials rolled out new proposed \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12099195/full-on-backlash-against-data-centers-occurring-as-san-jose-courts-them\">data center development standards\u003c/a>, moving one step closer to enshrining them, residents and environmental advocates staged rallies and packed City Hall demanding an outright moratorium on the power-hungry facilities.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>During a community meeting on Thursday night, high-ranking city staff members proffered new rules and requirements for future data centers such as requiring recycled water use, aesthetic design enhancements, sound dampeners, limits on backup generator runtime for testing and maintenance, and developer fees for affordable housing. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>While the city garnered commendations for its proposals from business groups and union laborers who build data centers, community groups and residents from around San José called for a pause on all data center approvals and applications, saying the standards don’t do enough to protect people from risks of air and water pollution, \u003ca href=\"https://www.cnn.com/2026/03/30/climate/data-centers-are-having-an-underrported\">increased local temperatures\u003c/a> and constant noise. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“The very least that we could expect is that our government, which is funded by our tax dollars and led by people who we elected to serve us, does not blindly follow corporations and billionaires into the unknown,” Kylie Clark, policy director at the Silicon Valley Council of Nonprofits, said during a rally before the meeting. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261015-DATACENTERMEET-JG-7-KQED-e20fe58e.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12104842\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261015-DATACENTERMEET-JG-7-KQED-e20fe58e.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261015-DATACENTERMEET-JG-7-KQED-e20fe58e-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261015-DATACENTERMEET-JG-7-KQED-e20fe58e-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Kylie Clark of the Silicon Valley Council of Nonprofits speaks during a rally ahead of a community meeting about data centers at San José City Hall on Oct. 15, 2026. (Joseph Geha/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp>“These decisions are not reversible. They will define our city for generations to come. So our question is, what is the rush? Why in the world wouldn’t we take our time, understand the impacts, and get it right?” Clark said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>While other Bay Area cities including \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12099583/san-francisco-supervisors-push-for-moratorium-on-new-data-centers\">San Francisco\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12097506/oakland-residents-continue-push-against-data-centers\">Oakland\u003c/a>, Richmond, Gilroy and Oakley have passed temporary moratoriums on data centers out of concern about health and environmental impacts, and to give city officials time to plan out codes and regulations, San José has continued a policy of courting data center developers.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Mayor Matt Mahan, who attended part of Thursday evening’s meeting, has said previously the city should lead the way in helping shape how such significant investments benefit municipalities, and has likened an outright ban on data center development to burying “our heads in the sand.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>He pledged in an interview last month that the city would set some of the “highest, strictest standards in every category of concern we’ve heard” from residents. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>City officials, including Deputy City Manager Manuel Pineda, who oversees the city’s energy and environmental services work, reiterated Thursday that the City Council has not directed staff to work toward a moratorium, despite public calls to do so.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Instead, the city is pushing ahead with a process that began in August to hold community meetings and accept feedback from residents to help craft new rules around data center development, monitoring and requirements for ensuring such projects help support affordable housing fees. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Long before responding to concerns from residents by ramping up this public input process, however, San José had established dedicated staffing to attract data centers, inked a power reliability \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12049830/san-jose-and-pge-strike-deal-to-attract-data-centers-to-south-bay\">agreement with PG&E\u003c/a>, and offered “concierge-style support” to data center developers. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“We are still listening as we continue to develop those standards, to make them the best standards possible,” Pineda said Thursday at the meeting. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The city’s proposed standards include requirements that data centers use recycled water for cooling the intensive heat put off by racks of processors and servers, or use low-water systems that use air or “closed-loop” design. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Data centers would need to use completely carbon-neutral electricity, limit the time their backup generators are run for testing or maintenance to only 25 hours per year, as opposed to state rules of 50 hours annually, and must regularly report their water and electricity usage to the city, with third-party verification every five years. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261015-DATACENTERMEET-JG-3-KQED-760c7631.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12104840\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261015-DATACENTERMEET-JG-3-KQED-760c7631.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261015-DATACENTERMEET-JG-3-KQED-760c7631-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261015-DATACENTERMEET-JG-3-KQED-760c7631-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">San José Mayor Matt Mahan watches a community meeting about data center development standards inside San José City Hall on Oct. 15, 2026. (Joseph Geha/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp>San José’s proposed standards also could require sewer discharge and noise monitoring, and would expand the radius for who receives mailed notification cards about a possible data center project to 1,500 feet, from the current maximum of 1,000 feet. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>During the meeting, and at rallies before and after outside City Hall, residents expressed outright distrust of city leadership and staff, saying the public engagement process has felt rushed and has resulted in proposed standards that some characterized as weak or a giveaway to AI data center developers. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Some residents also asked for a moratorium because the limited regulatory reach of the city will not be able to encompass broader concerns stemming from data center development, like the unknown cumulative impacts of having too many in one area, the risk of groundwater pollution from harsh chemicals used in some cooling processes, and even the potential for security risk, citing Ukraine and Russia ramping up attacks on each other’s data centers this week. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Ted Smith, a longtime resident of San José, helped lead the charge for a right-to-know ordinance in the 1980s after the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11630861/how-silicon-valley-industry-polluted-the-sylvan-california-dream\">semiconductor industry’s\u003c/a> unrestrained growth led to mass pollution in the county due to mismanaged solvents used in chipmaking, all while leaders of companies like Fairchild and Intel said their industry was a clean one. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261015-DATACENTERMEET-JG-9-KQED-6d4d94e2.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12104844\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261015-DATACENTERMEET-JG-9-KQED-6d4d94e2.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261015-DATACENTERMEET-JG-9-KQED-6d4d94e2-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261015-DATACENTERMEET-JG-9-KQED-6d4d94e2-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A man holds up signs during a rally by people demanding a halt to data center development outside of San José City Hall on Oct. 15, 2026. (Joseph Geha/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-3 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" data-id=\"12104839\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261015-DATACENTERMEET-JG-2-KQED-6a0c332c.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12104839\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261015-DATACENTERMEET-JG-2-KQED-6a0c332c.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261015-DATACENTERMEET-JG-2-KQED-6a0c332c-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261015-DATACENTERMEET-JG-2-KQED-6a0c332c-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Attendees listen during a community meeting about data center development standards inside San José City Hall on Oct. 15, 2026. (Joseph Geha/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" data-id=\"12104838\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261015-DATACENTERMEET-JG-1-KQED-4189affe.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12104838\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261015-DATACENTERMEET-JG-1-KQED-4189affe.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261015-DATACENTERMEET-JG-1-KQED-4189affe-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261015-DATACENTERMEET-JG-1-KQED-4189affe-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Thurston Brevett, of San José, speaks to city officials about his concerns with data centers during a community meeting inside San José City Hall on Oct. 15, 2026. (Joseph Geha/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Mayor Janet Gray Hayes, at the time, said she was horn-swoggled by the fact that they didn’t understand what was going on. I’m afraid we’re walking right back into that same trap,” Smith told city officials. “I see your standards here; I think you could drive a truck through a lot of those in terms of what they can put over on you.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Shaf Khan, another resident, agreed, saying they were worried history would repeat itself. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I live in an area with three data centers already. I’d like to know the impacts of those over a long period of time, especially on young and developing children and expecting parents before we move on with making more,” Khan said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Bob Staedler, a longtime San José land use consultant, said in an interview that the city is being too “chummy” with data center developers, and has tools at its disposal if it wanted to more closely restrict how many are allowed in any one area, such as how it recently put a moratorium on all new \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12063060/san-jose-is-cracking-down-on-smoke-shops-and-sales-of-nitrous-oxide-whip-its\">smoke shops\u003c/a> through late 2027 due to concerns about overconcentration. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261015-DATACENTERMEET-JG-8-KQED-66ac0646.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12104843\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261015-DATACENTERMEET-JG-8-KQED-66ac0646.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261015-DATACENTERMEET-JG-8-KQED-66ac0646-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261015-DATACENTERMEET-JG-8-KQED-66ac0646-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Misrayn Mendoza of community group Amigos de Guadalupe speaks during a rally calling for a data center moratorium outside San José City Hall on Oct. 15, 2026. (Joseph Geha/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp>“This just seems to just be ignoring the huge issues of our time, where you’ve got things like cumulative concentration,” Staedler said of the proposed data center standards. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“We spend more time worrying about weed shops and alcohol and smoke shops than we are going to do with data centers,” Staedler said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>While the city’s standards would regulate how often diesel or natural gas backup generators can be run for testing and maintenance, they would not apply during a power outage, one of the primary concerns from residents. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“What happens when there’s a heat wave, as we are constantly experiencing year after year,” Ellina Yin, who closely tracks data center development in the city, said at a rally she helped organize before the meeting. “What happens when the power goes out and all of the generators kick on?”\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "SF Billionaire Chris Larsen on AI: ‘This Is an Incredibly Dangerous Moment’",
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"content": "\n\u003cp>San Francisco crypto billionaire Chris Larsen has become an increasingly engaged and potent political force in Democratic politics. He’s funded surveillance technology like Flock cameras in the city and poured tens of millions of dollars into the state’s legislative races this election cycle. As much of his tech peers rally around President Donald Trump, Larsen remains a staunch Democrat.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Larsen joins Marisa in studio to discuss where he disagrees with his son on surveillance technology, his bold call to “shut down all the data centers until we get goddamn regulations,” why he opposes the billionaire tax initiative Proposition 40 and what kind of candidates he’s supporting through his super PAC Grow California. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\nhttps://youtu.be/eL-SA_D8tCQ\n\u003c/div>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Don’t forget to use \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/voterguide\">KQED’s voter guide\u003c/a> when filling out your ballot!\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Plus, check out \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/newsletters/political-breakdown\">Political Breakdown’s weekly newsletter\u003c/a>, delivered straight to your inbox.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>San Francisco crypto billionaire Chris Larsen has become an increasingly engaged and potent political force in Democratic politics. He’s funded surveillance technology like Flock cameras in the city and poured tens of millions of dollars into the state’s legislative races this election cycle. As much of his tech peers rally around President Donald Trump, Larsen remains a staunch Democrat.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>San Francisco crypto billionaire Chris Larsen has become an increasingly engaged and potent political force in Democratic politics. He’s funded surveillance technology like Flock cameras in the city and poured tens of millions of dollars into the state’s legislative races this election cycle. As much of his tech peers rally around President Donald Trump, Larsen remains a staunch Democrat.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Larsen joins Marisa in studio to discuss where he disagrees with his son on surveillance technology, his bold call to “shut down all the data centers until we get goddamn regulations,” why he opposes the billionaire tax initiative Proposition 40 and what kind of candidates he’s supporting through his super PAC Grow California. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Larsen joins Marisa in studio to discuss where he disagrees with his son on surveillance technology, his bold call to “shut down all the data centers until we get goddamn regulations,” why he opposes the billionaire tax initiative Proposition 40 and what kind of candidates he’s supporting through his super PAC Grow California. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Don’t forget to use \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/voterguide\">KQED’s voter guide\u003c/a> when filling out your ballot!\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Don’t forget to use \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/voterguide\">KQED’s voter guide\u003c/a> when filling out your ballot!\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Plus, check out \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/newsletters/political-breakdown\">Political Breakdown’s weekly newsletter\u003c/a>, delivered straight to your inbox.\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "Larsen once called for a \"middle path\" on the AI arms race but now says we need to \"shut down all the data centers.\" ",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\n\u003cp>San Francisco crypto billionaire Chris Larsen has become an increasingly engaged and potent political force in Democratic politics. He’s funded surveillance technology like Flock cameras in the city and poured tens of millions of dollars into the state’s legislative races this election cycle. As much of his tech peers rally around President Donald Trump, Larsen remains a staunch Democrat.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Larsen joins Marisa in studio to discuss where he disagrees with his son on surveillance technology, his bold call to “shut down all the data centers until we get goddamn regulations,” why he opposes the billionaire tax initiative Proposition 40 and what kind of candidates he’s supporting through his super PAC Grow California. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutube'>\n \u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutubeInside'>\n \u003ciframe\n loading='lazy'\n class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__youtubePlayer'\n type='text/html'\n src='//www.youtube.com/embed/eL-SA_D8tCQ'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/eL-SA_D8tCQ'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003c/div>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Don’t forget to use \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/voterguide\">KQED’s voter guide\u003c/a> when filling out your ballot!\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Plus, check out \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/newsletters/political-breakdown\">Political Breakdown’s weekly newsletter\u003c/a>, delivered straight to your inbox.\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "santa-clara-californias-capital-of-data-centers-weighs-more-regulations",
"title": "Santa Clara, California’s Capital of Data Centers, Weighs More Regulations",
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"headTitle": "Santa Clara, California’s Capital of Data Centers, Weighs More Regulations | KQED",
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"content": "\n\u003cp>As controversy over \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12099195/full-on-backlash-against-data-centers-occurring-as-san-jose-courts-them\">data centers\u003c/a> swells in communities around the Bay Area and the nation, Santa Clara leaders are pushing to beef up the city’s regulations and standards for future data center development.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In an hourslong and at times tense discussion that began Tuesday night and stretched to nearly 1 a.m. Wednesday, the Santa Clara City Council directed city staff to prioritize tightening air pollution and water use regulations for new data centers in the city as they take a more comprehensive look at all city policies related to data centers. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The midsize Silicon Valley city of 130,000 people has quietly become the data center capital of California, in large part thanks to its own electric utility, Silicon Valley Power, which sells watts at much lower prices than PG&E. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/03/RS34908_P1100952-qut.jpg\" alt=\"Blue trucks with 'pg and e' logo on them sit parked in a lot with the white and black blurry pattern of a fence in the foreground\" class=\"wp-image-11943199\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/03/RS34908_P1100952-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/03/RS34908_P1100952-qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/03/RS34908_P1100952-qut-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/03/RS34908_P1100952-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/03/RS34908_P1100952-qut-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">PG&E trucks sit inside a Mission District facility owned by the utility. (Sheraz Sadiq/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Santa Clara has nearly 60 data centers currently, generating about $35 million in revenue for the city last year. The money, which comes from electricity payments and property and sales taxes, accounts for almost 10% of the city’s general fund, or nearly enough to cover the entire annual budget for its Parks & Recreation and Library departments combined, according to city staff. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The city already requires data centers built after December 2022 to use the equivalent of carbon-neutral power, through purchasing offsets, encourages the use of recycled water and asks developers to expand recycled water infrastructure during buildouts, city staff said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But some council members aren’t sure the city should continue permitting the structures, as they weighed out financial benefits against concerns over pollution from generators, water use, artificial intelligence and the need to expand the city’s maxed-out grid. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Councilmember Karen Hardy, who is running for mayor, said after reading a staff report about the city’s current data center regulations, she feels the city has taken a “loosey-goosey” approach to handling development of the hulking facilities, and is proposing a temporary moratorium. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I’ve been happy about data centers in the past, but now I am uncomfortable with some of the realities that we’ve looked at and some of realities we have uncovered by the questions we have asked,” Hardy said at the meeting. “We need to put the brakes on all of this until we have done the work and have something that we can present to our residents to make certain they understand that we are protecting their water and their air quality.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The council’s discussion took place on the same night leaders of San Francisco and Oakland each approved temporary moratoriums against data centers. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Councilmember Suds Jain, citing a previously approved application for a data center in the city that would use only about two homes’ worth of water a year for backup cooling, said the city should set much more stringent water use requirements and put similar limits on the books fast, even if it means adopting them one at a time. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“We need to have these guardrails in place to protect our residents,” he said. “Why are we waiting so long?”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>City staff suggested the targets touted in that project’s environmental impact documents may not actually be achievable in the field, or by other data centers, which frustrated Jain. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“But that’s their [Environmental Impact Report]. So if they violate the EIR, what do we do?” he said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But Santa Clara is already in a holding pattern of sorts for data centers, as the city stopped accepting power hookup applications from data center developers in 2023 because Silicon Valley Power could not provide any more electricity to large users. The utility is in the midst of a $450 million power infrastructure upgrade, including receiving station changes and battery storage projects, which isn’t expected to be fully complete until 2030. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>However, the pause on powering up new data centers is not the same as a complete moratorium, city staff said. While the city’s power company will not accept new applications for data centers, a developer could still apply for and seek land use entitlements from the city to prepare for a future data center, staff told the council. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261002-DATACENTERFILE-JG-07-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12102826\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261002-DATACENTERFILE-JG-07-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261002-DATACENTERFILE-JG-07-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261002-DATACENTERFILE-JG-07-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">One of CoreSite’s data centers in Santa Clara is seen on Stender Way Oct. 2, 2026. (Joseph Geha/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>There are two previously approved data centers under construction currently, and eight more in the pipeline that were approved for power hookups before the 2023 cutoff, which are awaiting electricity from the city. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Ratepayers have seen several increases in power rates, and Councilmember Kevin Park, also running for mayor, estimated costs have ballooned nearly 60% over the past several years, though City Manager Jōvan Grogan said the city still charges 58% less than PG&E. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>About 54% of Santa Clara’s power is used by data centers, and about 95% of the power in the city is consumed by commercial and industrial customers overall, according to the city. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Let’s be honest, the residents aren’t the reason why we need to build the new infrastructure,” Park said. “I don’t think the residents should be on the hook for any of that cost. If we’re going to put in requirements, the requirements should be data center developers; they pay their way,” he said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Park broadly questioned the benefit of having more data centers in the city, and called the estimated $4 million in affordable housing funds the city has received from data center developers since 2019 “rookie numbers” that were the equivalent of “throwing bricks into the Grand Canyon.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>He said the question of whether the city should continue to pursue more data center development should be put to a vote of residents, and also backed the idea of a moratorium until more regulation is in place around generative AI.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Let’s give the people a voice in this matter. Do we want more data centers?” he said. “We’re doing this for AI … We’re doing it for a technology that has no guardrails.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>City staff is planning to bring back a wholesale look at data center regulations by summer or fall of next year, but the council asked that proposals for water and air regulations come back sooner.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In an hourslong and at times tense discussion that began Tuesday night and stretched to nearly 1 a.m. Wednesday, the Santa Clara City Council directed city staff to prioritize tightening air pollution and water use regulations for new data centers in the city as they take a more comprehensive look at all city policies related to data centers. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The midsize Silicon Valley city of 130,000 people has quietly become the data center capital of California, in large part thanks to its own electric utility, Silicon Valley Power, which sells watts at much lower prices than PG&E. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/03/RS34908_P1100952-qut.jpg\" alt=\"Blue trucks with 'pg and e' logo on them sit parked in a lot with the white and black blurry pattern of a fence in the foreground\" class=\"wp-image-11943199\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/03/RS34908_P1100952-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/03/RS34908_P1100952-qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/03/RS34908_P1100952-qut-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/03/RS34908_P1100952-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/03/RS34908_P1100952-qut-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">PG&E trucks sit inside a Mission District facility owned by the utility.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Sheraz Sadiq/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Santa Clara has nearly 60 data centers currently, generating about $35 million in revenue for the city last year. The money, which comes from electricity payments and property and sales taxes, accounts for almost 10% of the city’s general fund, or nearly enough to cover the entire annual budget for its Parks & Recreation and Library departments combined, according to city staff. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Santa Clara has nearly 60 data centers currently, generating about $35 million in revenue for the city last year. The money, which comes from electricity payments and property and sales taxes, accounts for almost 10% of the city’s general fund, or nearly enough to cover the entire annual budget for its Parks & Recreation and Library departments combined, according to city staff. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The city already requires data centers built after December 2022 to use the equivalent of carbon-neutral power, through purchasing offsets, encourages the use of recycled water and asks developers to expand recycled water infrastructure during buildouts, city staff said.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The city already requires data centers built after December 2022 to use the equivalent of carbon-neutral power, through purchasing offsets, encourages the use of recycled water and asks developers to expand recycled water infrastructure during buildouts, city staff said.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>But some council members aren’t sure the city should continue permitting the structures, as they weighed out financial benefits against concerns over pollution from generators, water use, artificial intelligence and the need to expand the city’s maxed-out grid. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>But some council members aren’t sure the city should continue permitting the structures, as they weighed out financial benefits against concerns over pollution from generators, water use, artificial intelligence and the need to expand the city’s maxed-out grid. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Councilmember Karen Hardy, who is running for mayor, said after reading a staff report about the city’s current data center regulations, she feels the city has taken a “loosey-goosey” approach to handling development of the hulking facilities, and is proposing a temporary moratorium. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“I’ve been happy about data centers in the past, but now I am uncomfortable with some of the realities that we’ve looked at and some of realities we have uncovered by the questions we have asked,” Hardy said at the meeting. “We need to put the brakes on all of this until we have done the work and have something that we can present to our residents to make certain they understand that we are protecting their water and their air quality.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The council’s discussion took place on the same night leaders of San Francisco and Oakland each approved temporary moratoriums against data centers. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Councilmember Suds Jain, citing a previously approved application for a data center in the city that would use only about two homes’ worth of water a year for backup cooling, said the city should set much more stringent water use requirements and put similar limits on the books fast, even if it means adopting them one at a time. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Councilmember Suds Jain, citing a previously approved application for a data center in the city that would use only about two homes’ worth of water a year for backup cooling, said the city should set much more stringent water use requirements and put similar limits on the books fast, even if it means adopting them one at a time. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“We need to have these guardrails in place to protect our residents,” he said. “Why are we waiting so long?”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“We need to have these guardrails in place to protect our residents,” he said. “Why are we waiting so long?”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>City staff suggested the targets touted in that project’s environmental impact documents may not actually be achievable in the field, or by other data centers, which frustrated Jain. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>City staff suggested the targets touted in that project’s environmental impact documents may not actually be achievable in the field, or by other data centers, which frustrated Jain. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“But that’s their [Environmental Impact Report]. So if they violate the EIR, what do we do?” he said. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>But Santa Clara is already in a holding pattern of sorts for data centers, as the city stopped accepting power hookup applications from data center developers in 2023 because Silicon Valley Power could not provide any more electricity to large users. The utility is in the midst of a $450 million power infrastructure upgrade, including receiving station changes and battery storage projects, which isn’t expected to be fully complete until 2030. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>However, the pause on powering up new data centers is not the same as a complete moratorium, city staff said. While the city’s power company will not accept new applications for data centers, a developer could still apply for and seek land use entitlements from the city to prepare for a future data center, staff told the council. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>However, the pause on powering up new data centers is not the same as a complete moratorium, city staff said. While the city’s power company will not accept new applications for data centers, a developer could still apply for and seek land use entitlements from the city to prepare for a future data center, staff told the council. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261002-DATACENTERFILE-JG-07-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12102826\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261002-DATACENTERFILE-JG-07-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261002-DATACENTERFILE-JG-07-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261002-DATACENTERFILE-JG-07-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">One of CoreSite’s data centers in Santa Clara is seen on Stender Way Oct. 2, 2026.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Joseph Geha/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261002-DATACENTERFILE-JG-07-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12102826\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">One of CoreSite’s data centers in Santa Clara is seen on Stender Way Oct. 2, 2026.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Joseph Geha/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>There are two previously approved data centers under construction currently, and eight more in the pipeline that were approved for power hookups before the 2023 cutoff, which are awaiting electricity from the city. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Ratepayers have seen several increases in power rates, and Councilmember Kevin Park, also running for mayor, estimated costs have ballooned nearly 60% over the past several years, though City Manager Jōvan Grogan said the city still charges 58% less than PG&E. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Ratepayers have seen several increases in power rates, and Councilmember Kevin Park, also running for mayor, estimated costs have ballooned nearly 60% over the past several years, though City Manager Jōvan Grogan said the city still charges 58% less than PG&E. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>About 54% of Santa Clara’s power is used by data centers, and about 95% of the power in the city is consumed by commercial and industrial customers overall, according to the city. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Let’s be honest, the residents aren’t the reason why we need to build the new infrastructure,” Park said. “I don’t think the residents should be on the hook for any of that cost. If we’re going to put in requirements, the requirements should be data center developers; they pay their way,” he said. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Park broadly questioned the benefit of having more data centers in the city, and called the estimated $4 million in affordable housing funds the city has received from data center developers since 2019 “rookie numbers” that were the equivalent of “throwing bricks into the Grand Canyon.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Park broadly questioned the benefit of having more data centers in the city, and called the estimated $4 million in affordable housing funds the city has received from data center developers since 2019 “rookie numbers” that were the equivalent of “throwing bricks into the Grand Canyon.” \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>He said the question of whether the city should continue to pursue more data center development should be put to a vote of residents, and also backed the idea of a moratorium until more regulation is in place around generative AI.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Let’s give the people a voice in this matter. Do we want more data centers?” he said. “We’re doing this for AI … We’re doing it for a technology that has no guardrails.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>City staff is planning to bring back a wholesale look at data center regulations by summer or fall of next year, but the council asked that proposals for water and air regulations come back sooner.\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "Santa Clara’s City Council pushed for more stringent water and air pollution regulations for new data centers. ",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\n\u003cp>As controversy over \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12099195/full-on-backlash-against-data-centers-occurring-as-san-jose-courts-them\">data centers\u003c/a> swells in communities around the Bay Area and the nation, Santa Clara leaders are pushing to beef up the city’s regulations and standards for future data center development.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In an hourslong and at times tense discussion that began Tuesday night and stretched to nearly 1 a.m. Wednesday, the Santa Clara City Council directed city staff to prioritize tightening air pollution and water use regulations for new data centers in the city as they take a more comprehensive look at all city policies related to data centers. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The midsize Silicon Valley city of 130,000 people has quietly become the data center capital of California, in large part thanks to its own electric utility, Silicon Valley Power, which sells watts at much lower prices than PG&E. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/03/RS34908_P1100952-qut.jpg\" alt=\"Blue trucks with 'pg and e' logo on them sit parked in a lot with the white and black blurry pattern of a fence in the foreground\" class=\"wp-image-11943199\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/03/RS34908_P1100952-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/03/RS34908_P1100952-qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/03/RS34908_P1100952-qut-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/03/RS34908_P1100952-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/03/RS34908_P1100952-qut-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">PG&E trucks sit inside a Mission District facility owned by the utility. (Sheraz Sadiq/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Santa Clara has nearly 60 data centers currently, generating about $35 million in revenue for the city last year. The money, which comes from electricity payments and property and sales taxes, accounts for almost 10% of the city’s general fund, or nearly enough to cover the entire annual budget for its Parks & Recreation and Library departments combined, according to city staff. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The city already requires data centers built after December 2022 to use the equivalent of carbon-neutral power, through purchasing offsets, encourages the use of recycled water and asks developers to expand recycled water infrastructure during buildouts, city staff said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But some council members aren’t sure the city should continue permitting the structures, as they weighed out financial benefits against concerns over pollution from generators, water use, artificial intelligence and the need to expand the city’s maxed-out grid. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Councilmember Karen Hardy, who is running for mayor, said after reading a staff report about the city’s current data center regulations, she feels the city has taken a “loosey-goosey” approach to handling development of the hulking facilities, and is proposing a temporary moratorium. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I’ve been happy about data centers in the past, but now I am uncomfortable with some of the realities that we’ve looked at and some of realities we have uncovered by the questions we have asked,” Hardy said at the meeting. “We need to put the brakes on all of this until we have done the work and have something that we can present to our residents to make certain they understand that we are protecting their water and their air quality.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The council’s discussion took place on the same night leaders of San Francisco and Oakland each approved temporary moratoriums against data centers. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Councilmember Suds Jain, citing a previously approved application for a data center in the city that would use only about two homes’ worth of water a year for backup cooling, said the city should set much more stringent water use requirements and put similar limits on the books fast, even if it means adopting them one at a time. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“We need to have these guardrails in place to protect our residents,” he said. “Why are we waiting so long?”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>City staff suggested the targets touted in that project’s environmental impact documents may not actually be achievable in the field, or by other data centers, which frustrated Jain. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“But that’s their [Environmental Impact Report]. So if they violate the EIR, what do we do?” he said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But Santa Clara is already in a holding pattern of sorts for data centers, as the city stopped accepting power hookup applications from data center developers in 2023 because Silicon Valley Power could not provide any more electricity to large users. The utility is in the midst of a $450 million power infrastructure upgrade, including receiving station changes and battery storage projects, which isn’t expected to be fully complete until 2030. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>However, the pause on powering up new data centers is not the same as a complete moratorium, city staff said. While the city’s power company will not accept new applications for data centers, a developer could still apply for and seek land use entitlements from the city to prepare for a future data center, staff told the council. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261002-DATACENTERFILE-JG-07-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12102826\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261002-DATACENTERFILE-JG-07-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261002-DATACENTERFILE-JG-07-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261002-DATACENTERFILE-JG-07-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">One of CoreSite’s data centers in Santa Clara is seen on Stender Way Oct. 2, 2026. (Joseph Geha/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>There are two previously approved data centers under construction currently, and eight more in the pipeline that were approved for power hookups before the 2023 cutoff, which are awaiting electricity from the city. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Ratepayers have seen several increases in power rates, and Councilmember Kevin Park, also running for mayor, estimated costs have ballooned nearly 60% over the past several years, though City Manager Jōvan Grogan said the city still charges 58% less than PG&E. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>About 54% of Santa Clara’s power is used by data centers, and about 95% of the power in the city is consumed by commercial and industrial customers overall, according to the city. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Let’s be honest, the residents aren’t the reason why we need to build the new infrastructure,” Park said. “I don’t think the residents should be on the hook for any of that cost. If we’re going to put in requirements, the requirements should be data center developers; they pay their way,” he said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Park broadly questioned the benefit of having more data centers in the city, and called the estimated $4 million in affordable housing funds the city has received from data center developers since 2019 “rookie numbers” that were the equivalent of “throwing bricks into the Grand Canyon.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>He said the question of whether the city should continue to pursue more data center development should be put to a vote of residents, and also backed the idea of a moratorium until more regulation is in place around generative AI.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Let’s give the people a voice in this matter. Do we want more data centers?” he said. “We’re doing this for AI … We’re doing it for a technology that has no guardrails.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>City staff is planning to bring back a wholesale look at data center regulations by summer or fall of next year, but the council asked that proposals for water and air regulations come back sooner.\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "can-we-cool-data-centers-with-pee",
"title": "Can We Cool Data Centers With… Pee?",
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"headTitle": "Can We Cool Data Centers With… Pee? | KQED",
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"content": "\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"#episode-transcript\">\u003cem>View the full episode transcript.\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>People \u003cem>really\u003c/em> seem to hate data centers. And the more people learn about the amount of resources these server-packed buildings need, the bigger the backlash grows. Perhaps that’s why the viral music video and beverage ad “We Want Your Pee” took off in popularity about a month ago. It’s a collaboration between Liquid Death and Jason Kelce’s Garage Beer, and it advocates that urine could address the cooling needs of data centers. It’s obviously a joke… \u003cem>but could it actually work? \u003c/em>Host Morgan Sung talks to journalist Amanda Silberling about what she discovered when she looked into this question, and about the alternative cooling methods that might actually help everyone’s least favorite buildings use a little less H2O.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003cstrong>\u003cbr>\u003c/strong>\u003cstrong>Guest:\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://techcrunch.com/author/amanda-silberling/\">Amanda Silberling\u003c/a>, senior writer at \u003cem>TechCrunch\u003c/em>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003cstrong>\u003cbr>\u003c/strong>\u003cstrong>Further Reading/Listening:\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://techcrunch.com/2026/08/20/ok-can-we-actually-cool-data-centers-with-our-pee/\">OK, can we actually cool data centers with our pee?\u003c/a> — Amanda Silberling, \u003cem>TechCrunch\u003c/em>\u003c/li>\n\n\n\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://techcrunch.com/2026/08/19/ai-was-supposed-to-win-people-over-by-now-it-hasnt/\">AI was supposed to win people over by now — it hasn’t\u003c/a> — Sarah Perez, \u003cem>TechCrunch\u003c/em>\u003c/li>\n\n\n\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.theverge.com/ai-artificial-intelligence/983181/matti-haapoja-sam-kold-kolder-higgsfield-seedance-backlash\">Major YouTube creators are facing backlash for accepting AI money\u003c/a> — Charles Pulliam-Moore, \u003cem>The Verge\u003c/em>\u003c/li>\n\n\n\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://theartofinfluence.substack.com/p/why-openais-influencer-trip-backfired\">Why OpenAI’s influencer trip backfired\u003c/a> — \u003cem>The Art of Influence\u003c/em>\u003c/li>\n\n\n\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2026/09/22/americans-views-of-data-centers-have-turned-more-negative/\">Americans’ views of data centers have turned more negative\u003c/a> — Brian Kennedy, \u003cem>Pew Research\u003c/em>\u003c/li>\n\n\n\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.space.com/astronaut-pee-iss-water-recycling-98-percent-milestone\">NASA just recycled 98% of all astronaut pee and sweat on the ISS (engineers are thrilled)\u003c/a> — Robert Lea, \u003cem>Space\u003c/em>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Want to give us feedback on the show? Shoot us an email at \u003ca href=\"mailto:CloseAllTabs@KQED.org\">CloseAllTabs@KQED.org\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Follow us on \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/closealltabspod/\">Instagram\u003c/a> and\u003ca href=\"https://www.tiktok.com/@closealltabs\">\u003c/a> \u003ca href=\"https://www.tiktok.com/@closealltabs\">TikTok\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"episode-transcript\">Episode Transcript\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>\u003cem>This is a computer-generated transcript. While our team has reviewed it, there may be errors.\u003c/em>\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Morgan Sung: \u003c/strong>Hi, Tabby Cats. Do you have an internet trend, tech subculture, or online oddity you’ve been wondering about? Well, now you can ask Close All Tabs to investigate. Go to kqed dot org slash podcast slash Close All Tabs, to submit your question. Okay, let’s get to the show. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>[Clip of Jason Kelce ad from YouTube]: \u003c/strong>We want your pee… to cool these data centers. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Morgan Sung: \u003c/strong>Okay, so that’s NFL star and podcaster Jason Kelce in a recent marketing campaign to, quote, “Save humanity.” How? Well, they need your pee. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>[Clip of Jason Kelce ad from YouTube]: \u003c/strong>We want your pee. Please give us your pee. Let’s pee on computers together. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Morgan Sung: \u003c/strong>The video starts with Kelce in a bathroom, peeing into a large resealable mason jar before breaking out into song and marching into a lush green field. He’s joined by a farmer, a skateboarder, a shirtless firefighter, a gamer — all different types of people — holding various receptacles of pee. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>[Clip of Jason Kelce ad from YouTube]: \u003c/strong>‘Cause we need lots of pee, endless gallons of pee. Join our important endeavor. We want your pee.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Morgan Sung: \u003c/strong>It’s an all-American fantasy of unity and solidarity, and a shared vision of the future. And of course — it’s an ad. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>[Clip of Jason Kelce ad from YouTube]: \u003c/strong>So what are you waiting for? Go ahead and have another Garage Beer or Liquid Death’s Sparkling Energy, then send your pee to the AI data center of your choice. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Amanda Silberling: \u003c/strong>So Jason Kelce and his beer brand Garage Beer team up with Liquid Death, the very punk rock, canned water venture funded company. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Morgan Sung: \u003c/strong>This is my friend Amanda Silberling. She’s a senior writer at TechCrunch and host of the Internet Culture Podcast, Wow If True. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Amanda Silberling: \u003c/strong>Jason Kelce is drinking a beer and appears to be peeing. And he explains that, “Hey, data centers are using millions and millions of gallons of water every day. This is a really significant environmental issue. What if we solved it by sending data centers our pee?” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Morgan Sung: \u003c/strong>Right, and to go along with this, they also are selling data center pee jars? \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Amanda Silberling: \u003c/strong>Yes, which they sold out very quickly, but it was essentially like a glass mason jar where — I think something they were also trying to get at is that maybe the color of a light beer could be similar to the color of pee, but I think that that means you probably need to be drinking more water. So there’s the Liquid Death marketing, I guess. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Morgan Sung: \u003c/strong>Okay, we’ve talked about data centers pretty extensively on this show. Think about the way your laptop might get really, really hot when you run intense functions — like editing video, or if you’re me, playing The Sims. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Amanda Silberling: \u003c/strong>So, when we do things on our computers, we need a lot of power to do those things. And data centers generate the power that can support, like, really power-intensive computing things, which AI is especially very, very compute-intensive. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Morgan Sung: \u003c/strong>Data centers are nothing new. We’ve relied on them for years. Any online service, from streaming movies on Netflix to scrolling through Instagram reels, is powered by data centers. But this current explosion in data center construction is directly tied to the AI boom. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Amanda Silberling: \u003c/strong>So when you have these data centers, they are doing a lot of work, they’re producing a lot of heat, and that can… like, it can be bad, like when your laptop overheats or something. So one of the tactics that some data centers use to counter that heat is using water for cooling, and often that water is clean, potable, drinking water that is then creating a situation where people drinking water in a particular area are competing with the data centers for that drinking water. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Morgan Sung: \u003c/strong>Which brings us back to Jason Kelce’s pee jars. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>[Clip of Jason Kelce ad from YouTube]: \u003c/strong>We want your pee. Please give us your pee. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Amanda Silberling: \u003c/strong>I think people thought it was really funny. Liquid Death does good marketing… But, I think that what stuck out to me is that there actually is some real illustration of like, this really is how Americans feel, and… It was just getting shared around a lot, I think also because there is such a concentrated sentiment against data center construction right now, because people are watching very rapidly how AI is changing the world around them, and sometimes that means building data centers in their communities, and they know that these are very water-intensive and loud, and maybe are working to enable technologies that they don’t feel are ethical sometimes. So, I think this was sort of just like a moment where people felt seen by big beer and big water as opposed to big AI. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Morgan Sung: \u003c/strong>Liquid Death’s viral marketing campaign was obviously silly. In the video and in the product listing for the now sold out pee jars, they do say, “Please don’t actually send your pee.” But this video got Amanda thinking. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Amanda Silberling: \u003c/strong>So, I was talking about this in Slack with one of my editors, and he was like, “I mean, I don’t see why it couldn’t work.” And then I was like, “I don’t know a lot about the engineering behind data centers.” I studied English in college, but it’s time to learn. Could it actually work? Because if you think about it, it’s like, people produce a lot of pee. We need a lot of water. If pee would work, then sure. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Morgan Sung: \u003c/strong>So, like any intrepid reporter, Amanda investigated this question. Could we really cool data centers with pee? And if not, are there any alternatives to cooling these massive data centers without relying on our clean, precious drinking water? In today’s deep dive, we’re getting into all of that. And as it turns out, cooling data centers is not as simple as peeing on computers. Buckle up. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>This is Close All Tabs. I’m Morgan Sung, tech journalist and your chronically online friend, here to open as many browser tabs as it takes to help you understand how the digital world affects our real lives. Let’s get into it. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Let’s open our first tab — and let me just say, I cannot believe that I am actually typing this question out right now. Okay, new tab. Can you actually cool data centers with pee? \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>So, there’s one pretty big problem with this question. Data centers need a lot of water. And human beings just do not pee enough, and are not capable of peeing enough, to replace the sheer amount of clean water that data centers use every day. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Amanda Silberling: \u003c/strong>So in Loudoun County, Virginia, which is home to more than 250 data centers — it’s basically like the data center capital of the U.S. — in 2025, they said that each day the data centers use 460 million gallons of water. And not all of that has to be clean, potable water. So 43% of what Loudoun County is using is actually recycled water, but… that still does mean that 260 million gallons of water every day are coming from potable water supplies, which is very staggering. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Morgan Sung: \u003c/strong>Adults can only produce three to eight cups of urine per day. Even if the entire population of the United States managed to produce the maximum amount of pee possible for the human body, it still would not be enough for what Loudoun County alone needs for its data centers. No matter how much trendy canned water everyone drinks, we’d still be like, 90 million gallons short. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But for the sake of our deep dive, let’s say we could replace data center water with pee. What would happen? To answer this question, Amanda needed to talk to experts: real scientists who study wastewater recycling and resource management and infrastructure. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Amanda Silberling: \u003c/strong>And, I posted on LinkedIn like, “I want to talk to people about pee. If you know about like, wastewater and data centers, like please reach out.”. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Morgan Sung: \u003c/strong>To her surprise, that post took off. Like a lot of people were sharing it and being like, “Please talk to her because I want to read this article.” So I got a lot of outreach from like very overqualified people, which, I love that. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Morgan Sung: \u003c/strong> I mean, one of the people you said was like way, way overqualified was Bruno Pigott, who used to be in charge of like, wastewater for the EPA under the Biden administration. How did Bruno respond when you approached him with this question? \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Amanda Silberling: \u003c/strong>Pretty much everyone I talked to for this article was like, “This is the most fun part of my day,” like, “Yay!” But he was very amused by it. Like, he really was like gonna play the game. Like, I think everyone I talked to was very willing to follow the thought experiment of like, “Okay, actually like sending pee to data centers and collecting human pee, like, there’s not enough of it that it would make a difference. But theoretically, what if we did?” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Morgan Sung: \u003c/strong>So to be clear, data center cooling is a lot more complicated than just pouring water on hot circuit boards. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Amanda Silberling: \u003c/strong>Like in the commercial, Jason Kelce is more so being like, what if we pee on the data centers? What if we like send them our pee? Which, like, no one is literally dumping water on computers. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Morgan Sung: \u003c/strong>The vast majority of the world’s existing data centers use evaporative cooling. It generally works like this. With all these servers whirring around, it gets pretty hot inside. So, cooling towers, equipped with big old fans, pull hot air in, passing it through absorbent pads soaked in water, which absorb the heat. Then, it spits out nice, chilled air. Modern data centers use this in conjunction with other cooling methods, but the point is… they need a lot of clean water to pull it off. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Amanda Silberling: \u003c/strong>You can very quickly see why just straight up urine is not a good coolant for data centers. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Morgan Sung: \u003c/strong>If you try this out with any liquid other than water, the water in it, the H2O, will evaporate. But, all the other gunk will be left behind, collecting on the equipment. Now, imagine doing this with human pee. Here’s what Bruno told Amanda. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Amanda Silberling: \u003c/strong>Quote, “Pee contains all sorts of stuff,” which, great quote to get in an article. It contains salts, it contains urea, bacteria, organic matter of all sorts that can leave mineral deposits. If you just put that into a cooling tower or something else, it would require constant cleaning. Can you imagine if you just poured urine through hot air? So to say, urine is a liquid and a lot of what is in urine is water, but also, it’s kind of yucky. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Morgan Sung: \u003c/strong>If you’ve ever had the misfortune of using a porta potty on a hot summer day, you know the smell. A typical porta potty can hold 60 to 70 gallons of human waste. There’s a lot of contention over data center water use numbers, but typical midsize data centers use roughly 300,000 gallons of water every day. So imagine the smell of a boiling porta potty in the middle of July, but now there are at least 5,000 more of them. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Residents have already pushed back against data centers in their communities because of the noise pollution, the rising energy bills, and the health concerns. The smell of 5,000 hot porta potties on top of that? Nobody wants that. Plus, the cleaning alone would be a nightmare. It would be so labor-intensive that it’s just not worth it. But, can’t we clean the pee? Filter all the gunk out so it’s clean, pure water? Astronauts up in space do this? \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Amanda Silberling: \u003c/strong>If you think about the recent Artemis 2 mission, like they were up there for multiple weeks. Like, they need to drink a lot of water, like, humans need so much water to live. And you can only bring so much with you. So they have like, mechanisms built into the toilets in spacecrafts that then recycle it and sanitize it so that it can be drank again. And, I don’t know, science is kind of amazing sometimes. [laughs] \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Morgan Sung: \u003c/strong>As of a few years ago, astronauts on the International Space Station have managed to recycle 98% of their sweat and urine into clean drinking water. That’s huge! It’s all thanks to this nifty NASA device called a brine processor. So why can’t we use that? It’s so expensive. The brine processer for a single flight-ready unit costs over $5 million. The International space station has like, seven crew members at a time. It just does not scale when you think about deploying this for a whole town, much less the entire country. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But, not all is lost. Jason Kelce’s very catchy song inspired Amanda to start digging into another alternative method for cooling down data centers: wastewater. That’s the used, dirty water that is no longer safe for human consumption. Like, what you flush down the toilet or the runoff from a car wash. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Amanda Silberling: \u003c/strong>So it’s kind of like a silly idea, but then, not all of the water that we use is like, brand new fresh water. That’s not really a thing. If you think back to learning about the water cycle in school, like — what’s the difference between the clean, potable water that is in like, when you go and buy a water bottle at the store versus like, wastewater. Someone who used to be high up in the EPA told me that the adage about, technically we’re all drinking dinosaur pee, is kind of true. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Morgan Sung: \u003c/strong>That’s a new tab, which we’ll open right after a quick break. But first, we wanted to remind you that Close All Tabs depends on listeners like you to keep us going. You can support us by becoming a member at donate dot kqed dot org slash podcast. Okay — after the break — sure, we’re all technically drinking dinosaur pee. So why not use wastewater for data centers? Stick around. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Welcome back. Let’s open a new tab. Can data centers use recycled water? Reusing wastewater is not new. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Amanda Silberling: \u003c/strong>So, these water treatment facilities, they take recycled water and they use various different complex technologies that I cannot explain to you like, membrane bioreactors, reverse osmosis, ultraviolet light, and other processes where they’re treating water until it’s clean enough for industrial use. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Morgan Sung: \u003c/strong>And Bruno Pigott, the guy formerly in charge of wastewater at the EPA, told Amanda something really interesting. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Amanda Silberling: \u003c/strong>I keep saying EPA because it’s just cool that he used to be so high up in the government. But, he is the executive director of the WateReuse Association. He told me that sometimes water treatment facilities can sanitize water to such a degree that they actually have to add minerals back into it because people aren’t used to the taste of water without minerals. Like, I guess it would taste weird to us if we drank, like… 1000% sanitized water. They have the technology to do it. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Morgan Sung: \u003c/strong>We actually don’t need the recycled water to be ultra sanitized to use it. We already safely use recycled wastewater — collected from municipal storm drains, flushing toilets, and industrial sites. Water treatment for industrial mining, for example, doesn’t need to be as clean as the water we use for irrigating farms. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Amanda Silberling: \u003c/strong>There’s different levels of sanitization, obviously, where it’s like, if you think about the water that you would use to water your plants, maybe isn’t the same water that you’re drinking. It doesn’t need to be as clean as drinking water. And it’s the same with data centers where it doesn’t to be like, the cleanest, most pristine water. And wouldn’t you rather have that kind of water available for people to consume it? \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Morgan Sung: \u003c/strong>So then, if this is a genuine possibility, why are data centers and local communities still fighting for the same drinking water? \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Amanda Silberling: \u003c/strong>I think it’s just not a priority for government to set up the infrastructure to recycle water and turn it into more sanitized versions of water that can be used for various other things, but it does exist in some places. So that’s why, as we mentioned earlier, Loudoun County in Virginia, because that’s such a hub for data centers, and this is such a huge burden on the water in that region, they have invested in making these water recycling plants where they can sanitize water to the point that it is clean enough that it can be used to cool data centers safely. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Morgan Sung: \u003c/strong>To better understand water recycling, Amanda talked to another expert. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Amanda Silberling: \u003c/strong>Dr. Greta Zornes, who is the practice leader for water reuse at the engineering firm CDM Smith — so basically she is in charge of thinking about how we are engineering data centers and how we can create data centers that are built so that they’re able to use recycled water and have that kind of infrastructure. Like, this is what she does every day. And she’s been working in water reuse for more than two decades, but she said that now, literally every day, she’s working on recycled water for data centers. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Morgan Sung: \u003c/strong>And as Dr. Zornes told Amanda, it’s not as simple as just building a new wastewater treatment plant for every new data center. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Amanda Silberling: \u003c/strong>If you’re rebuilding a city from scratch right now, that city will probably be more easily able to have those sorts of like recycled water setups than if you’re like in New York City and you’re let me replace this infrastructure from like the 1800s or something. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Morgan Sung: \u003c/strong>The truth is, right now, we just don’t have the infrastructure for all the data centers in the country to exclusively use recycled water. But, there is some hope for us. Amanda said there are people working with tech companies and local governments to build out this infrastructure. And, she talked to one of them. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Amanda Silberling: \u003c/strong>So, Michael Obradovitch, who is the president of Data Center Global Accounts at Ecolab, he thinks that data centers could actually be something that drives the creation of more recycled water infrastructure. So, maybe even though data centers are kind of seen as being very bad for the environment, maybe in a way that could spur some construction of things that do help us with conserving resources, but it’s kind of a small victory that’s not really a victory in the greater scheme. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Morgan Sung: \u003c/strong>On the legislation side, Bruno Pigott, former EPA guy, is pushing for the Advancing Water Reuse Act. That’s a bill that would provide a hefty tax credit to incentivize industries to scale their water recycling — and some tech companies are already investing in this infrastructure. Meta, for one, announced that they’re putting $270 million into wastewater infrastructure projects in areas they’re building new data centers. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Amanda Silberling: \u003c/strong>That sounds like, really amazing, like $270 million. But then, when you think about it, Meta just got fined $17 billion for child safety issues, and then they spend $4 billion on Reality Labs each quarter for the last several years. Like literally every quarter on the Meta quarterly earnings sheet, it’s like we lost $4 billion on Reality Labs. And Reality Labs is the division where they like the VR, AR stuff. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>So, it’s not like Meta is being unbelievably generous, but $270 million is not nothing, and it helps, and Amazon is doing something similar and trying to power its data centers with more recycled water. This does seem to be something where tech companies do understand that there is a really significant environmental risk here, or maybe they just understand that it’s like a reputational risk, where they don’t want to be seen as perpetuating that — but, if the reputational risk is what’s getting them to invest in it, then sure, I guess. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Morgan Sung: \u003c/strong>That reputational risk is huge right now. People in this country love to argue, but today there’s one issue that a majority of Americans can agree on, hating data centers. And, we have just enough time to open one last tab: the great American data center backlash. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>[Clip of Jason Kelce ad from YouTube]: \u003c/strong>Let’s pee on our computers together, and save humanity. We want your pee.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Morgan Sung: \u003c/strong>We’ve talked about all the reasons peeing on data centers wouldn’t work, but aside from just being very catchy, this video blew up for a reason. It echoes a sentiment felt across the country, an issue uniting Americans beyond party lines. Nobody wants a data center in their backyard. OpenAI released ChatGPT in 2022. LLMs — large language models — were just the start. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>When the AI industry started really taking off a few years ago, developers and tech companies alike sold data centers as the future of industry. They made grand promises of creating jobs and investing in local communities. But, as we’ve talked about before on Close All Tabs, there hasn’t been much follow through on these promises. Instead, residents have raised concerns over skyrocketing utility bills, health issues, and unrelenting noise pollution. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Data center popularity is in the toilet. A recent Gallup poll found that seven out of 10 Americans opposed data centers in their area. And it’s bipartisan — Pew Research numbers published this month show that over half of Republicans and about two-thirds of Democrats say they’d be not comfortable with a new local data center. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Amanda Silberling: \u003c/strong>People just don’t want these like, giant industrial centers that make a lot of noise and represent a kind of technology that maybe there isn’t a great sentiment toward, like they just don’t want that in their neighborhood. And I think the sentiment toward AI is generally moving more negative. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Morgan Sung: \u003c/strong>In the last few months, there’s been a massive cultural vibe shift against AI as a whole. Another Pew Research study, published in August, found that 52% of Americans said they’re, quote, “More concerned than excited about the increased use of AI in daily life.” In 2021, it was only 37%. And creators who accept AI sponsorships and use AI in their content? They’re losing followers. One of the biggest internet scandals of the summer was an influencer brand trip, sponsored by OpenAI. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>[Clip of TikTok video by Louis Levanti]: \u003c/strong>OpenAI just took influencers on a luxury trip with beekeeping and $5,000-a-night suites — while they’re building a $500 billion data center that’s about to suck power from your grid. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Amanda Silberling: \u003c/strong>The amount of sort of damage control that tech companies are having to do shows that, in a way, you could say that the average people that are frustrated with AI are starting to gain some ground. Like, I’m thinking about how there was recent backlash against the YouTuber slash writer slash general internet guy, Hank Green, when someone called him out for using the phrase, “I appreciate the pushback,” in a video. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>[Clip of Hank Green from YouTube]: \u003c/strong>A better way to say it. And I appreciate the pushback, is a word is a human invention. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Amanda Silberling: \u003c/strong>That’s just a phrase that people say, but it is also something that AI says a lot, and then someone accused him of using AI. And he kind of tattled on himself where he was like, “That actually wasn’t AI, I was just appreciating that someone pushed back on something, but I have been using AI in a way that I feel is kind of unhealthy.” And then he talked about it and people felt really, really betrayed — but, the reaction to the Hank Green situation shows that people really do think that’s that bad. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>There isn’t really a sense of nuance, and I don’t think that we’ve gotten to a space culturally where we have clear rules around what is good or bad AI use. Some people think that using it at all whatsoever is like, sacrilegious, cancel you, whatever. And I don’t blame people for feeling that way when the way that they’re seeing how AI is impacting them is it’s taking my job and there’s this giant loud thing in my backyard. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Morgan Sung: \u003c/strong>Do you think the people calling the shots in Silicon Valley are aware of that? Like, are they aware of the PR nightmare they’re facing? They’ve been trying to sell us this incredibly powerful game-changing technology that’s supposed to help humanity, but most people know it for, “Wow, this makes it harder to get a job.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Amanda Silberling: \u003c/strong>I think that when tech people don’t realize how out of touch with the rest of the world they are, they kind of corner themselves into these marketing nightmares. It kind of reminds me of how crypto was rolled out to the world where the actual blockchain technology has uses, but people don’t know what the technology is. They know like meme coins and Jimmy Fallon spending ungodly amounts of money on a little JPEG of an ape. People associate crypto with scams and that kind of ruined a lot of innovation in that space. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>And I think similarly with AI, it’s like, a lot things that we do on the internet all the time already are AI. Like, when you make stickers on iMessage, that is using an AI algorithm to determine like, where the edges of the object is so that it can delete the background. Or like, most journalists have been using some form of AI interview transcribing tool for the last several years. I started using one in 2020 probably. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>And, I think that sometimes people don’t know exactly how to distinguish between a writer using AI in the sense of putting an audio file of an interview into something that will transcribe it for you versus using AI to be like, “Help me write my article,” which is not necessarily ethical in my opinion. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Morgan Sung: \u003c/strong>So considering everything we’ve covered, the intricacies of cooling data centers with pee, the current sentiments around AI, the marketing tactics, what do you want listeners to take away from this episode? \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Amanda Silberling: \u003c/strong>I think that when it comes to AI in general, not everybody is an expert on AI, nor do they have to be, like, that’s just not everyone’s responsibility. But I do think that at least having a basic level of education around how AI works, how LLMs function, things like people understanding that LLMs are creating the most likely response to a query where it’s working from a matter of probability as opposed to rightness. I think some of these things are starting to seep into like the general knowledge pool, then it empowers people to understand more about what AI is and how it’s affecting them because — I think that for me, knowing how LLMs work makes me a little bit less afraid of them. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Morgan Sung: \u003c/strong>So, educate yourself. Don’t mail your pee to Jason Kelce. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Amanda Silberling: \u003c/strong>Unless if Jason Kelce really wants you to, I think he was joking. I’ll go on record and say I think Jason Kelce was joking. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Morgan Sung: \u003c/strong>And with that, let’s close all these tabs. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Close All Tabs is a production of KQED Studios and is reported and hosted by me, Morgan Sung. This episode was produced by Maya Cueva and Cayla Mihalovich. It was edited by Chris Hambrick. The Close All Tabs team also includes audio engineer Brendan Willard and senior editor, Chris Egusa, who also composed our theme song and credits music. Our intern is Lauren Yoon. Additional music by APM. Audience engagement support from Maha Sanad. Jen Chien is executive director of podcasts and Ethan Toven-Lindsey is our Editor-in-Chief. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Some members of the KQED podcast team are represented by the Screen Actors Guild, American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, San Francisco, Northern California, Local. This episode’s keyboard sounds were submitted by Alex Tran and recorded on his white Epomaker Hi75 keyboard with Fogruaden red samurai keycaps and gateron milky yellow pro v2 switches. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>This episode also includes clips from YouTubers Louis Levanti and Hank Green. And of course, clips from Liquid Death, Garage Beer, and Jason Kelce’s song, “Want Your Pee.” Do you like these deep dives? Are you closing your tabs? Then don’t forget to rate and review us on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to the show. Thanks for listening. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Amanda Silberling: \u003c/strong>My brother was staying with me, so I feel like he really got to see what my job is like, where I’m like, “Oh, I need to like log on early to take this call about pee with a guy that used to work for the EPA.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>People \u003cem>really\u003c/em> seem to hate data centers. And the more people learn about the amount of resources these server-packed buildings need, the bigger the backlash grows. Perhaps that’s why the viral music video and beverage ad “We Want Your Pee” took off in popularity about a month ago. It’s a collaboration between Liquid Death and Jason Kelce’s Garage Beer, and it advocates that urine could address the cooling needs of data centers. It’s obviously a joke… \u003cem>but could it actually work? \u003c/em>Host Morgan Sung talks to journalist Amanda Silberling about what she discovered when she looked into this question, and about the alternative cooling methods that might actually help everyone’s least favorite buildings use a little less H2O.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Want to give us feedback on the show? Shoot us an email at \u003ca href=\"mailto:CloseAllTabs@KQED.org\">CloseAllTabs@KQED.org\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Want to give us feedback on the show? Shoot us an email at \u003ca href=\"mailto:CloseAllTabs@KQED.org\">CloseAllTabs@KQED.org\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n"
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"\n\u003cp>Follow us on \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/closealltabspod/\">Instagram\u003c/a> and\u003ca href=\"https://www.tiktok.com/@closealltabs\">\u003c/a> \u003ca href=\"https://www.tiktok.com/@closealltabs\">TikTok\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Morgan Sung: \u003c/strong>Hi, Tabby Cats. Do you have an internet trend, tech subculture, or online oddity you’ve been wondering about? Well, now you can ask Close All Tabs to investigate. Go to kqed dot org slash podcast slash Close All Tabs, to submit your question. Okay, let’s get to the show. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Morgan Sung: \u003c/strong>Hi, Tabby Cats. Do you have an internet trend, tech subculture, or online oddity you’ve been wondering about? Well, now you can ask Close All Tabs to investigate. Go to kqed dot org slash podcast slash Close All Tabs, to submit your question. Okay, let’s get to the show. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>[Clip of Jason Kelce ad from YouTube]: \u003c/strong>We want your pee… to cool these data centers. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Morgan Sung: \u003c/strong>Okay, so that’s NFL star and podcaster Jason Kelce in a recent marketing campaign to, quote, “Save humanity.” How? Well, they need your pee. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Morgan Sung: \u003c/strong>Okay, so that’s NFL star and podcaster Jason Kelce in a recent marketing campaign to, quote, “Save humanity.” How? Well, they need your pee. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>[Clip of Jason Kelce ad from YouTube]: \u003c/strong>We want your pee. Please give us your pee. Let’s pee on computers together. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>[Clip of Jason Kelce ad from YouTube]: \u003c/strong>We want your pee. Please give us your pee. Let’s pee on computers together. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Morgan Sung: \u003c/strong>The video starts with Kelce in a bathroom, peeing into a large resealable mason jar before breaking out into song and marching into a lush green field. He’s joined by a farmer, a skateboarder, a shirtless firefighter, a gamer — all different types of people — holding various receptacles of pee. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Morgan Sung: \u003c/strong>The video starts with Kelce in a bathroom, peeing into a large resealable mason jar before breaking out into song and marching into a lush green field. He’s joined by a farmer, a skateboarder, a shirtless firefighter, a gamer — all different types of people — holding various receptacles of pee. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>[Clip of Jason Kelce ad from YouTube]: \u003c/strong>‘Cause we need lots of pee, endless gallons of pee. Join our important endeavor. We want your pee.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>[Clip of Jason Kelce ad from YouTube]: \u003c/strong>‘Cause we need lots of pee, endless gallons of pee. Join our important endeavor. We want your pee.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Morgan Sung: \u003c/strong>It’s an all-American fantasy of unity and solidarity, and a shared vision of the future. And of course — it’s an ad. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>[Clip of Jason Kelce ad from YouTube]: \u003c/strong>So what are you waiting for? Go ahead and have another Garage Beer or Liquid Death’s Sparkling Energy, then send your pee to the AI data center of your choice. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>[Clip of Jason Kelce ad from YouTube]: \u003c/strong>So what are you waiting for? Go ahead and have another Garage Beer or Liquid Death’s Sparkling Energy, then send your pee to the AI data center of your choice. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Amanda Silberling: \u003c/strong>So Jason Kelce and his beer brand Garage Beer team up with Liquid Death, the very punk rock, canned water venture funded company. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Amanda Silberling: \u003c/strong>So Jason Kelce and his beer brand Garage Beer team up with Liquid Death, the very punk rock, canned water venture funded company. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Morgan Sung: \u003c/strong>This is my friend Amanda Silberling. She’s a senior writer at TechCrunch and host of the Internet Culture Podcast, Wow If True. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Morgan Sung: \u003c/strong>This is my friend Amanda Silberling. She’s a senior writer at TechCrunch and host of the Internet Culture Podcast, Wow If True. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Amanda Silberling: \u003c/strong>Jason Kelce is drinking a beer and appears to be peeing. And he explains that, “Hey, data centers are using millions and millions of gallons of water every day. This is a really significant environmental issue. What if we solved it by sending data centers our pee?” \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Amanda Silberling: \u003c/strong>Jason Kelce is drinking a beer and appears to be peeing. And he explains that, “Hey, data centers are using millions and millions of gallons of water every day. This is a really significant environmental issue. What if we solved it by sending data centers our pee?” \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Morgan Sung: \u003c/strong>Right, and to go along with this, they also are selling data center pee jars? \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Amanda Silberling: \u003c/strong>Yes, which they sold out very quickly, but it was essentially like a glass mason jar where — I think something they were also trying to get at is that maybe the color of a light beer could be similar to the color of pee, but I think that that means you probably need to be drinking more water. So there’s the Liquid Death marketing, I guess. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Amanda Silberling: \u003c/strong>Yes, which they sold out very quickly, but it was essentially like a glass mason jar where — I think something they were also trying to get at is that maybe the color of a light beer could be similar to the color of pee, but I think that that means you probably need to be drinking more water. So there’s the Liquid Death marketing, I guess. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Morgan Sung: \u003c/strong>Okay, we’ve talked about data centers pretty extensively on this show. Think about the way your laptop might get really, really hot when you run intense functions — like editing video, or if you’re me, playing The Sims. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Amanda Silberling: \u003c/strong>So, when we do things on our computers, we need a lot of power to do those things. And data centers generate the power that can support, like, really power-intensive computing things, which AI is especially very, very compute-intensive. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Amanda Silberling: \u003c/strong>So, when we do things on our computers, we need a lot of power to do those things. And data centers generate the power that can support, like, really power-intensive computing things, which AI is especially very, very compute-intensive. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Morgan Sung: \u003c/strong>Data centers are nothing new. We’ve relied on them for years. Any online service, from streaming movies on Netflix to scrolling through Instagram reels, is powered by data centers. But this current explosion in data center construction is directly tied to the AI boom. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Morgan Sung: \u003c/strong>Data centers are nothing new. We’ve relied on them for years. Any online service, from streaming movies on Netflix to scrolling through Instagram reels, is powered by data centers. But this current explosion in data center construction is directly tied to the AI boom. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Amanda Silberling: \u003c/strong>So when you have these data centers, they are doing a lot of work, they’re producing a lot of heat, and that can… like, it can be bad, like when your laptop overheats or something. So one of the tactics that some data centers use to counter that heat is using water for cooling, and often that water is clean, potable, drinking water that is then creating a situation where people drinking water in a particular area are competing with the data centers for that drinking water. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Amanda Silberling: \u003c/strong>So when you have these data centers, they are doing a lot of work, they’re producing a lot of heat, and that can… like, it can be bad, like when your laptop overheats or something. So one of the tactics that some data centers use to counter that heat is using water for cooling, and often that water is clean, potable, drinking water that is then creating a situation where people drinking water in a particular area are competing with the data centers for that drinking water. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Morgan Sung: \u003c/strong>Which brings us back to Jason Kelce’s pee jars. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Morgan Sung: \u003c/strong>Which brings us back to Jason Kelce’s pee jars. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>[Clip of Jason Kelce ad from YouTube]: \u003c/strong>We want your pee. Please give us your pee. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>[Clip of Jason Kelce ad from YouTube]: \u003c/strong>We want your pee. Please give us your pee. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Amanda Silberling: \u003c/strong>I think people thought it was really funny. Liquid Death does good marketing… But, I think that what stuck out to me is that there actually is some real illustration of like, this really is how Americans feel, and… It was just getting shared around a lot, I think also because there is such a concentrated sentiment against data center construction right now, because people are watching very rapidly how AI is changing the world around them, and sometimes that means building data centers in their communities, and they know that these are very water-intensive and loud, and maybe are working to enable technologies that they don’t feel are ethical sometimes. So, I think this was sort of just like a moment where people felt seen by big beer and big water as opposed to big AI. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Amanda Silberling: \u003c/strong>I think people thought it was really funny. Liquid Death does good marketing… But, I think that what stuck out to me is that there actually is some real illustration of like, this really is how Americans feel, and… It was just getting shared around a lot, I think also because there is such a concentrated sentiment against data center construction right now, because people are watching very rapidly how AI is changing the world around them, and sometimes that means building data centers in their communities, and they know that these are very water-intensive and loud, and maybe are working to enable technologies that they don’t feel are ethical sometimes. So, I think this was sort of just like a moment where people felt seen by big beer and big water as opposed to big AI. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Morgan Sung: \u003c/strong>Liquid Death’s viral marketing campaign was obviously silly. In the video and in the product listing for the now sold out pee jars, they do say, “Please don’t actually send your pee.” But this video got Amanda thinking. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Morgan Sung: \u003c/strong>Liquid Death’s viral marketing campaign was obviously silly. In the video and in the product listing for the now sold out pee jars, they do say, “Please don’t actually send your pee.” But this video got Amanda thinking. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Amanda Silberling: \u003c/strong>So, I was talking about this in Slack with one of my editors, and he was like, “I mean, I don’t see why it couldn’t work.” And then I was like, “I don’t know a lot about the engineering behind data centers.” I studied English in college, but it’s time to learn. Could it actually work? Because if you think about it, it’s like, people produce a lot of pee. We need a lot of water. If pee would work, then sure. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Amanda Silberling: \u003c/strong>So, I was talking about this in Slack with one of my editors, and he was like, “I mean, I don’t see why it couldn’t work.” And then I was like, “I don’t know a lot about the engineering behind data centers.” I studied English in college, but it’s time to learn. Could it actually work? Because if you think about it, it’s like, people produce a lot of pee. We need a lot of water. If pee would work, then sure. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Morgan Sung: \u003c/strong>So, like any intrepid reporter, Amanda investigated this question. Could we really cool data centers with pee? And if not, are there any alternatives to cooling these massive data centers without relying on our clean, precious drinking water? In today’s deep dive, we’re getting into all of that. And as it turns out, cooling data centers is not as simple as peeing on computers. Buckle up. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Morgan Sung: \u003c/strong>So, like any intrepid reporter, Amanda investigated this question. Could we really cool data centers with pee? And if not, are there any alternatives to cooling these massive data centers without relying on our clean, precious drinking water? In today’s deep dive, we’re getting into all of that. And as it turns out, cooling data centers is not as simple as peeing on computers. Buckle up. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>This is Close All Tabs. I’m Morgan Sung, tech journalist and your chronically online friend, here to open as many browser tabs as it takes to help you understand how the digital world affects our real lives. Let’s get into it. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>This is Close All Tabs. I’m Morgan Sung, tech journalist and your chronically online friend, here to open as many browser tabs as it takes to help you understand how the digital world affects our real lives. Let’s get into it. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Let’s open our first tab — and let me just say, I cannot believe that I am actually typing this question out right now. Okay, new tab. Can you actually cool data centers with pee? \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Let’s open our first tab — and let me just say, I cannot believe that I am actually typing this question out right now. Okay, new tab. Can you actually cool data centers with pee? \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>So, there’s one pretty big problem with this question. Data centers need a lot of water. And human beings just do not pee enough, and are not capable of peeing enough, to replace the sheer amount of clean water that data centers use every day. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>So, there’s one pretty big problem with this question. Data centers need a lot of water. And human beings just do not pee enough, and are not capable of peeing enough, to replace the sheer amount of clean water that data centers use every day. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Amanda Silberling: \u003c/strong>So in Loudoun County, Virginia, which is home to more than 250 data centers — it’s basically like the data center capital of the U.S. — in 2025, they said that each day the data centers use 460 million gallons of water. And not all of that has to be clean, potable water. So 43% of what Loudoun County is using is actually recycled water, but… that still does mean that 260 million gallons of water every day are coming from potable water supplies, which is very staggering. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Amanda Silberling: \u003c/strong>So in Loudoun County, Virginia, which is home to more than 250 data centers — it’s basically like the data center capital of the U.S. — in 2025, they said that each day the data centers use 460 million gallons of water. And not all of that has to be clean, potable water. So 43% of what Loudoun County is using is actually recycled water, but… that still does mean that 260 million gallons of water every day are coming from potable water supplies, which is very staggering. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Morgan Sung: \u003c/strong>Adults can only produce three to eight cups of urine per day. Even if the entire population of the United States managed to produce the maximum amount of pee possible for the human body, it still would not be enough for what Loudoun County alone needs for its data centers. No matter how much trendy canned water everyone drinks, we’d still be like, 90 million gallons short. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Morgan Sung: \u003c/strong>Adults can only produce three to eight cups of urine per day. Even if the entire population of the United States managed to produce the maximum amount of pee possible for the human body, it still would not be enough for what Loudoun County alone needs for its data centers. No matter how much trendy canned water everyone drinks, we’d still be like, 90 million gallons short. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>But for the sake of our deep dive, let’s say we could replace data center water with pee. What would happen? To answer this question, Amanda needed to talk to experts: real scientists who study wastewater recycling and resource management and infrastructure. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>But for the sake of our deep dive, let’s say we could replace data center water with pee. What would happen? To answer this question, Amanda needed to talk to experts: real scientists who study wastewater recycling and resource management and infrastructure. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Amanda Silberling: \u003c/strong>And, I posted on LinkedIn like, “I want to talk to people about pee. If you know about like, wastewater and data centers, like please reach out.”. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Amanda Silberling: \u003c/strong>And, I posted on LinkedIn like, “I want to talk to people about pee. If you know about like, wastewater and data centers, like please reach out.”. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Morgan Sung: \u003c/strong>To her surprise, that post took off. Like a lot of people were sharing it and being like, “Please talk to her because I want to read this article.” So I got a lot of outreach from like very overqualified people, which, I love that. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Morgan Sung: \u003c/strong>To her surprise, that post took off. Like a lot of people were sharing it and being like, “Please talk to her because I want to read this article.” So I got a lot of outreach from like very overqualified people, which, I love that. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Morgan Sung: \u003c/strong> I mean, one of the people you said was like way, way overqualified was Bruno Pigott, who used to be in charge of like, wastewater for the EPA under the Biden administration. How did Bruno respond when you approached him with this question? \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Morgan Sung: \u003c/strong> I mean, one of the people you said was like way, way overqualified was Bruno Pigott, who used to be in charge of like, wastewater for the EPA under the Biden administration. How did Bruno respond when you approached him with this question? \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Amanda Silberling: \u003c/strong>Pretty much everyone I talked to for this article was like, “This is the most fun part of my day,” like, “Yay!” But he was very amused by it. Like, he really was like gonna play the game. Like, I think everyone I talked to was very willing to follow the thought experiment of like, “Okay, actually like sending pee to data centers and collecting human pee, like, there’s not enough of it that it would make a difference. But theoretically, what if we did?” \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Amanda Silberling: \u003c/strong>Pretty much everyone I talked to for this article was like, “This is the most fun part of my day,” like, “Yay!” But he was very amused by it. Like, he really was like gonna play the game. Like, I think everyone I talked to was very willing to follow the thought experiment of like, “Okay, actually like sending pee to data centers and collecting human pee, like, there’s not enough of it that it would make a difference. But theoretically, what if we did?” \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Morgan Sung: \u003c/strong>So to be clear, data center cooling is a lot more complicated than just pouring water on hot circuit boards. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Morgan Sung: \u003c/strong>So to be clear, data center cooling is a lot more complicated than just pouring water on hot circuit boards. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Amanda Silberling: \u003c/strong>Like in the commercial, Jason Kelce is more so being like, what if we pee on the data centers? What if we like send them our pee? Which, like, no one is literally dumping water on computers. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Amanda Silberling: \u003c/strong>Like in the commercial, Jason Kelce is more so being like, what if we pee on the data centers? What if we like send them our pee? Which, like, no one is literally dumping water on computers. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Morgan Sung: \u003c/strong>The vast majority of the world’s existing data centers use evaporative cooling. It generally works like this. With all these servers whirring around, it gets pretty hot inside. So, cooling towers, equipped with big old fans, pull hot air in, passing it through absorbent pads soaked in water, which absorb the heat. Then, it spits out nice, chilled air. Modern data centers use this in conjunction with other cooling methods, but the point is… they need a lot of clean water to pull it off. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Morgan Sung: \u003c/strong>The vast majority of the world’s existing data centers use evaporative cooling. It generally works like this. With all these servers whirring around, it gets pretty hot inside. So, cooling towers, equipped with big old fans, pull hot air in, passing it through absorbent pads soaked in water, which absorb the heat. Then, it spits out nice, chilled air. Modern data centers use this in conjunction with other cooling methods, but the point is… they need a lot of clean water to pull it off. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Amanda Silberling: \u003c/strong>You can very quickly see why just straight up urine is not a good coolant for data centers. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Amanda Silberling: \u003c/strong>You can very quickly see why just straight up urine is not a good coolant for data centers. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Morgan Sung: \u003c/strong>If you try this out with any liquid other than water, the water in it, the H2O, will evaporate. But, all the other gunk will be left behind, collecting on the equipment. Now, imagine doing this with human pee. Here’s what Bruno told Amanda. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Morgan Sung: \u003c/strong>If you try this out with any liquid other than water, the water in it, the H2O, will evaporate. But, all the other gunk will be left behind, collecting on the equipment. Now, imagine doing this with human pee. Here’s what Bruno told Amanda. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Amanda Silberling: \u003c/strong>Quote, “Pee contains all sorts of stuff,” which, great quote to get in an article. It contains salts, it contains urea, bacteria, organic matter of all sorts that can leave mineral deposits. If you just put that into a cooling tower or something else, it would require constant cleaning. Can you imagine if you just poured urine through hot air? So to say, urine is a liquid and a lot of what is in urine is water, but also, it’s kind of yucky. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Amanda Silberling: \u003c/strong>Quote, “Pee contains all sorts of stuff,” which, great quote to get in an article. It contains salts, it contains urea, bacteria, organic matter of all sorts that can leave mineral deposits. If you just put that into a cooling tower or something else, it would require constant cleaning. Can you imagine if you just poured urine through hot air? So to say, urine is a liquid and a lot of what is in urine is water, but also, it’s kind of yucky. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Morgan Sung: \u003c/strong>If you’ve ever had the misfortune of using a porta potty on a hot summer day, you know the smell. A typical porta potty can hold 60 to 70 gallons of human waste. There’s a lot of contention over data center water use numbers, but typical midsize data centers use roughly 300,000 gallons of water every day. So imagine the smell of a boiling porta potty in the middle of July, but now there are at least 5,000 more of them. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Morgan Sung: \u003c/strong>If you’ve ever had the misfortune of using a porta potty on a hot summer day, you know the smell. A typical porta potty can hold 60 to 70 gallons of human waste. There’s a lot of contention over data center water use numbers, but typical midsize data centers use roughly 300,000 gallons of water every day. So imagine the smell of a boiling porta potty in the middle of July, but now there are at least 5,000 more of them. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Residents have already pushed back against data centers in their communities because of the noise pollution, the rising energy bills, and the health concerns. The smell of 5,000 hot porta potties on top of that? Nobody wants that. Plus, the cleaning alone would be a nightmare. It would be so labor-intensive that it’s just not worth it. But, can’t we clean the pee? Filter all the gunk out so it’s clean, pure water? Astronauts up in space do this? \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Residents have already pushed back against data centers in their communities because of the noise pollution, the rising energy bills, and the health concerns. The smell of 5,000 hot porta potties on top of that? Nobody wants that. Plus, the cleaning alone would be a nightmare. It would be so labor-intensive that it’s just not worth it. But, can’t we clean the pee? Filter all the gunk out so it’s clean, pure water? Astronauts up in space do this? \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Amanda Silberling: \u003c/strong>If you think about the recent Artemis 2 mission, like they were up there for multiple weeks. Like, they need to drink a lot of water, like, humans need so much water to live. And you can only bring so much with you. So they have like, mechanisms built into the toilets in spacecrafts that then recycle it and sanitize it so that it can be drank again. And, I don’t know, science is kind of amazing sometimes. [laughs] \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Amanda Silberling: \u003c/strong>If you think about the recent Artemis 2 mission, like they were up there for multiple weeks. Like, they need to drink a lot of water, like, humans need so much water to live. And you can only bring so much with you. So they have like, mechanisms built into the toilets in spacecrafts that then recycle it and sanitize it so that it can be drank again. And, I don’t know, science is kind of amazing sometimes. [laughs] \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Morgan Sung: \u003c/strong>As of a few years ago, astronauts on the International Space Station have managed to recycle 98% of their sweat and urine into clean drinking water. That’s huge! It’s all thanks to this nifty NASA device called a brine processor. So why can’t we use that? It’s so expensive. The brine processer for a single flight-ready unit costs over $5 million. The International space station has like, seven crew members at a time. It just does not scale when you think about deploying this for a whole town, much less the entire country. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Morgan Sung: \u003c/strong>As of a few years ago, astronauts on the International Space Station have managed to recycle 98% of their sweat and urine into clean drinking water. That’s huge! It’s all thanks to this nifty NASA device called a brine processor. So why can’t we use that? It’s so expensive. The brine processer for a single flight-ready unit costs over $5 million. The International space station has like, seven crew members at a time. It just does not scale when you think about deploying this for a whole town, much less the entire country. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>But, not all is lost. Jason Kelce’s very catchy song inspired Amanda to start digging into another alternative method for cooling down data centers: wastewater. That’s the used, dirty water that is no longer safe for human consumption. Like, what you flush down the toilet or the runoff from a car wash. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>But, not all is lost. Jason Kelce’s very catchy song inspired Amanda to start digging into another alternative method for cooling down data centers: wastewater. That’s the used, dirty water that is no longer safe for human consumption. Like, what you flush down the toilet or the runoff from a car wash. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Amanda Silberling: \u003c/strong>So it’s kind of like a silly idea, but then, not all of the water that we use is like, brand new fresh water. That’s not really a thing. If you think back to learning about the water cycle in school, like — what’s the difference between the clean, potable water that is in like, when you go and buy a water bottle at the store versus like, wastewater. Someone who used to be high up in the EPA told me that the adage about, technically we’re all drinking dinosaur pee, is kind of true. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Amanda Silberling: \u003c/strong>So it’s kind of like a silly idea, but then, not all of the water that we use is like, brand new fresh water. That’s not really a thing. If you think back to learning about the water cycle in school, like — what’s the difference between the clean, potable water that is in like, when you go and buy a water bottle at the store versus like, wastewater. Someone who used to be high up in the EPA told me that the adage about, technically we’re all drinking dinosaur pee, is kind of true. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Morgan Sung: \u003c/strong>That’s a new tab, which we’ll open right after a quick break. But first, we wanted to remind you that Close All Tabs depends on listeners like you to keep us going. You can support us by becoming a member at donate dot kqed dot org slash podcast. Okay — after the break — sure, we’re all technically drinking dinosaur pee. So why not use wastewater for data centers? Stick around. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Morgan Sung: \u003c/strong>That’s a new tab, which we’ll open right after a quick break. But first, we wanted to remind you that Close All Tabs depends on listeners like you to keep us going. You can support us by becoming a member at donate dot kqed dot org slash podcast. Okay — after the break — sure, we’re all technically drinking dinosaur pee. So why not use wastewater for data centers? Stick around. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Welcome back. Let’s open a new tab. Can data centers use recycled water? Reusing wastewater is not new. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Welcome back. Let’s open a new tab. Can data centers use recycled water? Reusing wastewater is not new. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Amanda Silberling: \u003c/strong>So, these water treatment facilities, they take recycled water and they use various different complex technologies that I cannot explain to you like, membrane bioreactors, reverse osmosis, ultraviolet light, and other processes where they’re treating water until it’s clean enough for industrial use. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Amanda Silberling: \u003c/strong>So, these water treatment facilities, they take recycled water and they use various different complex technologies that I cannot explain to you like, membrane bioreactors, reverse osmosis, ultraviolet light, and other processes where they’re treating water until it’s clean enough for industrial use. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Morgan Sung: \u003c/strong>And Bruno Pigott, the guy formerly in charge of wastewater at the EPA, told Amanda something really interesting. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Morgan Sung: \u003c/strong>And Bruno Pigott, the guy formerly in charge of wastewater at the EPA, told Amanda something really interesting. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Amanda Silberling: \u003c/strong>I keep saying EPA because it’s just cool that he used to be so high up in the government. But, he is the executive director of the WateReuse Association. He told me that sometimes water treatment facilities can sanitize water to such a degree that they actually have to add minerals back into it because people aren’t used to the taste of water without minerals. Like, I guess it would taste weird to us if we drank, like… 1000% sanitized water. They have the technology to do it. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Amanda Silberling: \u003c/strong>I keep saying EPA because it’s just cool that he used to be so high up in the government. But, he is the executive director of the WateReuse Association. He told me that sometimes water treatment facilities can sanitize water to such a degree that they actually have to add minerals back into it because people aren’t used to the taste of water without minerals. Like, I guess it would taste weird to us if we drank, like… 1000% sanitized water. They have the technology to do it. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Morgan Sung: \u003c/strong>We actually don’t need the recycled water to be ultra sanitized to use it. We already safely use recycled wastewater — collected from municipal storm drains, flushing toilets, and industrial sites. Water treatment for industrial mining, for example, doesn’t need to be as clean as the water we use for irrigating farms. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Morgan Sung: \u003c/strong>We actually don’t need the recycled water to be ultra sanitized to use it. We already safely use recycled wastewater — collected from municipal storm drains, flushing toilets, and industrial sites. Water treatment for industrial mining, for example, doesn’t need to be as clean as the water we use for irrigating farms. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Amanda Silberling: \u003c/strong>There’s different levels of sanitization, obviously, where it’s like, if you think about the water that you would use to water your plants, maybe isn’t the same water that you’re drinking. It doesn’t need to be as clean as drinking water. And it’s the same with data centers where it doesn’t to be like, the cleanest, most pristine water. And wouldn’t you rather have that kind of water available for people to consume it? \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Amanda Silberling: \u003c/strong>There’s different levels of sanitization, obviously, where it’s like, if you think about the water that you would use to water your plants, maybe isn’t the same water that you’re drinking. It doesn’t need to be as clean as drinking water. And it’s the same with data centers where it doesn’t to be like, the cleanest, most pristine water. And wouldn’t you rather have that kind of water available for people to consume it? \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Morgan Sung: \u003c/strong>So then, if this is a genuine possibility, why are data centers and local communities still fighting for the same drinking water? \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Morgan Sung: \u003c/strong>So then, if this is a genuine possibility, why are data centers and local communities still fighting for the same drinking water? \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Amanda Silberling: \u003c/strong>I think it’s just not a priority for government to set up the infrastructure to recycle water and turn it into more sanitized versions of water that can be used for various other things, but it does exist in some places. So that’s why, as we mentioned earlier, Loudoun County in Virginia, because that’s such a hub for data centers, and this is such a huge burden on the water in that region, they have invested in making these water recycling plants where they can sanitize water to the point that it is clean enough that it can be used to cool data centers safely. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Amanda Silberling: \u003c/strong>I think it’s just not a priority for government to set up the infrastructure to recycle water and turn it into more sanitized versions of water that can be used for various other things, but it does exist in some places. So that’s why, as we mentioned earlier, Loudoun County in Virginia, because that’s such a hub for data centers, and this is such a huge burden on the water in that region, they have invested in making these water recycling plants where they can sanitize water to the point that it is clean enough that it can be used to cool data centers safely. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Morgan Sung: \u003c/strong>To better understand water recycling, Amanda talked to another expert. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Morgan Sung: \u003c/strong>To better understand water recycling, Amanda talked to another expert. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Amanda Silberling: \u003c/strong>Dr. Greta Zornes, who is the practice leader for water reuse at the engineering firm CDM Smith — so basically she is in charge of thinking about how we are engineering data centers and how we can create data centers that are built so that they’re able to use recycled water and have that kind of infrastructure. Like, this is what she does every day. And she’s been working in water reuse for more than two decades, but she said that now, literally every day, she’s working on recycled water for data centers. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Amanda Silberling: \u003c/strong>Dr. Greta Zornes, who is the practice leader for water reuse at the engineering firm CDM Smith — so basically she is in charge of thinking about how we are engineering data centers and how we can create data centers that are built so that they’re able to use recycled water and have that kind of infrastructure. Like, this is what she does every day. And she’s been working in water reuse for more than two decades, but she said that now, literally every day, she’s working on recycled water for data centers. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Morgan Sung: \u003c/strong>And as Dr. Zornes told Amanda, it’s not as simple as just building a new wastewater treatment plant for every new data center. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Morgan Sung: \u003c/strong>And as Dr. Zornes told Amanda, it’s not as simple as just building a new wastewater treatment plant for every new data center. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Amanda Silberling: \u003c/strong>If you’re rebuilding a city from scratch right now, that city will probably be more easily able to have those sorts of like recycled water setups than if you’re like in New York City and you’re let me replace this infrastructure from like the 1800s or something. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Amanda Silberling: \u003c/strong>If you’re rebuilding a city from scratch right now, that city will probably be more easily able to have those sorts of like recycled water setups than if you’re like in New York City and you’re let me replace this infrastructure from like the 1800s or something. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Morgan Sung: \u003c/strong>The truth is, right now, we just don’t have the infrastructure for all the data centers in the country to exclusively use recycled water. But, there is some hope for us. Amanda said there are people working with tech companies and local governments to build out this infrastructure. And, she talked to one of them. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Morgan Sung: \u003c/strong>The truth is, right now, we just don’t have the infrastructure for all the data centers in the country to exclusively use recycled water. But, there is some hope for us. Amanda said there are people working with tech companies and local governments to build out this infrastructure. And, she talked to one of them. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Amanda Silberling: \u003c/strong>So, Michael Obradovitch, who is the president of Data Center Global Accounts at Ecolab, he thinks that data centers could actually be something that drives the creation of more recycled water infrastructure. So, maybe even though data centers are kind of seen as being very bad for the environment, maybe in a way that could spur some construction of things that do help us with conserving resources, but it’s kind of a small victory that’s not really a victory in the greater scheme. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Amanda Silberling: \u003c/strong>So, Michael Obradovitch, who is the president of Data Center Global Accounts at Ecolab, he thinks that data centers could actually be something that drives the creation of more recycled water infrastructure. So, maybe even though data centers are kind of seen as being very bad for the environment, maybe in a way that could spur some construction of things that do help us with conserving resources, but it’s kind of a small victory that’s not really a victory in the greater scheme. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Morgan Sung: \u003c/strong>On the legislation side, Bruno Pigott, former EPA guy, is pushing for the Advancing Water Reuse Act. That’s a bill that would provide a hefty tax credit to incentivize industries to scale their water recycling — and some tech companies are already investing in this infrastructure. Meta, for one, announced that they’re putting $270 million into wastewater infrastructure projects in areas they’re building new data centers. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Morgan Sung: \u003c/strong>On the legislation side, Bruno Pigott, former EPA guy, is pushing for the Advancing Water Reuse Act. That’s a bill that would provide a hefty tax credit to incentivize industries to scale their water recycling — and some tech companies are already investing in this infrastructure. Meta, for one, announced that they’re putting $270 million into wastewater infrastructure projects in areas they’re building new data centers. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Amanda Silberling: \u003c/strong>That sounds like, really amazing, like $270 million. But then, when you think about it, Meta just got fined $17 billion for child safety issues, and then they spend $4 billion on Reality Labs each quarter for the last several years. Like literally every quarter on the Meta quarterly earnings sheet, it’s like we lost $4 billion on Reality Labs. And Reality Labs is the division where they like the VR, AR stuff. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Amanda Silberling: \u003c/strong>That sounds like, really amazing, like $270 million. But then, when you think about it, Meta just got fined $17 billion for child safety issues, and then they spend $4 billion on Reality Labs each quarter for the last several years. Like literally every quarter on the Meta quarterly earnings sheet, it’s like we lost $4 billion on Reality Labs. And Reality Labs is the division where they like the VR, AR stuff. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>So, it’s not like Meta is being unbelievably generous, but $270 million is not nothing, and it helps, and Amazon is doing something similar and trying to power its data centers with more recycled water. This does seem to be something where tech companies do understand that there is a really significant environmental risk here, or maybe they just understand that it’s like a reputational risk, where they don’t want to be seen as perpetuating that — but, if the reputational risk is what’s getting them to invest in it, then sure, I guess. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>So, it’s not like Meta is being unbelievably generous, but $270 million is not nothing, and it helps, and Amazon is doing something similar and trying to power its data centers with more recycled water. This does seem to be something where tech companies do understand that there is a really significant environmental risk here, or maybe they just understand that it’s like a reputational risk, where they don’t want to be seen as perpetuating that — but, if the reputational risk is what’s getting them to invest in it, then sure, I guess. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Morgan Sung: \u003c/strong>That reputational risk is huge right now. People in this country love to argue, but today there’s one issue that a majority of Americans can agree on, hating data centers. And, we have just enough time to open one last tab: the great American data center backlash. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Morgan Sung: \u003c/strong>That reputational risk is huge right now. People in this country love to argue, but today there’s one issue that a majority of Americans can agree on, hating data centers. And, we have just enough time to open one last tab: the great American data center backlash. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>[Clip of Jason Kelce ad from YouTube]: \u003c/strong>Let’s pee on our computers together, and save humanity. We want your pee.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>[Clip of Jason Kelce ad from YouTube]: \u003c/strong>Let’s pee on our computers together, and save humanity. We want your pee.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Morgan Sung: \u003c/strong>We’ve talked about all the reasons peeing on data centers wouldn’t work, but aside from just being very catchy, this video blew up for a reason. It echoes a sentiment felt across the country, an issue uniting Americans beyond party lines. Nobody wants a data center in their backyard. OpenAI released ChatGPT in 2022. LLMs — large language models — were just the start. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Morgan Sung: \u003c/strong>We’ve talked about all the reasons peeing on data centers wouldn’t work, but aside from just being very catchy, this video blew up for a reason. It echoes a sentiment felt across the country, an issue uniting Americans beyond party lines. Nobody wants a data center in their backyard. OpenAI released ChatGPT in 2022. LLMs — large language models — were just the start. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>When the AI industry started really taking off a few years ago, developers and tech companies alike sold data centers as the future of industry. They made grand promises of creating jobs and investing in local communities. But, as we’ve talked about before on Close All Tabs, there hasn’t been much follow through on these promises. Instead, residents have raised concerns over skyrocketing utility bills, health issues, and unrelenting noise pollution. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>When the AI industry started really taking off a few years ago, developers and tech companies alike sold data centers as the future of industry. They made grand promises of creating jobs and investing in local communities. But, as we’ve talked about before on Close All Tabs, there hasn’t been much follow through on these promises. Instead, residents have raised concerns over skyrocketing utility bills, health issues, and unrelenting noise pollution. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Data center popularity is in the toilet. A recent Gallup poll found that seven out of 10 Americans opposed data centers in their area. And it’s bipartisan — Pew Research numbers published this month show that over half of Republicans and about two-thirds of Democrats say they’d be not comfortable with a new local data center. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Data center popularity is in the toilet. A recent Gallup poll found that seven out of 10 Americans opposed data centers in their area. And it’s bipartisan — Pew Research numbers published this month show that over half of Republicans and about two-thirds of Democrats say they’d be not comfortable with a new local data center. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Amanda Silberling: \u003c/strong>People just don’t want these like, giant industrial centers that make a lot of noise and represent a kind of technology that maybe there isn’t a great sentiment toward, like they just don’t want that in their neighborhood. And I think the sentiment toward AI is generally moving more negative. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Amanda Silberling: \u003c/strong>People just don’t want these like, giant industrial centers that make a lot of noise and represent a kind of technology that maybe there isn’t a great sentiment toward, like they just don’t want that in their neighborhood. And I think the sentiment toward AI is generally moving more negative. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Morgan Sung: \u003c/strong>In the last few months, there’s been a massive cultural vibe shift against AI as a whole. Another Pew Research study, published in August, found that 52% of Americans said they’re, quote, “More concerned than excited about the increased use of AI in daily life.” In 2021, it was only 37%. And creators who accept AI sponsorships and use AI in their content? They’re losing followers. One of the biggest internet scandals of the summer was an influencer brand trip, sponsored by OpenAI. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Morgan Sung: \u003c/strong>In the last few months, there’s been a massive cultural vibe shift against AI as a whole. Another Pew Research study, published in August, found that 52% of Americans said they’re, quote, “More concerned than excited about the increased use of AI in daily life.” In 2021, it was only 37%. And creators who accept AI sponsorships and use AI in their content? They’re losing followers. One of the biggest internet scandals of the summer was an influencer brand trip, sponsored by OpenAI. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>[Clip of TikTok video by Louis Levanti]: \u003c/strong>OpenAI just took influencers on a luxury trip with beekeeping and $5,000-a-night suites — while they’re building a $500 billion data center that’s about to suck power from your grid. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>[Clip of TikTok video by Louis Levanti]: \u003c/strong>OpenAI just took influencers on a luxury trip with beekeeping and $5,000-a-night suites — while they’re building a $500 billion data center that’s about to suck power from your grid. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Amanda Silberling: \u003c/strong>The amount of sort of damage control that tech companies are having to do shows that, in a way, you could say that the average people that are frustrated with AI are starting to gain some ground. Like, I’m thinking about how there was recent backlash against the YouTuber slash writer slash general internet guy, Hank Green, when someone called him out for using the phrase, “I appreciate the pushback,” in a video. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Amanda Silberling: \u003c/strong>The amount of sort of damage control that tech companies are having to do shows that, in a way, you could say that the average people that are frustrated with AI are starting to gain some ground. Like, I’m thinking about how there was recent backlash against the YouTuber slash writer slash general internet guy, Hank Green, when someone called him out for using the phrase, “I appreciate the pushback,” in a video. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>[Clip of Hank Green from YouTube]: \u003c/strong>A better way to say it. And I appreciate the pushback, is a word is a human invention. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>[Clip of Hank Green from YouTube]: \u003c/strong>A better way to say it. And I appreciate the pushback, is a word is a human invention. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Amanda Silberling: \u003c/strong>That’s just a phrase that people say, but it is also something that AI says a lot, and then someone accused him of using AI. And he kind of tattled on himself where he was like, “That actually wasn’t AI, I was just appreciating that someone pushed back on something, but I have been using AI in a way that I feel is kind of unhealthy.” And then he talked about it and people felt really, really betrayed — but, the reaction to the Hank Green situation shows that people really do think that’s that bad. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Amanda Silberling: \u003c/strong>That’s just a phrase that people say, but it is also something that AI says a lot, and then someone accused him of using AI. And he kind of tattled on himself where he was like, “That actually wasn’t AI, I was just appreciating that someone pushed back on something, but I have been using AI in a way that I feel is kind of unhealthy.” And then he talked about it and people felt really, really betrayed — but, the reaction to the Hank Green situation shows that people really do think that’s that bad. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>There isn’t really a sense of nuance, and I don’t think that we’ve gotten to a space culturally where we have clear rules around what is good or bad AI use. Some people think that using it at all whatsoever is like, sacrilegious, cancel you, whatever. And I don’t blame people for feeling that way when the way that they’re seeing how AI is impacting them is it’s taking my job and there’s this giant loud thing in my backyard. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>There isn’t really a sense of nuance, and I don’t think that we’ve gotten to a space culturally where we have clear rules around what is good or bad AI use. Some people think that using it at all whatsoever is like, sacrilegious, cancel you, whatever. And I don’t blame people for feeling that way when the way that they’re seeing how AI is impacting them is it’s taking my job and there’s this giant loud thing in my backyard. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Morgan Sung: \u003c/strong>Do you think the people calling the shots in Silicon Valley are aware of that? Like, are they aware of the PR nightmare they’re facing? They’ve been trying to sell us this incredibly powerful game-changing technology that’s supposed to help humanity, but most people know it for, “Wow, this makes it harder to get a job.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Morgan Sung: \u003c/strong>Do you think the people calling the shots in Silicon Valley are aware of that? Like, are they aware of the PR nightmare they’re facing? They’ve been trying to sell us this incredibly powerful game-changing technology that’s supposed to help humanity, but most people know it for, “Wow, this makes it harder to get a job.” \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Amanda Silberling: \u003c/strong>I think that when tech people don’t realize how out of touch with the rest of the world they are, they kind of corner themselves into these marketing nightmares. It kind of reminds me of how crypto was rolled out to the world where the actual blockchain technology has uses, but people don’t know what the technology is. They know like meme coins and Jimmy Fallon spending ungodly amounts of money on a little JPEG of an ape. People associate crypto with scams and that kind of ruined a lot of innovation in that space. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>And I think similarly with AI, it’s like, a lot things that we do on the internet all the time already are AI. Like, when you make stickers on iMessage, that is using an AI algorithm to determine like, where the edges of the object is so that it can delete the background. Or like, most journalists have been using some form of AI interview transcribing tool for the last several years. I started using one in 2020 probably. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>And I think similarly with AI, it’s like, a lot things that we do on the internet all the time already are AI. Like, when you make stickers on iMessage, that is using an AI algorithm to determine like, where the edges of the object is so that it can delete the background. Or like, most journalists have been using some form of AI interview transcribing tool for the last several years. I started using one in 2020 probably. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>And, I think that sometimes people don’t know exactly how to distinguish between a writer using AI in the sense of putting an audio file of an interview into something that will transcribe it for you versus using AI to be like, “Help me write my article,” which is not necessarily ethical in my opinion. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>And, I think that sometimes people don’t know exactly how to distinguish between a writer using AI in the sense of putting an audio file of an interview into something that will transcribe it for you versus using AI to be like, “Help me write my article,” which is not necessarily ethical in my opinion. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Morgan Sung: \u003c/strong>So considering everything we’ve covered, the intricacies of cooling data centers with pee, the current sentiments around AI, the marketing tactics, what do you want listeners to take away from this episode? \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Morgan Sung: \u003c/strong>So considering everything we’ve covered, the intricacies of cooling data centers with pee, the current sentiments around AI, the marketing tactics, what do you want listeners to take away from this episode? \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Amanda Silberling: \u003c/strong>I think that when it comes to AI in general, not everybody is an expert on AI, nor do they have to be, like, that’s just not everyone’s responsibility. But I do think that at least having a basic level of education around how AI works, how LLMs function, things like people understanding that LLMs are creating the most likely response to a query where it’s working from a matter of probability as opposed to rightness. I think some of these things are starting to seep into like the general knowledge pool, then it empowers people to understand more about what AI is and how it’s affecting them because — I think that for me, knowing how LLMs work makes me a little bit less afraid of them. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Amanda Silberling: \u003c/strong>I think that when it comes to AI in general, not everybody is an expert on AI, nor do they have to be, like, that’s just not everyone’s responsibility. But I do think that at least having a basic level of education around how AI works, how LLMs function, things like people understanding that LLMs are creating the most likely response to a query where it’s working from a matter of probability as opposed to rightness. I think some of these things are starting to seep into like the general knowledge pool, then it empowers people to understand more about what AI is and how it’s affecting them because — I think that for me, knowing how LLMs work makes me a little bit less afraid of them. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Morgan Sung: \u003c/strong>So, educate yourself. Don’t mail your pee to Jason Kelce. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Morgan Sung: \u003c/strong>So, educate yourself. Don’t mail your pee to Jason Kelce. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Amanda Silberling: \u003c/strong>Unless if Jason Kelce really wants you to, I think he was joking. I’ll go on record and say I think Jason Kelce was joking. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Amanda Silberling: \u003c/strong>Unless if Jason Kelce really wants you to, I think he was joking. I’ll go on record and say I think Jason Kelce was joking. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Morgan Sung: \u003c/strong>And with that, let’s close all these tabs. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Morgan Sung: \u003c/strong>And with that, let’s close all these tabs. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Close All Tabs is a production of KQED Studios and is reported and hosted by me, Morgan Sung. This episode was produced by Maya Cueva and Cayla Mihalovich. It was edited by Chris Hambrick. The Close All Tabs team also includes audio engineer Brendan Willard and senior editor, Chris Egusa, who also composed our theme song and credits music. Our intern is Lauren Yoon. Additional music by APM. Audience engagement support from Maha Sanad. Jen Chien is executive director of podcasts and Ethan Toven-Lindsey is our Editor-in-Chief. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Close All Tabs is a production of KQED Studios and is reported and hosted by me, Morgan Sung. This episode was produced by Maya Cueva and Cayla Mihalovich. It was edited by Chris Hambrick. The Close All Tabs team also includes audio engineer Brendan Willard and senior editor, Chris Egusa, who also composed our theme song and credits music. Our intern is Lauren Yoon. Additional music by APM. Audience engagement support from Maha Sanad. Jen Chien is executive director of podcasts and Ethan Toven-Lindsey is our Editor-in-Chief. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Some members of the KQED podcast team are represented by the Screen Actors Guild, American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, San Francisco, Northern California, Local. This episode’s keyboard sounds were submitted by Alex Tran and recorded on his white Epomaker Hi75 keyboard with Fogruaden red samurai keycaps and gateron milky yellow pro v2 switches. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Some members of the KQED podcast team are represented by the Screen Actors Guild, American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, San Francisco, Northern California, Local. This episode’s keyboard sounds were submitted by Alex Tran and recorded on his white Epomaker Hi75 keyboard with Fogruaden red samurai keycaps and gateron milky yellow pro v2 switches. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>This episode also includes clips from YouTubers Louis Levanti and Hank Green. And of course, clips from Liquid Death, Garage Beer, and Jason Kelce’s song, “Want Your Pee.” Do you like these deep dives? Are you closing your tabs? Then don’t forget to rate and review us on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to the show. Thanks for listening. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>This episode also includes clips from YouTubers Louis Levanti and Hank Green. And of course, clips from Liquid Death, Garage Beer, and Jason Kelce’s song, “Want Your Pee.” Do you like these deep dives? Are you closing your tabs? Then don’t forget to rate and review us on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to the show. Thanks for listening. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Amanda Silberling: \u003c/strong>My brother was staying with me, so I feel like he really got to see what my job is like, where I’m like, “Oh, I need to like log on early to take this call about pee with a guy that used to work for the EPA.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "The viral song “We Want Your Pee” jokingly advocates that urine could cool data centers… but could it actually work? ",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"#episode-transcript\">\u003cem>View the full episode transcript.\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>People \u003cem>really\u003c/em> seem to hate data centers. And the more people learn about the amount of resources these server-packed buildings need, the bigger the backlash grows. Perhaps that’s why the viral music video and beverage ad “We Want Your Pee” took off in popularity about a month ago. It’s a collaboration between Liquid Death and Jason Kelce’s Garage Beer, and it advocates that urine could address the cooling needs of data centers. It’s obviously a joke… \u003cem>but could it actually work? \u003c/em>Host Morgan Sung talks to journalist Amanda Silberling about what she discovered when she looked into this question, and about the alternative cooling methods that might actually help everyone’s least favorite buildings use a little less H2O.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003cstrong>\u003cbr>\u003c/strong>\u003cstrong>Guest:\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://techcrunch.com/author/amanda-silberling/\">Amanda Silberling\u003c/a>, senior writer at \u003cem>TechCrunch\u003c/em>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003cstrong>\u003cbr>\u003c/strong>\u003cstrong>Further Reading/Listening:\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://techcrunch.com/2026/08/20/ok-can-we-actually-cool-data-centers-with-our-pee/\">OK, can we actually cool data centers with our pee?\u003c/a> — Amanda Silberling, \u003cem>TechCrunch\u003c/em>\u003c/li>\n\n\n\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://techcrunch.com/2026/08/19/ai-was-supposed-to-win-people-over-by-now-it-hasnt/\">AI was supposed to win people over by now — it hasn’t\u003c/a> — Sarah Perez, \u003cem>TechCrunch\u003c/em>\u003c/li>\n\n\n\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.theverge.com/ai-artificial-intelligence/983181/matti-haapoja-sam-kold-kolder-higgsfield-seedance-backlash\">Major YouTube creators are facing backlash for accepting AI money\u003c/a> — Charles Pulliam-Moore, \u003cem>The Verge\u003c/em>\u003c/li>\n\n\n\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://theartofinfluence.substack.com/p/why-openais-influencer-trip-backfired\">Why OpenAI’s influencer trip backfired\u003c/a> — \u003cem>The Art of Influence\u003c/em>\u003c/li>\n\n\n\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2026/09/22/americans-views-of-data-centers-have-turned-more-negative/\">Americans’ views of data centers have turned more negative\u003c/a> — Brian Kennedy, \u003cem>Pew Research\u003c/em>\u003c/li>\n\n\n\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.space.com/astronaut-pee-iss-water-recycling-98-percent-milestone\">NASA just recycled 98% of all astronaut pee and sweat on the ISS (engineers are thrilled)\u003c/a> — Robert Lea, \u003cem>Space\u003c/em>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Want to give us feedback on the show? Shoot us an email at \u003ca href=\"mailto:CloseAllTabs@KQED.org\">CloseAllTabs@KQED.org\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Follow us on \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/closealltabspod/\">Instagram\u003c/a> and\u003ca href=\"https://www.tiktok.com/@closealltabs\">\u003c/a> \u003ca href=\"https://www.tiktok.com/@closealltabs\">TikTok\u003c/a>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-content post-body\">\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"episode-transcript\">Episode Transcript\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>\u003cem>This is a computer-generated transcript. While our team has reviewed it, there may be errors.\u003c/em>\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Morgan Sung: \u003c/strong>Hi, Tabby Cats. Do you have an internet trend, tech subculture, or online oddity you’ve been wondering about? Well, now you can ask Close All Tabs to investigate. Go to kqed dot org slash podcast slash Close All Tabs, to submit your question. Okay, let’s get to the show. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>[Clip of Jason Kelce ad from YouTube]: \u003c/strong>We want your pee… to cool these data centers. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Morgan Sung: \u003c/strong>Okay, so that’s NFL star and podcaster Jason Kelce in a recent marketing campaign to, quote, “Save humanity.” How? Well, they need your pee. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>[Clip of Jason Kelce ad from YouTube]: \u003c/strong>We want your pee. Please give us your pee. Let’s pee on computers together. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Morgan Sung: \u003c/strong>The video starts with Kelce in a bathroom, peeing into a large resealable mason jar before breaking out into song and marching into a lush green field. He’s joined by a farmer, a skateboarder, a shirtless firefighter, a gamer — all different types of people — holding various receptacles of pee. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>[Clip of Jason Kelce ad from YouTube]: \u003c/strong>‘Cause we need lots of pee, endless gallons of pee. Join our important endeavor. We want your pee.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Morgan Sung: \u003c/strong>It’s an all-American fantasy of unity and solidarity, and a shared vision of the future. And of course — it’s an ad. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>[Clip of Jason Kelce ad from YouTube]: \u003c/strong>So what are you waiting for? Go ahead and have another Garage Beer or Liquid Death’s Sparkling Energy, then send your pee to the AI data center of your choice. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Amanda Silberling: \u003c/strong>So Jason Kelce and his beer brand Garage Beer team up with Liquid Death, the very punk rock, canned water venture funded company. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Morgan Sung: \u003c/strong>This is my friend Amanda Silberling. She’s a senior writer at TechCrunch and host of the Internet Culture Podcast, Wow If True. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Amanda Silberling: \u003c/strong>Jason Kelce is drinking a beer and appears to be peeing. And he explains that, “Hey, data centers are using millions and millions of gallons of water every day. This is a really significant environmental issue. What if we solved it by sending data centers our pee?” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Morgan Sung: \u003c/strong>Right, and to go along with this, they also are selling data center pee jars? \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Amanda Silberling: \u003c/strong>Yes, which they sold out very quickly, but it was essentially like a glass mason jar where — I think something they were also trying to get at is that maybe the color of a light beer could be similar to the color of pee, but I think that that means you probably need to be drinking more water. So there’s the Liquid Death marketing, I guess. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Morgan Sung: \u003c/strong>Okay, we’ve talked about data centers pretty extensively on this show. Think about the way your laptop might get really, really hot when you run intense functions — like editing video, or if you’re me, playing The Sims. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Amanda Silberling: \u003c/strong>So, when we do things on our computers, we need a lot of power to do those things. And data centers generate the power that can support, like, really power-intensive computing things, which AI is especially very, very compute-intensive. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Morgan Sung: \u003c/strong>Data centers are nothing new. We’ve relied on them for years. Any online service, from streaming movies on Netflix to scrolling through Instagram reels, is powered by data centers. But this current explosion in data center construction is directly tied to the AI boom. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Amanda Silberling: \u003c/strong>So when you have these data centers, they are doing a lot of work, they’re producing a lot of heat, and that can… like, it can be bad, like when your laptop overheats or something. So one of the tactics that some data centers use to counter that heat is using water for cooling, and often that water is clean, potable, drinking water that is then creating a situation where people drinking water in a particular area are competing with the data centers for that drinking water. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Morgan Sung: \u003c/strong>Which brings us back to Jason Kelce’s pee jars. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>[Clip of Jason Kelce ad from YouTube]: \u003c/strong>We want your pee. Please give us your pee. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Amanda Silberling: \u003c/strong>I think people thought it was really funny. Liquid Death does good marketing… But, I think that what stuck out to me is that there actually is some real illustration of like, this really is how Americans feel, and… It was just getting shared around a lot, I think also because there is such a concentrated sentiment against data center construction right now, because people are watching very rapidly how AI is changing the world around them, and sometimes that means building data centers in their communities, and they know that these are very water-intensive and loud, and maybe are working to enable technologies that they don’t feel are ethical sometimes. So, I think this was sort of just like a moment where people felt seen by big beer and big water as opposed to big AI. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Morgan Sung: \u003c/strong>Liquid Death’s viral marketing campaign was obviously silly. In the video and in the product listing for the now sold out pee jars, they do say, “Please don’t actually send your pee.” But this video got Amanda thinking. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Amanda Silberling: \u003c/strong>So, I was talking about this in Slack with one of my editors, and he was like, “I mean, I don’t see why it couldn’t work.” And then I was like, “I don’t know a lot about the engineering behind data centers.” I studied English in college, but it’s time to learn. Could it actually work? Because if you think about it, it’s like, people produce a lot of pee. We need a lot of water. If pee would work, then sure. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Morgan Sung: \u003c/strong>So, like any intrepid reporter, Amanda investigated this question. Could we really cool data centers with pee? And if not, are there any alternatives to cooling these massive data centers without relying on our clean, precious drinking water? In today’s deep dive, we’re getting into all of that. And as it turns out, cooling data centers is not as simple as peeing on computers. Buckle up. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>This is Close All Tabs. I’m Morgan Sung, tech journalist and your chronically online friend, here to open as many browser tabs as it takes to help you understand how the digital world affects our real lives. Let’s get into it. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Let’s open our first tab — and let me just say, I cannot believe that I am actually typing this question out right now. Okay, new tab. Can you actually cool data centers with pee? \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>So, there’s one pretty big problem with this question. Data centers need a lot of water. And human beings just do not pee enough, and are not capable of peeing enough, to replace the sheer amount of clean water that data centers use every day. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Amanda Silberling: \u003c/strong>So in Loudoun County, Virginia, which is home to more than 250 data centers — it’s basically like the data center capital of the U.S. — in 2025, they said that each day the data centers use 460 million gallons of water. And not all of that has to be clean, potable water. So 43% of what Loudoun County is using is actually recycled water, but… that still does mean that 260 million gallons of water every day are coming from potable water supplies, which is very staggering. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Morgan Sung: \u003c/strong>Adults can only produce three to eight cups of urine per day. Even if the entire population of the United States managed to produce the maximum amount of pee possible for the human body, it still would not be enough for what Loudoun County alone needs for its data centers. No matter how much trendy canned water everyone drinks, we’d still be like, 90 million gallons short. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But for the sake of our deep dive, let’s say we could replace data center water with pee. What would happen? To answer this question, Amanda needed to talk to experts: real scientists who study wastewater recycling and resource management and infrastructure. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Amanda Silberling: \u003c/strong>And, I posted on LinkedIn like, “I want to talk to people about pee. If you know about like, wastewater and data centers, like please reach out.”. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Morgan Sung: \u003c/strong>To her surprise, that post took off. Like a lot of people were sharing it and being like, “Please talk to her because I want to read this article.” So I got a lot of outreach from like very overqualified people, which, I love that. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Morgan Sung: \u003c/strong> I mean, one of the people you said was like way, way overqualified was Bruno Pigott, who used to be in charge of like, wastewater for the EPA under the Biden administration. How did Bruno respond when you approached him with this question? \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Amanda Silberling: \u003c/strong>Pretty much everyone I talked to for this article was like, “This is the most fun part of my day,” like, “Yay!” But he was very amused by it. Like, he really was like gonna play the game. Like, I think everyone I talked to was very willing to follow the thought experiment of like, “Okay, actually like sending pee to data centers and collecting human pee, like, there’s not enough of it that it would make a difference. But theoretically, what if we did?” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Morgan Sung: \u003c/strong>So to be clear, data center cooling is a lot more complicated than just pouring water on hot circuit boards. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Amanda Silberling: \u003c/strong>Like in the commercial, Jason Kelce is more so being like, what if we pee on the data centers? What if we like send them our pee? Which, like, no one is literally dumping water on computers. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Morgan Sung: \u003c/strong>The vast majority of the world’s existing data centers use evaporative cooling. It generally works like this. With all these servers whirring around, it gets pretty hot inside. So, cooling towers, equipped with big old fans, pull hot air in, passing it through absorbent pads soaked in water, which absorb the heat. Then, it spits out nice, chilled air. Modern data centers use this in conjunction with other cooling methods, but the point is… they need a lot of clean water to pull it off. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Amanda Silberling: \u003c/strong>You can very quickly see why just straight up urine is not a good coolant for data centers. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Morgan Sung: \u003c/strong>If you try this out with any liquid other than water, the water in it, the H2O, will evaporate. But, all the other gunk will be left behind, collecting on the equipment. Now, imagine doing this with human pee. Here’s what Bruno told Amanda. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Amanda Silberling: \u003c/strong>Quote, “Pee contains all sorts of stuff,” which, great quote to get in an article. It contains salts, it contains urea, bacteria, organic matter of all sorts that can leave mineral deposits. If you just put that into a cooling tower or something else, it would require constant cleaning. Can you imagine if you just poured urine through hot air? So to say, urine is a liquid and a lot of what is in urine is water, but also, it’s kind of yucky. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Morgan Sung: \u003c/strong>If you’ve ever had the misfortune of using a porta potty on a hot summer day, you know the smell. A typical porta potty can hold 60 to 70 gallons of human waste. There’s a lot of contention over data center water use numbers, but typical midsize data centers use roughly 300,000 gallons of water every day. So imagine the smell of a boiling porta potty in the middle of July, but now there are at least 5,000 more of them. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Residents have already pushed back against data centers in their communities because of the noise pollution, the rising energy bills, and the health concerns. The smell of 5,000 hot porta potties on top of that? Nobody wants that. Plus, the cleaning alone would be a nightmare. It would be so labor-intensive that it’s just not worth it. But, can’t we clean the pee? Filter all the gunk out so it’s clean, pure water? Astronauts up in space do this? \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Amanda Silberling: \u003c/strong>If you think about the recent Artemis 2 mission, like they were up there for multiple weeks. Like, they need to drink a lot of water, like, humans need so much water to live. And you can only bring so much with you. So they have like, mechanisms built into the toilets in spacecrafts that then recycle it and sanitize it so that it can be drank again. And, I don’t know, science is kind of amazing sometimes. [laughs] \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Morgan Sung: \u003c/strong>As of a few years ago, astronauts on the International Space Station have managed to recycle 98% of their sweat and urine into clean drinking water. That’s huge! It’s all thanks to this nifty NASA device called a brine processor. So why can’t we use that? It’s so expensive. The brine processer for a single flight-ready unit costs over $5 million. The International space station has like, seven crew members at a time. It just does not scale when you think about deploying this for a whole town, much less the entire country. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But, not all is lost. Jason Kelce’s very catchy song inspired Amanda to start digging into another alternative method for cooling down data centers: wastewater. That’s the used, dirty water that is no longer safe for human consumption. Like, what you flush down the toilet or the runoff from a car wash. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Amanda Silberling: \u003c/strong>So it’s kind of like a silly idea, but then, not all of the water that we use is like, brand new fresh water. That’s not really a thing. If you think back to learning about the water cycle in school, like — what’s the difference between the clean, potable water that is in like, when you go and buy a water bottle at the store versus like, wastewater. Someone who used to be high up in the EPA told me that the adage about, technically we’re all drinking dinosaur pee, is kind of true. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Morgan Sung: \u003c/strong>That’s a new tab, which we’ll open right after a quick break. But first, we wanted to remind you that Close All Tabs depends on listeners like you to keep us going. You can support us by becoming a member at donate dot kqed dot org slash podcast. Okay — after the break — sure, we’re all technically drinking dinosaur pee. So why not use wastewater for data centers? Stick around. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Welcome back. Let’s open a new tab. Can data centers use recycled water? Reusing wastewater is not new. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Amanda Silberling: \u003c/strong>So, these water treatment facilities, they take recycled water and they use various different complex technologies that I cannot explain to you like, membrane bioreactors, reverse osmosis, ultraviolet light, and other processes where they’re treating water until it’s clean enough for industrial use. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Morgan Sung: \u003c/strong>And Bruno Pigott, the guy formerly in charge of wastewater at the EPA, told Amanda something really interesting. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Amanda Silberling: \u003c/strong>I keep saying EPA because it’s just cool that he used to be so high up in the government. But, he is the executive director of the WateReuse Association. He told me that sometimes water treatment facilities can sanitize water to such a degree that they actually have to add minerals back into it because people aren’t used to the taste of water without minerals. Like, I guess it would taste weird to us if we drank, like… 1000% sanitized water. They have the technology to do it. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Morgan Sung: \u003c/strong>We actually don’t need the recycled water to be ultra sanitized to use it. We already safely use recycled wastewater — collected from municipal storm drains, flushing toilets, and industrial sites. Water treatment for industrial mining, for example, doesn’t need to be as clean as the water we use for irrigating farms. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Amanda Silberling: \u003c/strong>There’s different levels of sanitization, obviously, where it’s like, if you think about the water that you would use to water your plants, maybe isn’t the same water that you’re drinking. It doesn’t need to be as clean as drinking water. And it’s the same with data centers where it doesn’t to be like, the cleanest, most pristine water. And wouldn’t you rather have that kind of water available for people to consume it? \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Morgan Sung: \u003c/strong>So then, if this is a genuine possibility, why are data centers and local communities still fighting for the same drinking water? \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Amanda Silberling: \u003c/strong>I think it’s just not a priority for government to set up the infrastructure to recycle water and turn it into more sanitized versions of water that can be used for various other things, but it does exist in some places. So that’s why, as we mentioned earlier, Loudoun County in Virginia, because that’s such a hub for data centers, and this is such a huge burden on the water in that region, they have invested in making these water recycling plants where they can sanitize water to the point that it is clean enough that it can be used to cool data centers safely. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Morgan Sung: \u003c/strong>To better understand water recycling, Amanda talked to another expert. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Amanda Silberling: \u003c/strong>Dr. Greta Zornes, who is the practice leader for water reuse at the engineering firm CDM Smith — so basically she is in charge of thinking about how we are engineering data centers and how we can create data centers that are built so that they’re able to use recycled water and have that kind of infrastructure. Like, this is what she does every day. And she’s been working in water reuse for more than two decades, but she said that now, literally every day, she’s working on recycled water for data centers. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Morgan Sung: \u003c/strong>And as Dr. Zornes told Amanda, it’s not as simple as just building a new wastewater treatment plant for every new data center. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Amanda Silberling: \u003c/strong>If you’re rebuilding a city from scratch right now, that city will probably be more easily able to have those sorts of like recycled water setups than if you’re like in New York City and you’re let me replace this infrastructure from like the 1800s or something. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Morgan Sung: \u003c/strong>The truth is, right now, we just don’t have the infrastructure for all the data centers in the country to exclusively use recycled water. But, there is some hope for us. Amanda said there are people working with tech companies and local governments to build out this infrastructure. And, she talked to one of them. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Amanda Silberling: \u003c/strong>So, Michael Obradovitch, who is the president of Data Center Global Accounts at Ecolab, he thinks that data centers could actually be something that drives the creation of more recycled water infrastructure. So, maybe even though data centers are kind of seen as being very bad for the environment, maybe in a way that could spur some construction of things that do help us with conserving resources, but it’s kind of a small victory that’s not really a victory in the greater scheme. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Morgan Sung: \u003c/strong>On the legislation side, Bruno Pigott, former EPA guy, is pushing for the Advancing Water Reuse Act. That’s a bill that would provide a hefty tax credit to incentivize industries to scale their water recycling — and some tech companies are already investing in this infrastructure. Meta, for one, announced that they’re putting $270 million into wastewater infrastructure projects in areas they’re building new data centers. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Amanda Silberling: \u003c/strong>That sounds like, really amazing, like $270 million. But then, when you think about it, Meta just got fined $17 billion for child safety issues, and then they spend $4 billion on Reality Labs each quarter for the last several years. Like literally every quarter on the Meta quarterly earnings sheet, it’s like we lost $4 billion on Reality Labs. And Reality Labs is the division where they like the VR, AR stuff. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>So, it’s not like Meta is being unbelievably generous, but $270 million is not nothing, and it helps, and Amazon is doing something similar and trying to power its data centers with more recycled water. This does seem to be something where tech companies do understand that there is a really significant environmental risk here, or maybe they just understand that it’s like a reputational risk, where they don’t want to be seen as perpetuating that — but, if the reputational risk is what’s getting them to invest in it, then sure, I guess. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Morgan Sung: \u003c/strong>That reputational risk is huge right now. People in this country love to argue, but today there’s one issue that a majority of Americans can agree on, hating data centers. And, we have just enough time to open one last tab: the great American data center backlash. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>[Clip of Jason Kelce ad from YouTube]: \u003c/strong>Let’s pee on our computers together, and save humanity. We want your pee.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Morgan Sung: \u003c/strong>We’ve talked about all the reasons peeing on data centers wouldn’t work, but aside from just being very catchy, this video blew up for a reason. It echoes a sentiment felt across the country, an issue uniting Americans beyond party lines. Nobody wants a data center in their backyard. OpenAI released ChatGPT in 2022. LLMs — large language models — were just the start. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>When the AI industry started really taking off a few years ago, developers and tech companies alike sold data centers as the future of industry. They made grand promises of creating jobs and investing in local communities. But, as we’ve talked about before on Close All Tabs, there hasn’t been much follow through on these promises. Instead, residents have raised concerns over skyrocketing utility bills, health issues, and unrelenting noise pollution. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Data center popularity is in the toilet. A recent Gallup poll found that seven out of 10 Americans opposed data centers in their area. And it’s bipartisan — Pew Research numbers published this month show that over half of Republicans and about two-thirds of Democrats say they’d be not comfortable with a new local data center. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Amanda Silberling: \u003c/strong>People just don’t want these like, giant industrial centers that make a lot of noise and represent a kind of technology that maybe there isn’t a great sentiment toward, like they just don’t want that in their neighborhood. And I think the sentiment toward AI is generally moving more negative. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Morgan Sung: \u003c/strong>In the last few months, there’s been a massive cultural vibe shift against AI as a whole. Another Pew Research study, published in August, found that 52% of Americans said they’re, quote, “More concerned than excited about the increased use of AI in daily life.” In 2021, it was only 37%. And creators who accept AI sponsorships and use AI in their content? They’re losing followers. One of the biggest internet scandals of the summer was an influencer brand trip, sponsored by OpenAI. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>[Clip of TikTok video by Louis Levanti]: \u003c/strong>OpenAI just took influencers on a luxury trip with beekeeping and $5,000-a-night suites — while they’re building a $500 billion data center that’s about to suck power from your grid. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Amanda Silberling: \u003c/strong>The amount of sort of damage control that tech companies are having to do shows that, in a way, you could say that the average people that are frustrated with AI are starting to gain some ground. Like, I’m thinking about how there was recent backlash against the YouTuber slash writer slash general internet guy, Hank Green, when someone called him out for using the phrase, “I appreciate the pushback,” in a video. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>[Clip of Hank Green from YouTube]: \u003c/strong>A better way to say it. And I appreciate the pushback, is a word is a human invention. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Amanda Silberling: \u003c/strong>That’s just a phrase that people say, but it is also something that AI says a lot, and then someone accused him of using AI. And he kind of tattled on himself where he was like, “That actually wasn’t AI, I was just appreciating that someone pushed back on something, but I have been using AI in a way that I feel is kind of unhealthy.” And then he talked about it and people felt really, really betrayed — but, the reaction to the Hank Green situation shows that people really do think that’s that bad. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>There isn’t really a sense of nuance, and I don’t think that we’ve gotten to a space culturally where we have clear rules around what is good or bad AI use. Some people think that using it at all whatsoever is like, sacrilegious, cancel you, whatever. And I don’t blame people for feeling that way when the way that they’re seeing how AI is impacting them is it’s taking my job and there’s this giant loud thing in my backyard. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Morgan Sung: \u003c/strong>Do you think the people calling the shots in Silicon Valley are aware of that? Like, are they aware of the PR nightmare they’re facing? They’ve been trying to sell us this incredibly powerful game-changing technology that’s supposed to help humanity, but most people know it for, “Wow, this makes it harder to get a job.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Amanda Silberling: \u003c/strong>I think that when tech people don’t realize how out of touch with the rest of the world they are, they kind of corner themselves into these marketing nightmares. It kind of reminds me of how crypto was rolled out to the world where the actual blockchain technology has uses, but people don’t know what the technology is. They know like meme coins and Jimmy Fallon spending ungodly amounts of money on a little JPEG of an ape. People associate crypto with scams and that kind of ruined a lot of innovation in that space. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>And I think similarly with AI, it’s like, a lot things that we do on the internet all the time already are AI. Like, when you make stickers on iMessage, that is using an AI algorithm to determine like, where the edges of the object is so that it can delete the background. Or like, most journalists have been using some form of AI interview transcribing tool for the last several years. I started using one in 2020 probably. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>And, I think that sometimes people don’t know exactly how to distinguish between a writer using AI in the sense of putting an audio file of an interview into something that will transcribe it for you versus using AI to be like, “Help me write my article,” which is not necessarily ethical in my opinion. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Morgan Sung: \u003c/strong>So considering everything we’ve covered, the intricacies of cooling data centers with pee, the current sentiments around AI, the marketing tactics, what do you want listeners to take away from this episode? \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Amanda Silberling: \u003c/strong>I think that when it comes to AI in general, not everybody is an expert on AI, nor do they have to be, like, that’s just not everyone’s responsibility. But I do think that at least having a basic level of education around how AI works, how LLMs function, things like people understanding that LLMs are creating the most likely response to a query where it’s working from a matter of probability as opposed to rightness. I think some of these things are starting to seep into like the general knowledge pool, then it empowers people to understand more about what AI is and how it’s affecting them because — I think that for me, knowing how LLMs work makes me a little bit less afraid of them. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Morgan Sung: \u003c/strong>So, educate yourself. Don’t mail your pee to Jason Kelce. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Amanda Silberling: \u003c/strong>Unless if Jason Kelce really wants you to, I think he was joking. I’ll go on record and say I think Jason Kelce was joking. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Morgan Sung: \u003c/strong>And with that, let’s close all these tabs. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Close All Tabs is a production of KQED Studios and is reported and hosted by me, Morgan Sung. This episode was produced by Maya Cueva and Cayla Mihalovich. It was edited by Chris Hambrick. The Close All Tabs team also includes audio engineer Brendan Willard and senior editor, Chris Egusa, who also composed our theme song and credits music. Our intern is Lauren Yoon. Additional music by APM. Audience engagement support from Maha Sanad. Jen Chien is executive director of podcasts and Ethan Toven-Lindsey is our Editor-in-Chief. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Some members of the KQED podcast team are represented by the Screen Actors Guild, American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, San Francisco, Northern California, Local. This episode’s keyboard sounds were submitted by Alex Tran and recorded on his white Epomaker Hi75 keyboard with Fogruaden red samurai keycaps and gateron milky yellow pro v2 switches. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>This episode also includes clips from YouTubers Louis Levanti and Hank Green. And of course, clips from Liquid Death, Garage Beer, and Jason Kelce’s song, “Want Your Pee.” Do you like these deep dives? Are you closing your tabs? Then don’t forget to rate and review us on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to the show. Thanks for listening. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Amanda Silberling: \u003c/strong>My brother was staying with me, so I feel like he really got to see what my job is like, where I’m like, “Oh, I need to like log on early to take this call about pee with a guy that used to work for the EPA.” \u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>"
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"title": "State of Emergency Declared As California Prepares for Potentially Historic El Niño Event",
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"content": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Here are the morning’s top stories on Tuesday, September 22, 2026\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n\u003cli>With a potentially historic El Niño brewing, Governor Gavin Newsom \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12100741/a-powerful-el-nino-is-brewing-newsom-wants-california-ready-for-the-worst\">declared a state of emergency Monday\u003c/a> ahead of winter storms and high tides that could wreak havoc across the state. \u003c/li>\n\n\n\n\u003cli>Governor Newsom is signing \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12100746/newsom-signs-new-restrictions-on-data-center-development\">a package of bills\u003c/a> placing new regulations on data center development. \u003c/li>\n\n\n\n\u003cli>It’s less than a month away from when ballots will hit Merced County residents’ mailboxes, and officials are urging voters to drop off their ballot in–person. The county is providing more ballot drop boxes to avoid using mail delivery. \u003c/li>\n\n\n\n\u003cli>The Trump administration’s current mass deportation push \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12100716/historian-draws-parallels-between-trump-and-1920s-immigration-policy\">has echoes of a long-ago immigration campaign\u003c/a>, when roughly a million people were sent to Mexico. That’s according to a historian who spoke at UC Berkeley recently.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12100741/a-powerful-el-nino-is-brewing-newsom-wants-california-ready-for-the-worst\">A powerful El Niño is brewing. Newsom wants California ready for the worst\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>As a potentially historic \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12097546/el-nino-could-bring-a-wet-wild-winter-how-can-you-and-your-home-be-ready\">El Niño\u003c/a> continues to build, Gov. Gavin Newsom proclaimed a \u003ca target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https://www.gov.ca.gov/2026/09/21/governor-newsom-proclaims-state-of-emergency-to-bolster-statewide-el-nino-preparedness-protect-california/\">state of emergency\u003c/a> on Monday ahead of winter storms and high tides that could wreak havoc on the state. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Forecasters predict that much of California could have \u003ca target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/products/predictions/long_range/seasonal.php?lead=1\">above-average\u003c/a> precipitation and temperatures this winter. The potential storms could pile on top of El Niño-induced \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/2001688/strong-el-nino-may-bring-record-sea-level-and-coastal-flooding-to-bay-area\">higher sea levels and record-high king tides\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>As a result, Newsom is directing state agencies to begin preparing vulnerable communities and roads, stage emergency supplies and work in at-risk areas to reduce flooding potential. He has also directed state agencies to fast-track permitting and cut red tape to ready the state for El Niño effects. “We are preparing for this El Niño early because every Californian deserves to be safe in their home, connected to their community, and protected when severe weather comes,” Newsom said in a \u003ca href=\"https://www.gov.ca.gov/2026/09/21/governor-newsom-proclaims-state-of-emergency-to-bolster-statewide-el-nino-preparedness-protect-california/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">statement\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>El Niño forms when tropical trade winds weaken or reverse, allowing warm ocean water near Asia to slosh toward the Pacific Coast. That warming can reshape the jet stream and bring stormier weather across California while disrupting the ocean’s nutrient-rich upwelling, heating coastal waters, raising sea levels and stressing marine life. National forecasters with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration report that the natural climate phenomenon is strengthening, with a greater than 90% chance of a very strong event and a \u003ca href=\"https://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/products/analysis_monitoring/enso_advisory/ensodisc.shtml\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">75% chance of a historic\u003c/a> event this fall and winter. Exactly what the weather will look like this fall and winter is — quite literally — still up in the air. But similar events in past El Niño years have brought torrential downpours, coastal flooding, mudslides, power outages and giant waves.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Climate-driven El Niño conditions could mean months of dangerous weather, heavy rain, strong winds, deep mountain snow, flooding, and Californians should understand this clearly,” said Caroline Thomas Jacobs, director of the California Office of Emergency Services. “Storms are among the deadliest disasters we face here in California, and one of the greatest dangers is still people underestimating the power of water.” To prepare for what might happen, the emergency proclamation mobilizes resources in support of the state’s flood-risk-reduction efforts. The California Department of Water Resources has staged 4.4 million sandbags, 400,000 tons of rock, 68 stockpile locations, eight warehouses and 211 flood material containers across the state. State leaders have not yet put a price tag on the flood work. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12100746/newsom-signs-new-restrictions-on-data-center-development\">Newsom signs new restrictions on data center development\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/data-centers\">Data center\u003c/a> developments in California will face new hurdles under legislation signed into law by Gov. Gavin Newsom on Monday amid \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12099195/full-on-backlash-against-data-centers-occurring-as-san-jose-courts-them\">rising concerns\u003c/a> about the facilities at the heart of the nation’s artificial intelligence boom. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The seven bills signed by Newsom \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12097632/chatbots-data-centers-and-surveillance-5-silicon-valley-bills-land-on-newsoms-desk\">include provisions\u003c/a> aimed at preventing data centers from passing on their electricity costs to other ratepayers and a new requirement for developers to disclose their projected water usage. “With these laws, we are ensuring that Californians remain in the driver’s seat — and that those profiting from data centers aren’t doing so at our expense,” Newsom said in a statement. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The governor vetoed the water-reporting proposal last year, citing a need to further understand impacts on data center businesses and consumers. Since then, opposition to data centers has intensified; local governments across California are considering bans or moratoriums on the projects, and Newsom has promised his administration would be “leaning in” on regulations.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Two bills signed by Newsom, Senate Bill 886 and Assembly Bill 2383, would require the California Public Utilities Commission to create new power rates for data centers to cover the cost of connecting the facilities to the grid and providing them with electricity. “These are some of the nation’s strongest data center ratepayer protections — stopping Big Tech from sticking California families with the bill for their data centers while ensuring all local voices have a say on these projects and they comply with our air, water, and climate standards,” said Sen. Steve Padilla, D-San Diego, who wrote SB 886.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The bills passed the Democratic-controlled Senate and Assembly largely on party-line votes, in the face of opposition from business groups such as the Data Center Coalition, whose members include Google and Microsoft. Opponents said the bills would prevent California from capitalizing on economic growth from data center construction. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003cstrong>Merced County calls on voters to drop off ballots \u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Ballots will soon be mailed out to California voters for November’s mid-term election. In Merced County, officials are urging residents to drop off their ballots in-person, as the county is providing more secure ballot drop boxes.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The move comes after changes last year in the US Postal Service delayed mail delivery. Earlier this year, an analysis by KVPR found nearly 3% of returned mail-in ballots from Merced County were late during the special election in 2025.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Melvin Levey, the Merced County Registrar of Voters, urged voters to get their ballots directly to a ballot drop box. As a result, Levey said the county is providing more than double the required number of 10 drop boxes. “We want to make sure that we’re giving voters as many options as possible to have a drop box, a secure drop box, directly to Merced County elections close by to them,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>There will be 21 drop boxes placed throughout the county, and all of them will have increased security measures.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12100716/historian-draws-parallels-between-trump-and-1920s-immigration-policy\">\u003cstrong>Historian draws parallels between Trump and 1920s immigration poli\u003c/strong>cy\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>It was a campaign of \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/mass-deportations\">mass deportation\u003c/a>, with immigration authorities engaged in racial profiling and \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12056762/bay-area-immigrant-advocates-sue-the-trump-administration-to-end-courthouse-arrests\">disregarding the rights\u003c/a> of the people they arrested, many of whom were in the United States legally. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>That’s a charge that’s been leveled at President Donald Trump’s current enforcement efforts, with agents detaining people they perceived as immigrants without legal status on the streets of cities like Los Angeles and Minneapolis, frequently without warrants and referring to them by racial slurs. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>It also describes a little-known chapter of U.S. history: the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12002189/over-1-million-were-deported-to-mexico-nearly-100-years-ago-most-of-them-were-u-s-citizens\">“Mexican Repatriation” \u003c/a>that began amid rising xenophobia in the 1920s and gained steam during the Great Depression, said historian Marla Ramírez, who spoke about the parallels at UC Berkeley’s Institute for Governmental Studies last week. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>An estimated 1 million people were sent to Mexico in the period between World War I and World War II, and the majority of them were U.S. citizens, according to Ramírez, a professor at the University of Wisconsin and author of \u003ca href=\"https://www.hup.harvard.edu/books/9780674295940\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">a recent book\u003c/a>, “Banished Citizens: A History of the Mexican American Women Who Endured Repatriation.” “What happened during the interwar period and what’s happening now is that we have this stereotypical image of an immigrant that’s always rooted in who’s white and who’s not white,” she said. “We see U.S. citizens of non-white phenotypes being questioned, being arrested even, because they’ve been imagined to be immigrants, even when they’re U.S. citizens.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Recent lawsuits have alleged — through officer bodycam footage, witnesses and individual testimonies — that agents have denied some people the opportunity to produce proof of legal status during their arrest, speak to an attorney while detained or present their case to an immigration judge before they are deported. The current environment echoes the immigration policing of a century ago, Ramírez said, and it poses a danger not only to immigrants but to society as a whole. “Whenever we are willing to turn a blind eye to the civil rights and constitutional rights of a group, it becomes a dangerous, slippery slope,” she said. “It gives [the government] permission to ignore those same rights for other groups.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"With a potentially historic El Niño brewing, Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency Monday ahead of winter storms and high tides that could wreak havoc across the state. ",
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"It’s less than a month away from when ballots will hit Merced County residents’ mailboxes, and officials are urging voters to drop off their ballot in–person. The county is providing more ballot drop boxes to avoid using mail delivery. ",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cli>With a potentially historic El Niño brewing, Governor Gavin Newsom \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12100741/a-powerful-el-nino-is-brewing-newsom-wants-california-ready-for-the-worst\">declared a state of emergency Monday\u003c/a> ahead of winter storms and high tides that could wreak havoc across the state. \u003c/li>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cli>Governor Newsom is signing \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12100746/newsom-signs-new-restrictions-on-data-center-development\">a package of bills\u003c/a> placing new regulations on data center development. \u003c/li>\n",
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"\n\u003cli>Governor Newsom is signing \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12100746/newsom-signs-new-restrictions-on-data-center-development\">a package of bills\u003c/a> placing new regulations on data center development. \u003c/li>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cli>It’s less than a month away from when ballots will hit Merced County residents’ mailboxes, and officials are urging voters to drop off their ballot in–person. The county is providing more ballot drop boxes to avoid using mail delivery. \u003c/li>\n",
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"\n\u003cli>It’s less than a month away from when ballots will hit Merced County residents’ mailboxes, and officials are urging voters to drop off their ballot in–person. The county is providing more ballot drop boxes to avoid using mail delivery. \u003c/li>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cli>The Trump administration’s current mass deportation push \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12100716/historian-draws-parallels-between-trump-and-1920s-immigration-policy\">has echoes of a long-ago immigration campaign\u003c/a>, when roughly a million people were sent to Mexico. That’s according to a historian who spoke at UC Berkeley recently.\u003c/li>\n",
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"\n\u003cli>The Trump administration’s current mass deportation push \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12100716/historian-draws-parallels-between-trump-and-1920s-immigration-policy\">has echoes of a long-ago immigration campaign\u003c/a>, when roughly a million people were sent to Mexico. That’s according to a historian who spoke at UC Berkeley recently.\u003c/li>\n"
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"text": "A powerful El Niño is brewing. Newsom wants California ready for the worst",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12100741/a-powerful-el-nino-is-brewing-newsom-wants-california-ready-for-the-worst\">A powerful El Niño is brewing. Newsom wants California ready for the worst\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>As a potentially historic \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12097546/el-nino-could-bring-a-wet-wild-winter-how-can-you-and-your-home-be-ready\">El Niño\u003c/a> continues to build, Gov. Gavin Newsom proclaimed a \u003ca target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https://www.gov.ca.gov/2026/09/21/governor-newsom-proclaims-state-of-emergency-to-bolster-statewide-el-nino-preparedness-protect-california/\">state of emergency\u003c/a> on Monday ahead of winter storms and high tides that could wreak havoc on the state. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>As a potentially historic \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12097546/el-nino-could-bring-a-wet-wild-winter-how-can-you-and-your-home-be-ready\">El Niño\u003c/a> continues to build, Gov. Gavin Newsom proclaimed a \u003ca target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https://www.gov.ca.gov/2026/09/21/governor-newsom-proclaims-state-of-emergency-to-bolster-statewide-el-nino-preparedness-protect-california/\">state of emergency\u003c/a> on Monday ahead of winter storms and high tides that could wreak havoc on the state. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Forecasters predict that much of California could have \u003ca target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/products/predictions/long_range/seasonal.php?lead=1\">above-average\u003c/a> precipitation and temperatures this winter. The potential storms could pile on top of El Niño-induced \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/2001688/strong-el-nino-may-bring-record-sea-level-and-coastal-flooding-to-bay-area\">higher sea levels and record-high king tides\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Forecasters predict that much of California could have \u003ca target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/products/predictions/long_range/seasonal.php?lead=1\">above-average\u003c/a> precipitation and temperatures this winter. The potential storms could pile on top of El Niño-induced \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/2001688/strong-el-nino-may-bring-record-sea-level-and-coastal-flooding-to-bay-area\">higher sea levels and record-high king tides\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>As a result, Newsom is directing state agencies to begin preparing vulnerable communities and roads, stage emergency supplies and work in at-risk areas to reduce flooding potential. He has also directed state agencies to fast-track permitting and cut red tape to ready the state for El Niño effects. “We are preparing for this El Niño early because every Californian deserves to be safe in their home, connected to their community, and protected when severe weather comes,” Newsom said in a \u003ca href=\"https://www.gov.ca.gov/2026/09/21/governor-newsom-proclaims-state-of-emergency-to-bolster-statewide-el-nino-preparedness-protect-california/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">statement\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>As a result, Newsom is directing state agencies to begin preparing vulnerable communities and roads, stage emergency supplies and work in at-risk areas to reduce flooding potential. He has also directed state agencies to fast-track permitting and cut red tape to ready the state for El Niño effects. “We are preparing for this El Niño early because every Californian deserves to be safe in their home, connected to their community, and protected when severe weather comes,” Newsom said in a \u003ca href=\"https://www.gov.ca.gov/2026/09/21/governor-newsom-proclaims-state-of-emergency-to-bolster-statewide-el-nino-preparedness-protect-california/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">statement\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>El Niño forms when tropical trade winds weaken or reverse, allowing warm ocean water near Asia to slosh toward the Pacific Coast. That warming can reshape the jet stream and bring stormier weather across California while disrupting the ocean’s nutrient-rich upwelling, heating coastal waters, raising sea levels and stressing marine life. National forecasters with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration report that the natural climate phenomenon is strengthening, with a greater than 90% chance of a very strong event and a \u003ca href=\"https://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/products/analysis_monitoring/enso_advisory/ensodisc.shtml\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">75% chance of a historic\u003c/a> event this fall and winter. Exactly what the weather will look like this fall and winter is — quite literally — still up in the air. But similar events in past El Niño years have brought torrential downpours, coastal flooding, mudslides, power outages and giant waves.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>El Niño forms when tropical trade winds weaken or reverse, allowing warm ocean water near Asia to slosh toward the Pacific Coast. That warming can reshape the jet stream and bring stormier weather across California while disrupting the ocean’s nutrient-rich upwelling, heating coastal waters, raising sea levels and stressing marine life. National forecasters with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration report that the natural climate phenomenon is strengthening, with a greater than 90% chance of a very strong event and a \u003ca href=\"https://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/products/analysis_monitoring/enso_advisory/ensodisc.shtml\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">75% chance of a historic\u003c/a> event this fall and winter. Exactly what the weather will look like this fall and winter is — quite literally — still up in the air. But similar events in past El Niño years have brought torrential downpours, coastal flooding, mudslides, power outages and giant waves.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Climate-driven El Niño conditions could mean months of dangerous weather, heavy rain, strong winds, deep mountain snow, flooding, and Californians should understand this clearly,” said Caroline Thomas Jacobs, director of the California Office of Emergency Services. “Storms are among the deadliest disasters we face here in California, and one of the greatest dangers is still people underestimating the power of water.” To prepare for what might happen, the emergency proclamation mobilizes resources in support of the state’s flood-risk-reduction efforts. The California Department of Water Resources has staged 4.4 million sandbags, 400,000 tons of rock, 68 stockpile locations, eight warehouses and 211 flood material containers across the state. State leaders have not yet put a price tag on the flood work. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“Climate-driven El Niño conditions could mean months of dangerous weather, heavy rain, strong winds, deep mountain snow, flooding, and Californians should understand this clearly,” said Caroline Thomas Jacobs, director of the California Office of Emergency Services. “Storms are among the deadliest disasters we face here in California, and one of the greatest dangers is still people underestimating the power of water.” To prepare for what might happen, the emergency proclamation mobilizes resources in support of the state’s flood-risk-reduction efforts. The California Department of Water Resources has staged 4.4 million sandbags, 400,000 tons of rock, 68 stockpile locations, eight warehouses and 211 flood material containers across the state. State leaders have not yet put a price tag on the flood work. \u003c/p>\n"
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"text": "Newsom signs new restrictions on data center development",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/data-centers\">Data center\u003c/a> developments in California will face new hurdles under legislation signed into law by Gov. Gavin Newsom on Monday amid \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12099195/full-on-backlash-against-data-centers-occurring-as-san-jose-courts-them\">rising concerns\u003c/a> about the facilities at the heart of the nation’s artificial intelligence boom. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/data-centers\">Data center\u003c/a> developments in California will face new hurdles under legislation signed into law by Gov. Gavin Newsom on Monday amid \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12099195/full-on-backlash-against-data-centers-occurring-as-san-jose-courts-them\">rising concerns\u003c/a> about the facilities at the heart of the nation’s artificial intelligence boom. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The seven bills signed by Newsom \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12097632/chatbots-data-centers-and-surveillance-5-silicon-valley-bills-land-on-newsoms-desk\">include provisions\u003c/a> aimed at preventing data centers from passing on their electricity costs to other ratepayers and a new requirement for developers to disclose their projected water usage. “With these laws, we are ensuring that Californians remain in the driver’s seat — and that those profiting from data centers aren’t doing so at our expense,” Newsom said in a statement. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The seven bills signed by Newsom \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12097632/chatbots-data-centers-and-surveillance-5-silicon-valley-bills-land-on-newsoms-desk\">include provisions\u003c/a> aimed at preventing data centers from passing on their electricity costs to other ratepayers and a new requirement for developers to disclose their projected water usage. “With these laws, we are ensuring that Californians remain in the driver’s seat — and that those profiting from data centers aren’t doing so at our expense,” Newsom said in a statement. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The governor vetoed the water-reporting proposal last year, citing a need to further understand impacts on data center businesses and consumers. Since then, opposition to data centers has intensified; local governments across California are considering bans or moratoriums on the projects, and Newsom has promised his administration would be “leaning in” on regulations.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>The governor vetoed the water-reporting proposal last year, citing a need to further understand impacts on data center businesses and consumers. Since then, opposition to data centers has intensified; local governments across California are considering bans or moratoriums on the projects, and Newsom has promised his administration would be “leaning in” on regulations.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Two bills signed by Newsom, Senate Bill 886 and Assembly Bill 2383, would require the California Public Utilities Commission to create new power rates for data centers to cover the cost of connecting the facilities to the grid and providing them with electricity. “These are some of the nation’s strongest data center ratepayer protections — stopping Big Tech from sticking California families with the bill for their data centers while ensuring all local voices have a say on these projects and they comply with our air, water, and climate standards,” said Sen. Steve Padilla, D-San Diego, who wrote SB 886.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Two bills signed by Newsom, Senate Bill 886 and Assembly Bill 2383, would require the California Public Utilities Commission to create new power rates for data centers to cover the cost of connecting the facilities to the grid and providing them with electricity. “These are some of the nation’s strongest data center ratepayer protections — stopping Big Tech from sticking California families with the bill for their data centers while ensuring all local voices have a say on these projects and they comply with our air, water, and climate standards,” said Sen. Steve Padilla, D-San Diego, who wrote SB 886.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The bills passed the Democratic-controlled Senate and Assembly largely on party-line votes, in the face of opposition from business groups such as the Data Center Coalition, whose members include Google and Microsoft. Opponents said the bills would prevent California from capitalizing on economic growth from data center construction. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The bills passed the Democratic-controlled Senate and Assembly largely on party-line votes, in the face of opposition from business groups such as the Data Center Coalition, whose members include Google and Microsoft. Opponents said the bills would prevent California from capitalizing on economic growth from data center construction. \u003c/p>\n"
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"blockName": "core/heading",
"attrs": {
"text": "Merced County calls on voters to drop off ballots",
"level": 2
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003cstrong>Merced County calls on voters to drop off ballots \u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n",
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"\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003cstrong>Merced County calls on voters to drop off ballots \u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Ballots will soon be mailed out to California voters for November’s mid-term election. In Merced County, officials are urging residents to drop off their ballots in-person, as the county is providing more secure ballot drop boxes.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Ballots will soon be mailed out to California voters for November’s mid-term election. In Merced County, officials are urging residents to drop off their ballots in-person, as the county is providing more secure ballot drop boxes.\u003c/p>\n"
],
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The move comes after changes last year in the US Postal Service delayed mail delivery. Earlier this year, an analysis by KVPR found nearly 3% of returned mail-in ballots from Merced County were late during the special election in 2025.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>The move comes after changes last year in the US Postal Service delayed mail delivery. Earlier this year, an analysis by KVPR found nearly 3% of returned mail-in ballots from Merced County were late during the special election in 2025.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Melvin Levey, the Merced County Registrar of Voters, urged voters to get their ballots directly to a ballot drop box. As a result, Levey said the county is providing more than double the required number of 10 drop boxes. “We want to make sure that we’re giving voters as many options as possible to have a drop box, a secure drop box, directly to Merced County elections close by to them,” he said.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Melvin Levey, the Merced County Registrar of Voters, urged voters to get their ballots directly to a ballot drop box. As a result, Levey said the county is providing more than double the required number of 10 drop boxes. “We want to make sure that we’re giving voters as many options as possible to have a drop box, a secure drop box, directly to Merced County elections close by to them,” he said.\u003c/p>\n"
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"attrs": {
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>There will be 21 drop boxes placed throughout the county, and all of them will have increased security measures.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>There will be 21 drop boxes placed throughout the county, and all of them will have increased security measures.\u003c/p>\n"
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"attrs": {
"text": "Historian draws parallels between Trump and 1920s immigration policy",
"level": 2
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12100716/historian-draws-parallels-between-trump-and-1920s-immigration-policy\">\u003cstrong>Historian draws parallels between Trump and 1920s immigration poli\u003c/strong>cy\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12100716/historian-draws-parallels-between-trump-and-1920s-immigration-policy\">\u003cstrong>Historian draws parallels between Trump and 1920s immigration poli\u003c/strong>cy\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>It was a campaign of \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/mass-deportations\">mass deportation\u003c/a>, with immigration authorities engaged in racial profiling and \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12056762/bay-area-immigrant-advocates-sue-the-trump-administration-to-end-courthouse-arrests\">disregarding the rights\u003c/a> of the people they arrested, many of whom were in the United States legally. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>It was a campaign of \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/mass-deportations\">mass deportation\u003c/a>, with immigration authorities engaged in racial profiling and \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12056762/bay-area-immigrant-advocates-sue-the-trump-administration-to-end-courthouse-arrests\">disregarding the rights\u003c/a> of the people they arrested, many of whom were in the United States legally. \u003c/p>\n"
],
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"attrs": {
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>That’s a charge that’s been leveled at President Donald Trump’s current enforcement efforts, with agents detaining people they perceived as immigrants without legal status on the streets of cities like Los Angeles and Minneapolis, frequently without warrants and referring to them by racial slurs. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>That’s a charge that’s been leveled at President Donald Trump’s current enforcement efforts, with agents detaining people they perceived as immigrants without legal status on the streets of cities like Los Angeles and Minneapolis, frequently without warrants and referring to them by racial slurs. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>It also describes a little-known chapter of U.S. history: the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12002189/over-1-million-were-deported-to-mexico-nearly-100-years-ago-most-of-them-were-u-s-citizens\">“Mexican Repatriation” \u003c/a>that began amid rising xenophobia in the 1920s and gained steam during the Great Depression, said historian Marla Ramírez, who spoke about the parallels at UC Berkeley’s Institute for Governmental Studies last week. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>It also describes a little-known chapter of U.S. history: the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12002189/over-1-million-were-deported-to-mexico-nearly-100-years-ago-most-of-them-were-u-s-citizens\">“Mexican Repatriation” \u003c/a>that began amid rising xenophobia in the 1920s and gained steam during the Great Depression, said historian Marla Ramírez, who spoke about the parallels at UC Berkeley’s Institute for Governmental Studies last week. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>An estimated 1 million people were sent to Mexico in the period between World War I and World War II, and the majority of them were U.S. citizens, according to Ramírez, a professor at the University of Wisconsin and author of \u003ca href=\"https://www.hup.harvard.edu/books/9780674295940\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">a recent book\u003c/a>, “Banished Citizens: A History of the Mexican American Women Who Endured Repatriation.” “What happened during the interwar period and what’s happening now is that we have this stereotypical image of an immigrant that’s always rooted in who’s white and who’s not white,” she said. “We see U.S. citizens of non-white phenotypes being questioned, being arrested even, because they’ve been imagined to be immigrants, even when they’re U.S. citizens.”\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>An estimated 1 million people were sent to Mexico in the period between World War I and World War II, and the majority of them were U.S. citizens, according to Ramírez, a professor at the University of Wisconsin and author of \u003ca href=\"https://www.hup.harvard.edu/books/9780674295940\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">a recent book\u003c/a>, “Banished Citizens: A History of the Mexican American Women Who Endured Repatriation.” “What happened during the interwar period and what’s happening now is that we have this stereotypical image of an immigrant that’s always rooted in who’s white and who’s not white,” she said. “We see U.S. citizens of non-white phenotypes being questioned, being arrested even, because they’ve been imagined to be immigrants, even when they’re U.S. citizens.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Recent lawsuits have alleged — through officer bodycam footage, witnesses and individual testimonies — that agents have denied some people the opportunity to produce proof of legal status during their arrest, speak to an attorney while detained or present their case to an immigration judge before they are deported. The current environment echoes the immigration policing of a century ago, Ramírez said, and it poses a danger not only to immigrants but to society as a whole. “Whenever we are willing to turn a blind eye to the civil rights and constitutional rights of a group, it becomes a dangerous, slippery slope,” she said. “It gives [the government] permission to ignore those same rights for other groups.”\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Recent lawsuits have alleged — through officer bodycam footage, witnesses and individual testimonies — that agents have denied some people the opportunity to produce proof of legal status during their arrest, speak to an attorney while detained or present their case to an immigration judge before they are deported. The current environment echoes the immigration policing of a century ago, Ramírez said, and it poses a danger not only to immigrants but to society as a whole. “Whenever we are willing to turn a blind eye to the civil rights and constitutional rights of a group, it becomes a dangerous, slippery slope,” she said. “It gives [the government] permission to ignore those same rights for other groups.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"excerpt": "California is preparing for flooding and dangerous storms as a potentially historic El Niño strengthens.",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Here are the morning’s top stories on Tuesday, September 22, 2026\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n\u003cli>With a potentially historic El Niño brewing, Governor Gavin Newsom \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12100741/a-powerful-el-nino-is-brewing-newsom-wants-california-ready-for-the-worst\">declared a state of emergency Monday\u003c/a> ahead of winter storms and high tides that could wreak havoc across the state. \u003c/li>\n\n\n\n\u003cli>Governor Newsom is signing \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12100746/newsom-signs-new-restrictions-on-data-center-development\">a package of bills\u003c/a> placing new regulations on data center development. \u003c/li>\n\n\n\n\u003cli>It’s less than a month away from when ballots will hit Merced County residents’ mailboxes, and officials are urging voters to drop off their ballot in–person. The county is providing more ballot drop boxes to avoid using mail delivery. \u003c/li>\n\n\n\n\u003cli>The Trump administration’s current mass deportation push \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12100716/historian-draws-parallels-between-trump-and-1920s-immigration-policy\">has echoes of a long-ago immigration campaign\u003c/a>, when roughly a million people were sent to Mexico. That’s according to a historian who spoke at UC Berkeley recently.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12100741/a-powerful-el-nino-is-brewing-newsom-wants-california-ready-for-the-worst\">A powerful El Niño is brewing. Newsom wants California ready for the worst\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>As a potentially historic \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12097546/el-nino-could-bring-a-wet-wild-winter-how-can-you-and-your-home-be-ready\">El Niño\u003c/a> continues to build, Gov. Gavin Newsom proclaimed a \u003ca target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https://www.gov.ca.gov/2026/09/21/governor-newsom-proclaims-state-of-emergency-to-bolster-statewide-el-nino-preparedness-protect-california/\">state of emergency\u003c/a> on Monday ahead of winter storms and high tides that could wreak havoc on the state. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Forecasters predict that much of California could have \u003ca target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/products/predictions/long_range/seasonal.php?lead=1\">above-average\u003c/a> precipitation and temperatures this winter. The potential storms could pile on top of El Niño-induced \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/2001688/strong-el-nino-may-bring-record-sea-level-and-coastal-flooding-to-bay-area\">higher sea levels and record-high king tides\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>As a result, Newsom is directing state agencies to begin preparing vulnerable communities and roads, stage emergency supplies and work in at-risk areas to reduce flooding potential. He has also directed state agencies to fast-track permitting and cut red tape to ready the state for El Niño effects. “We are preparing for this El Niño early because every Californian deserves to be safe in their home, connected to their community, and protected when severe weather comes,” Newsom said in a \u003ca href=\"https://www.gov.ca.gov/2026/09/21/governor-newsom-proclaims-state-of-emergency-to-bolster-statewide-el-nino-preparedness-protect-california/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">statement\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>El Niño forms when tropical trade winds weaken or reverse, allowing warm ocean water near Asia to slosh toward the Pacific Coast. That warming can reshape the jet stream and bring stormier weather across California while disrupting the ocean’s nutrient-rich upwelling, heating coastal waters, raising sea levels and stressing marine life. National forecasters with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration report that the natural climate phenomenon is strengthening, with a greater than 90% chance of a very strong event and a \u003ca href=\"https://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/products/analysis_monitoring/enso_advisory/ensodisc.shtml\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">75% chance of a historic\u003c/a> event this fall and winter. Exactly what the weather will look like this fall and winter is — quite literally — still up in the air. But similar events in past El Niño years have brought torrential downpours, coastal flooding, mudslides, power outages and giant waves.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Climate-driven El Niño conditions could mean months of dangerous weather, heavy rain, strong winds, deep mountain snow, flooding, and Californians should understand this clearly,” said Caroline Thomas Jacobs, director of the California Office of Emergency Services. “Storms are among the deadliest disasters we face here in California, and one of the greatest dangers is still people underestimating the power of water.” To prepare for what might happen, the emergency proclamation mobilizes resources in support of the state’s flood-risk-reduction efforts. The California Department of Water Resources has staged 4.4 million sandbags, 400,000 tons of rock, 68 stockpile locations, eight warehouses and 211 flood material containers across the state. State leaders have not yet put a price tag on the flood work. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12100746/newsom-signs-new-restrictions-on-data-center-development\">Newsom signs new restrictions on data center development\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/data-centers\">Data center\u003c/a> developments in California will face new hurdles under legislation signed into law by Gov. Gavin Newsom on Monday amid \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12099195/full-on-backlash-against-data-centers-occurring-as-san-jose-courts-them\">rising concerns\u003c/a> about the facilities at the heart of the nation’s artificial intelligence boom. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The seven bills signed by Newsom \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12097632/chatbots-data-centers-and-surveillance-5-silicon-valley-bills-land-on-newsoms-desk\">include provisions\u003c/a> aimed at preventing data centers from passing on their electricity costs to other ratepayers and a new requirement for developers to disclose their projected water usage. “With these laws, we are ensuring that Californians remain in the driver’s seat — and that those profiting from data centers aren’t doing so at our expense,” Newsom said in a statement. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The governor vetoed the water-reporting proposal last year, citing a need to further understand impacts on data center businesses and consumers. Since then, opposition to data centers has intensified; local governments across California are considering bans or moratoriums on the projects, and Newsom has promised his administration would be “leaning in” on regulations.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Two bills signed by Newsom, Senate Bill 886 and Assembly Bill 2383, would require the California Public Utilities Commission to create new power rates for data centers to cover the cost of connecting the facilities to the grid and providing them with electricity. “These are some of the nation’s strongest data center ratepayer protections — stopping Big Tech from sticking California families with the bill for their data centers while ensuring all local voices have a say on these projects and they comply with our air, water, and climate standards,” said Sen. Steve Padilla, D-San Diego, who wrote SB 886.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The bills passed the Democratic-controlled Senate and Assembly largely on party-line votes, in the face of opposition from business groups such as the Data Center Coalition, whose members include Google and Microsoft. Opponents said the bills would prevent California from capitalizing on economic growth from data center construction. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003cstrong>Merced County calls on voters to drop off ballots \u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Ballots will soon be mailed out to California voters for November’s mid-term election. In Merced County, officials are urging residents to drop off their ballots in-person, as the county is providing more secure ballot drop boxes.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The move comes after changes last year in the US Postal Service delayed mail delivery. Earlier this year, an analysis by KVPR found nearly 3% of returned mail-in ballots from Merced County were late during the special election in 2025.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Melvin Levey, the Merced County Registrar of Voters, urged voters to get their ballots directly to a ballot drop box. As a result, Levey said the county is providing more than double the required number of 10 drop boxes. “We want to make sure that we’re giving voters as many options as possible to have a drop box, a secure drop box, directly to Merced County elections close by to them,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>There will be 21 drop boxes placed throughout the county, and all of them will have increased security measures.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12100716/historian-draws-parallels-between-trump-and-1920s-immigration-policy\">\u003cstrong>Historian draws parallels between Trump and 1920s immigration poli\u003c/strong>cy\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>It was a campaign of \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/mass-deportations\">mass deportation\u003c/a>, with immigration authorities engaged in racial profiling and \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12056762/bay-area-immigrant-advocates-sue-the-trump-administration-to-end-courthouse-arrests\">disregarding the rights\u003c/a> of the people they arrested, many of whom were in the United States legally. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>That’s a charge that’s been leveled at President Donald Trump’s current enforcement efforts, with agents detaining people they perceived as immigrants without legal status on the streets of cities like Los Angeles and Minneapolis, frequently without warrants and referring to them by racial slurs. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>It also describes a little-known chapter of U.S. history: the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12002189/over-1-million-were-deported-to-mexico-nearly-100-years-ago-most-of-them-were-u-s-citizens\">“Mexican Repatriation” \u003c/a>that began amid rising xenophobia in the 1920s and gained steam during the Great Depression, said historian Marla Ramírez, who spoke about the parallels at UC Berkeley’s Institute for Governmental Studies last week. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>An estimated 1 million people were sent to Mexico in the period between World War I and World War II, and the majority of them were U.S. citizens, according to Ramírez, a professor at the University of Wisconsin and author of \u003ca href=\"https://www.hup.harvard.edu/books/9780674295940\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">a recent book\u003c/a>, “Banished Citizens: A History of the Mexican American Women Who Endured Repatriation.” “What happened during the interwar period and what’s happening now is that we have this stereotypical image of an immigrant that’s always rooted in who’s white and who’s not white,” she said. “We see U.S. citizens of non-white phenotypes being questioned, being arrested even, because they’ve been imagined to be immigrants, even when they’re U.S. citizens.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Recent lawsuits have alleged — through officer bodycam footage, witnesses and individual testimonies — that agents have denied some people the opportunity to produce proof of legal status during their arrest, speak to an attorney while detained or present their case to an immigration judge before they are deported. The current environment echoes the immigration policing of a century ago, Ramírez said, and it poses a danger not only to immigrants but to society as a whole. “Whenever we are willing to turn a blind eye to the civil rights and constitutional rights of a group, it becomes a dangerous, slippery slope,” she said. “It gives [the government] permission to ignore those same rights for other groups.”\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "newsom-signs-new-restrictions-on-data-center-development",
"title": "Newsom Signs New Restrictions on Data Center Development",
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"content": "\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/data-centers\">Data center\u003c/a> developments in California will face new hurdles under legislation signed into law by Gov. Gavin Newsom on Monday amid \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12099195/full-on-backlash-against-data-centers-occurring-as-san-jose-courts-them\">rising concerns\u003c/a> about the facilities at the heart of the nation’s artificial intelligence boom. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The seven bills signed by Newsom \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12097632/chatbots-data-centers-and-surveillance-5-silicon-valley-bills-land-on-newsoms-desk\">include provisions\u003c/a> aimed at preventing data centers from passing on their electricity costs to other ratepayers and a new requirement for developers to disclose their projected water usage. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“With these laws, we are ensuring that Californians remain in the driver’s seat — and that those profiting from data centers aren’t doing so at our expense,” Newsom said in a statement. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The governor vetoed the water-reporting proposal last year, citing a need to further understand impacts on data center businesses and consumers. Since then, opposition to data centers has intensified; local governments across California are considering bans or moratoriums on the projects, and Newsom has promised his administration would be “leaning in” on regulations.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1999\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/20260915_RichmondDataCenterRally-15.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12100065\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/20260915_RichmondDataCenterRally-15.jpg 1999w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/20260915_RichmondDataCenterRally-15-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/20260915_RichmondDataCenterRally-15-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Community members cheer during a rally calling for a 45-day moratorium on new data centers, at Richmond City Hall in Richmond on Sept. 15, 2026. (Gina Castro/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Two bills signed by Newsom, Senate Bill 886 and Assembly Bill 2383, would require the California Public Utilities Commission to create new power rates for data centers to cover the cost of connecting the facilities to the grid and providing them with electricity. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“These are some of the nation’s strongest data center ratepayer protections — stopping Big Tech from sticking California families with the bill for their data centers while ensuring all local voices have a say on these projects and they comply with our air, water, and climate standards,” said Sen. Steve Padilla, D-San Diego, who wrote SB 886.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Newsom signed another bill written by Padilla, Senate Bill 887, which prevents data centers from skipping the state-mandated environmental review process for new projects. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Assembly Bill 2469 will prohibit local approval of data centers until the developer discloses the facility’s projected water usage. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The bills passed the Democratic-controlled Senate and Assembly largely on party-line votes, in the face of opposition from business groups such as the Data Center Coalition, whose members include Google and Microsoft. Opponents said the bills would prevent California from capitalizing on economic growth from data center construction. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Nearly three-quarters of Californians oppose the construction of an AI data center in their area, according to a July \u003ca href=\"https://www.ppic.org/publication/ppic-statewide-survey-californians-and-the-environment-july-2026/\">survey\u003c/a> from the Public Policy Institute of California. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Data centers have been around for decades, housing servers that support web services such as video streaming and cloud storage. But the computing needs of advanced AI models have spurred a demand for new data centers that use more electricity for high-energy processing and, in some cases, more water for cooling. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The PPIC survey found 63% of Californians said they were worried about the environmental impact of building more AI data centers. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1377\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/GettyImages-2285283677-scaled-e1786637636410.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12091348\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">An aerial view of a 49.5-megawatt, three-level data center under construction on July 8, 2026, in Vernon, California. A surge in demand for artificial intelligence infrastructure is fueling a boom in data centers across the country and around the globe. (Mario Tama/Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>California is home to nearly 300 data centers, with 54 in the pipeline, according to \u003ca href=\"https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2026/04/13/most-new-data-centers-in-the-us-are-coming-to-rural-areas/\">an analysis\u003c/a> conducted by the Pew Research Center in February. The study found future data center growth is concentrated in rural America, largely in the Midwest and South. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Still, some local California governments are looking to erect their own roadblocks; on Tuesday, Oakland will be the latest city to weigh a temporary data center ban when a City Council committee meets to consider a 45-day moratorium. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Similar moratoriums have been proposed in San Francisco, Richmond and Hayward, and in Southern California, the city of Monterey Park became the first in the U.S. this summer to \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12096476/monterey-park-becomes-a-role-model-for-banning-data-centers\">enact a voter-approved ban\u003c/a> on data centers. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>On the federal level, President Donald Trump has cheered the advancement of data centers — praising them as key to economic growth and accusing Democrats of perpetrating a “hoax” against the development of artificial intelligence. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“It all began with an attack on our Data Centers, until people realized how wealthy and prestigious they were for the Communities in which they were built,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform on Saturday. “Higher Salaries, Lower Taxes, and Safer Streets was the result, and the crazed Data Center attack has largely failed.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Some Silicon Valley leaders have expressed regret at the controversial rollout of data centers. Jensen Huang, CEO of Nvidia, the Santa Clara-based chipmaker whose chips power many AI data centers, told CBS on Sunday that tech leaders should have spoken to residents living near proposed data centers sooner. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“We need to go engage the communities long before we set up the data centers, and I think all of my colleagues recognize this today,” he said. “All of this happened so quickly, and it happened all over America so quickly — we didn’t realize, and we didn’t get a chance to be polite, to be a visitor in some new town.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“With these laws, we are ensuring that Californians remain in the driver’s seat — and that those profiting from data centers aren’t doing so at our expense,” Newsom said in a statement. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The governor vetoed the water-reporting proposal last year, citing a need to further understand impacts on data center businesses and consumers. Since then, opposition to data centers has intensified; local governments across California are considering bans or moratoriums on the projects, and Newsom has promised his administration would be “leaning in” on regulations.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Two bills signed by Newsom, Senate Bill 886 and Assembly Bill 2383, would require the California Public Utilities Commission to create new power rates for data centers to cover the cost of connecting the facilities to the grid and providing them with electricity. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Two bills signed by Newsom, Senate Bill 886 and Assembly Bill 2383, would require the California Public Utilities Commission to create new power rates for data centers to cover the cost of connecting the facilities to the grid and providing them with electricity. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Newsom signed another bill written by Padilla, Senate Bill 887, which prevents data centers from skipping the state-mandated environmental review process for new projects. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Assembly Bill 2469 will prohibit local approval of data centers until the developer discloses the facility’s projected water usage. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The bills passed the Democratic-controlled Senate and Assembly largely on party-line votes, in the face of opposition from business groups such as the Data Center Coalition, whose members include Google and Microsoft. Opponents said the bills would prevent California from capitalizing on economic growth from data center construction. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Nearly three-quarters of Californians oppose the construction of an AI data center in their area, according to a July \u003ca href=\"https://www.ppic.org/publication/ppic-statewide-survey-californians-and-the-environment-july-2026/\">survey\u003c/a> from the Public Policy Institute of California. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Nearly three-quarters of Californians oppose the construction of an AI data center in their area, according to a July \u003ca href=\"https://www.ppic.org/publication/ppic-statewide-survey-californians-and-the-environment-july-2026/\">survey\u003c/a> from the Public Policy Institute of California. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Data centers have been around for decades, housing servers that support web services such as video streaming and cloud storage. But the computing needs of advanced AI models have spurred a demand for new data centers that use more electricity for high-energy processing and, in some cases, more water for cooling. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Data centers have been around for decades, housing servers that support web services such as video streaming and cloud storage. But the computing needs of advanced AI models have spurred a demand for new data centers that use more electricity for high-energy processing and, in some cases, more water for cooling. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The PPIC survey found 63% of Californians said they were worried about the environmental impact of building more AI data centers. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The PPIC survey found 63% of Californians said they were worried about the environmental impact of building more AI data centers. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/GettyImages-2285283677-scaled-e1786637636410.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12091348\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">An aerial view of a 49.5-megawatt, three-level data center under construction on July 8, 2026, in Vernon, California. A surge in demand for artificial intelligence infrastructure is fueling a boom in data centers across the country and around the globe. \u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Mario Tama/Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>California is home to nearly 300 data centers, with 54 in the pipeline, according to \u003ca href=\"https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2026/04/13/most-new-data-centers-in-the-us-are-coming-to-rural-areas/\">an analysis\u003c/a> conducted by the Pew Research Center in February. The study found future data center growth is concentrated in rural America, largely in the Midwest and South. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>California is home to nearly 300 data centers, with 54 in the pipeline, according to \u003ca href=\"https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2026/04/13/most-new-data-centers-in-the-us-are-coming-to-rural-areas/\">an analysis\u003c/a> conducted by the Pew Research Center in February. The study found future data center growth is concentrated in rural America, largely in the Midwest and South. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Still, some local California governments are looking to erect their own roadblocks; on Tuesday, Oakland will be the latest city to weigh a temporary data center ban when a City Council committee meets to consider a 45-day moratorium. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Still, some local California governments are looking to erect their own roadblocks; on Tuesday, Oakland will be the latest city to weigh a temporary data center ban when a City Council committee meets to consider a 45-day moratorium. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Similar moratoriums have been proposed in San Francisco, Richmond and Hayward, and in Southern California, the city of Monterey Park became the first in the U.S. this summer to \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12096476/monterey-park-becomes-a-role-model-for-banning-data-centers\">enact a voter-approved ban\u003c/a> on data centers. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>On the federal level, President Donald Trump has cheered the advancement of data centers — praising them as key to economic growth and accusing Democrats of perpetrating a “hoax” against the development of artificial intelligence. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“It all began with an attack on our Data Centers, until people realized how wealthy and prestigious they were for the Communities in which they were built,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform on Saturday. “Higher Salaries, Lower Taxes, and Safer Streets was the result, and the crazed Data Center attack has largely failed.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“It all began with an attack on our Data Centers, until people realized how wealthy and prestigious they were for the Communities in which they were built,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform on Saturday. “Higher Salaries, Lower Taxes, and Safer Streets was the result, and the crazed Data Center attack has largely failed.” \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Some Silicon Valley leaders have expressed regret at the controversial rollout of data centers. Jensen Huang, CEO of Nvidia, the Santa Clara-based chipmaker whose chips power many AI data centers, told CBS on Sunday that tech leaders should have spoken to residents living near proposed data centers sooner. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Some Silicon Valley leaders have expressed regret at the controversial rollout of data centers. Jensen Huang, CEO of Nvidia, the Santa Clara-based chipmaker whose chips power many AI data centers, told CBS on Sunday that tech leaders should have spoken to residents living near proposed data centers sooner. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“We need to go engage the communities long before we set up the data centers, and I think all of my colleagues recognize this today,” he said. “All of this happened so quickly, and it happened all over America so quickly — we didn’t realize, and we didn’t get a chance to be polite, to be a visitor in some new town.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“We need to go engage the communities long before we set up the data centers, and I think all of my colleagues recognize this today,” he said. “All of this happened so quickly, and it happened all over America so quickly — we didn’t realize, and we didn’t get a chance to be polite, to be a visitor in some new town.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"excerpt": "Data center developments in California will face new regulations governing their electricity and water usage.",
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"title": "Newsom Signs New Restrictions on Data Center Development | KQED",
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"headline": "Newsom Signs New Restrictions on Data Center Development",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/data-centers\">Data center\u003c/a> developments in California will face new hurdles under legislation signed into law by Gov. Gavin Newsom on Monday amid \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12099195/full-on-backlash-against-data-centers-occurring-as-san-jose-courts-them\">rising concerns\u003c/a> about the facilities at the heart of the nation’s artificial intelligence boom. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The seven bills signed by Newsom \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12097632/chatbots-data-centers-and-surveillance-5-silicon-valley-bills-land-on-newsoms-desk\">include provisions\u003c/a> aimed at preventing data centers from passing on their electricity costs to other ratepayers and a new requirement for developers to disclose their projected water usage. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“With these laws, we are ensuring that Californians remain in the driver’s seat — and that those profiting from data centers aren’t doing so at our expense,” Newsom said in a statement. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The governor vetoed the water-reporting proposal last year, citing a need to further understand impacts on data center businesses and consumers. Since then, opposition to data centers has intensified; local governments across California are considering bans or moratoriums on the projects, and Newsom has promised his administration would be “leaning in” on regulations.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1999\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/20260915_RichmondDataCenterRally-15.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12100065\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/20260915_RichmondDataCenterRally-15.jpg 1999w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/20260915_RichmondDataCenterRally-15-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/20260915_RichmondDataCenterRally-15-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Community members cheer during a rally calling for a 45-day moratorium on new data centers, at Richmond City Hall in Richmond on Sept. 15, 2026. (Gina Castro/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Two bills signed by Newsom, Senate Bill 886 and Assembly Bill 2383, would require the California Public Utilities Commission to create new power rates for data centers to cover the cost of connecting the facilities to the grid and providing them with electricity. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“These are some of the nation’s strongest data center ratepayer protections — stopping Big Tech from sticking California families with the bill for their data centers while ensuring all local voices have a say on these projects and they comply with our air, water, and climate standards,” said Sen. Steve Padilla, D-San Diego, who wrote SB 886.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Newsom signed another bill written by Padilla, Senate Bill 887, which prevents data centers from skipping the state-mandated environmental review process for new projects. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Assembly Bill 2469 will prohibit local approval of data centers until the developer discloses the facility’s projected water usage. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The bills passed the Democratic-controlled Senate and Assembly largely on party-line votes, in the face of opposition from business groups such as the Data Center Coalition, whose members include Google and Microsoft. Opponents said the bills would prevent California from capitalizing on economic growth from data center construction. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Nearly three-quarters of Californians oppose the construction of an AI data center in their area, according to a July \u003ca href=\"https://www.ppic.org/publication/ppic-statewide-survey-californians-and-the-environment-july-2026/\">survey\u003c/a> from the Public Policy Institute of California. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Data centers have been around for decades, housing servers that support web services such as video streaming and cloud storage. But the computing needs of advanced AI models have spurred a demand for new data centers that use more electricity for high-energy processing and, in some cases, more water for cooling. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The PPIC survey found 63% of Californians said they were worried about the environmental impact of building more AI data centers. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1377\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/GettyImages-2285283677-scaled-e1786637636410.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12091348\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">An aerial view of a 49.5-megawatt, three-level data center under construction on July 8, 2026, in Vernon, California. A surge in demand for artificial intelligence infrastructure is fueling a boom in data centers across the country and around the globe. (Mario Tama/Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>California is home to nearly 300 data centers, with 54 in the pipeline, according to \u003ca href=\"https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2026/04/13/most-new-data-centers-in-the-us-are-coming-to-rural-areas/\">an analysis\u003c/a> conducted by the Pew Research Center in February. The study found future data center growth is concentrated in rural America, largely in the Midwest and South. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Still, some local California governments are looking to erect their own roadblocks; on Tuesday, Oakland will be the latest city to weigh a temporary data center ban when a City Council committee meets to consider a 45-day moratorium. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Similar moratoriums have been proposed in San Francisco, Richmond and Hayward, and in Southern California, the city of Monterey Park became the first in the U.S. this summer to \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12096476/monterey-park-becomes-a-role-model-for-banning-data-centers\">enact a voter-approved ban\u003c/a> on data centers. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>On the federal level, President Donald Trump has cheered the advancement of data centers — praising them as key to economic growth and accusing Democrats of perpetrating a “hoax” against the development of artificial intelligence. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“It all began with an attack on our Data Centers, until people realized how wealthy and prestigious they were for the Communities in which they were built,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform on Saturday. “Higher Salaries, Lower Taxes, and Safer Streets was the result, and the crazed Data Center attack has largely failed.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Some Silicon Valley leaders have expressed regret at the controversial rollout of data centers. Jensen Huang, CEO of Nvidia, the Santa Clara-based chipmaker whose chips power many AI data centers, told CBS on Sunday that tech leaders should have spoken to residents living near proposed data centers sooner. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“We need to go engage the communities long before we set up the data centers, and I think all of my colleagues recognize this today,” he said. “All of this happened so quickly, and it happened all over America so quickly — we didn’t realize, and we didn’t get a chance to be polite, to be a visitor in some new town.”\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "sick-of-scam-calls-and-texts-you-can-now-request-to-remove-your-details-from-data-brokers",
"title": "Over Half a Million Californians Have Signed Up to Delete Their Info From Data Brokers. Here’s How You Can, Too",
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"headTitle": "Over Half a Million Californians Have Signed Up to Delete Their Info From Data Brokers. Here’s How You Can, Too | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cp>Constant spam calls and fake texts \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2025/08/08/nx-s1-5494743/weve-all-gotten-those-hiring-scam-texts-instead-of-deleting-this-writer-played-along\">promising job offers\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://x.com/yrechtman/status/2008946516820406366?s=46&t=7BBzFwo6eYLzJIVfAlumEQ\">easy cash\u003c/a> or, in some cases, a coffee date have been the bane of my existence.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s not just me. According to the consumer advocacy organization \u003ca href=\"https://pirg.org/edfund/\">U.S. PIRG Education Fund\u003c/a>, Americans received \u003ca href=\"https://www.cbsnews.com/news/robocalls-on-the-rise-heres-why/\">2.56 \u003cem>billion \u003c/em>robocalls per month\u003c/a> from January to September 2025. And in recent years, scammers have increased their use of text messaging or DMs on social media platforms to get your information.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As for how they get your phone number, it’s because these scammers \u003ca href=\"https://www.consumerfinance.gov/about-us/newsroom/cfpb-proposes-rule-to-stop-data-brokers-from-selling-sensitive-personal-data-to-scammers-stalkers-and-spies/\">usually obtain your contact details\u003c/a> from data brokers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12098614/phone-text-scams-california-irs-bank-cdph-emergency-call-how-to-spot-fake-job-offer\">Scam messages have gotten so bad\u003c/a> in recent years that, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12069507/sick-of-scam-calls-and-texts-you-can-now-request-to-remove-your-details-from-data-brokers\">as of January\u003c/a>, a new \u003ca href=\"https://privacy.ca.gov/drop/about-drop-and-the-delete-act/\">California privacy law\u003c/a> — the Delete Request and Opt-out Platform (DROP) — began to offer state residents a way to limit the amount of information available to those data brokers by submitting deletion requests to have their information manually removed. As of August, data brokers have been required to start the deletion process.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Over 520,000 Californians have signed up for DROP so far, according to Tom Kemp, the executive director of CalPrivacy, the state’s Privacy Protection Agency.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’re also pleased to see that it has real-world value already,” Kemp said. “People are getting dozens and dozens of dozens of deletions occurring, which means their digital footprint is now being reduced — and that will have a downstream benefit of less spam.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Scams are caused increasingly by the bad guys getting data from data brokers,” Kemp continued. “And AI is making it incredibly easy.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Because data brokers \u003ca href=\"https://epic.org/issues/consumer-privacy/data-brokers/\">collect and sell a plethora of personal information\u003c/a> about you — including names, addresses, income, political party, shopping habits and more — there are other reasons beyond spam calls to want your details removed from their databases.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://twitter.com/pirdbooop/status/1906800016141758795?s=46&t=7BBzFwo6eYLzJIVfAlumEQ\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s a good way to maintain digital privacy and prevent other bodies (\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12055606/how-ice-is-using-your-data-and-what-you-can-do-about-it\">including, increasingly, federal agencies\u003c/a>) from accessing even more information about you.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Unlike a bank or a pharmacy, data brokers specifically \u003cem>don’t \u003c/em>have a direct relationship with you, said Kemp. Instead, they function to indirectly collect as much information about you as they can, to “create these digital dossiers that they’ll sell to anyone with a credit card,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Signing up for DROP will “significantly” reduce your digital footprint, said Kemp, because your “attack surface will be dramatically reduced” by fewer people having your personal information.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://twitter.com/dadogeking/status/1939026526667973071?s=46&t=7BBzFwo6eYLzJIVfAlumEQ\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And while Kemp acknowledged that the long-term effects of the law might “take a couple years to see” — for example, if elder fraud will go down in California as compared with other states — it’s nonetheless “one big step in the right direction,” he said. (In fact, news outlet CalMatters \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/economy/technology/2026/06/help-us-investigate-data-privacy-california/\">recently announced a crowdsourced effort\u003c/a> to track DROP’s progress.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Keep reading for an overview of the DROP law, from what it does to how to submit a request yourself.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The state also has \u003ca href=\"https://privacy.ca.gov/drop/\">its own thorough resource on navigating DROP\u003c/a>, including \u003ca href=\"https://privacy.ca.gov/drop/personal-information-and-data-brokers/\">what it means to delete your personal data\u003c/a>. Be sure to also check out KQED’s guide on \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12070405/how-to-protect-your-information-online-in-2026\">more ways to protect yourself online\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>How you can use DROP\u003c/h2>\n\u003ch3>Who can submit a DROP request?\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>You can use DROP if you are a California resident and must \u003ca href=\"https://consumer.drop.privacy.ca.gov/check-eligibility\">verify that you are a California resident\u003c/a> when you fill out the form by either:\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>Providing personal information,\u003c/strong> including name, date of birth, address, phone or email. If you cannot provide a phone number or email, you may need to provide a Social Security number or Individual Taxpayer Identification Number. You will give this information on a state website called the \u003ca href=\"https://digitalidstrategy.cdt.ca.gov/\">California Identity Gateway\u003c/a>, which is often used to verify residency. According to the state, this information will be used only to verify your identity and residency and will not be stored or shared.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>Creating an account\u003c/strong> through \u003ca href=\"http://login.gov\">login.gov\u003c/a>, a \u003ca href=\"https://consumer.drop.privacy.ca.gov/check-eligibility\">“federally hosted identity verification service used by many government agencies.”\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>Keep in mind that if you choose to verify either through the California Identity Gateway or login.gov, you will need to use the same method for future DROP requests.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Once your identity is verified, you will be able to proceed with the submission form on the DROP website.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12069526\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-12069526 size-full\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/DataPrivacyGetty.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/DataPrivacyGetty.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/DataPrivacyGetty-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/DataPrivacyGetty-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">According to the consumer advocacy organization U.S. PIRG Education Fund, Americans received 2.56 billion robocalls per month from January to September 2025. \u003ccite>(Rain Star/Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch3>How can I submit a DROP request?\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>You can submit a request using \u003ca href=\"https://consumer.drop.privacy.ca.gov/\">the state’s official DROP website\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After verifying you’re a California resident (see above), you’ll fill out some basic information, including:\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>Full name (including any other variations of your name, like a maiden name or nickname)\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Date of birth\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Zip code(s)\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Email address(es), which you’ll be asked to verify by code\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Phone number(s), which you’ll be asked to verify by code\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Any unique IDs you have connected to your phone or smart TV since, according to the form, “Data brokers may use these IDs to track your habits and sell or share your data.” The Markup has \u003ca href=\"https://themarkup.org/privacy/2026/01/08/how-californians-can-use-a-new-state-website-to-block-hundreds-of-data-brokers\">a guide on finding some specific IDs\u003c/a>, like advertising IDs, on your smartphone.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Vehicle Identification Number (found on your car’s registration documents)\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>According to the DROP form, the “more information you provide, the more likely your personal data will be deleted.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The entire process — if you have these unique numbers on hand — takes under 10 minutes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Applying through DROP will be a lot quicker than the usual deletion process available to you, in which users had to contact each company individually to have their information removed — or pay for a service to do it in bulk. And investigative reports also show that \u003ca href=\"https://themarkup.org/privacy/2025/08/12/we-caught-companies-making-it-harder-to-delete-your-data\">the success of finding those deletion requests can vary\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After submitting the form, you will receive a DROP ID. You should save this ID, and you can use it to \u003ca href=\"https://consumer.drop.privacy.ca.gov/dropstatus\">track the state of your deletion request\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to the state’s DROP website, the information you put in the form \u003ca href=\"https://privacy.ca.gov/drop/\">“won’t be sold or shared for any other reason.”\u003c/a> The \u003ca href=\"https://privacy.ca.gov/drop/personal-information-and-data-brokers/\">state’s website\u003c/a> explains how it encrypts input data and what data brokers see in your requests.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12069528\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-12069528 size-full\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/DataPrivacyGetty2.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/DataPrivacyGetty2.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/DataPrivacyGetty2-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/DataPrivacyGetty2-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The new DROP law means that in August 2026, data brokers are required by law to start clearing their records every 45 days. \u003ccite>(Rain Star/Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch3>Does submitting a DROP request cost anything?\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>No. Submitting a DROP request is free.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>Can I submit a DROP form for someone else?\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Yes, you can submit a request for another person, like your child or your parent. The person must still be a California resident, and they must have given you permission to submit the DROP request for them.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you are submitting a form for another person, you must use \u003cem>their \u003c/em>details when verifying California residency, not your own.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After filling out the other person’s information, you will then need to provide your full name and your email address.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>How does DROP work?\u003c/h2>\n\u003ch3>What data of mine will be deleted as part of DROP?\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>The new DROP law means that data brokers are now required by law to start clearing their records every 45 days, as of August.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But there is a chance that your data may be deleted even earlier. According to Kemp, “a lot of these data brokers have already reported back, and so far about 25% of the data brokers have said that they did the deletion matching.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In addition to your phone number, this information about you that data brokers must begin to delete may include your:\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>Name\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Birthday\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Address\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Email address\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Geolocation\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Health data\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Interests, such as your political party affiliation or your hobbies.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>There are exceptions to what data these brokers must delete: For example, publicly available information (like a court appearance or property records) will not be deleted under DROP.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>Where will the data be deleted from?\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>According to the DROP form, “All current and future data brokers who register with CalPrivacy are included in your deletion request.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postID=news_12055606 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/USImmigrationCustomsEnforcementHQGetty.jpg']\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>You can check out \u003ca href=\"https://cppa.ca.gov/data_broker_registry/\">the list of over 600 active data brokers on the DROP website\u003c/a>, and even directly opt in for the ones you actually wish to be listed on.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The DROP website also allows you to look at these data brokers individually and see what kind of data they’re gathering, like reproductive health information and biometric data. In some cases, you can also see where your data is being sold to, like developers of generative AI — or the federal government.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Nonprofit groups like charities may have your information, Kemp explained. But these are \u003cem>not \u003c/em>required to be part of the registry of data brokers, which are for-profit companies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The registry doesn’t just include data brokers based in California; it applies to companies out of state as well, said Kemp.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“As long as there’s a company that has a lot of Californians’ data that they collect and sell and they don’t have that direct relationship, they have to register,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Keep in mind: \u003ca href=\"https://privacy.ca.gov/drop/\">According to the state website\u003c/a>, deleting your information could lead to a less personalized web experience, like targeted ads.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>How long will it take for the data to be deleted?\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>After you apply for DROP, you’ll then have \u003ca href=\"https://consumer.drop.privacy.ca.gov/\">a personal DROP profile online \u003c/a>— which you can periodically check for updates on your digital privacy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And now that the deletion process has started, you’ll likely begin to see updates from brokers to your requests on your DROP profile.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"https://privacy.ca.gov/drop/how-drop-works/\">possible status updates\u003c/a> are:\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>Deleted: \u003c/strong>Your data is deleted and will not be sold.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>Exempted: \u003c/strong>Your data is allowed to be kept because it is exempted by the privacy law, such as a court or public record.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>Opted-out: \u003c/strong>Data brokers couldn’t find the exact information you input.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>Record not found: \u003c/strong>Data brokers could not find the information at \u003cem>all\u003c/em>.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>Pending: \u003c/strong>Your deletion request is still being processed.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>You may need to \u003ca href=\"https://privacy.ca.gov/drop/personal-information-and-data-brokers/\">provide more information\u003c/a> or take extra steps if data brokers are unable to fulfill your request.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Data brokers are \u003ca href=\"https://privacy.ca.gov/drop/\">required to delete information every 45 days\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://privacy.ca.gov/drop/how-drop-works/\">take up to 90 days to give an update\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Kemp said that the state does plan to “vigorously enforce this” and, “if a data broker is not properly doing the deletions, or ignoring the deletions, the fines are $200 per day per record.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Constant spam calls and fake texts \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2025/08/08/nx-s1-5494743/weve-all-gotten-those-hiring-scam-texts-instead-of-deleting-this-writer-played-along\">promising job offers\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://x.com/yrechtman/status/2008946516820406366?s=46&t=7BBzFwo6eYLzJIVfAlumEQ\">easy cash\u003c/a> or, in some cases, a coffee date have been the bane of my existence.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s not just me. According to the consumer advocacy organization \u003ca href=\"https://pirg.org/edfund/\">U.S. PIRG Education Fund\u003c/a>, Americans received \u003ca href=\"https://www.cbsnews.com/news/robocalls-on-the-rise-heres-why/\">2.56 \u003cem>billion \u003c/em>robocalls per month\u003c/a> from January to September 2025. And in recent years, scammers have increased their use of text messaging or DMs on social media platforms to get your information.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As for how they get your phone number, it’s because these scammers \u003ca href=\"https://www.consumerfinance.gov/about-us/newsroom/cfpb-proposes-rule-to-stop-data-brokers-from-selling-sensitive-personal-data-to-scammers-stalkers-and-spies/\">usually obtain your contact details\u003c/a> from data brokers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12098614/phone-text-scams-california-irs-bank-cdph-emergency-call-how-to-spot-fake-job-offer\">Scam messages have gotten so bad\u003c/a> in recent years that, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12069507/sick-of-scam-calls-and-texts-you-can-now-request-to-remove-your-details-from-data-brokers\">as of January\u003c/a>, a new \u003ca href=\"https://privacy.ca.gov/drop/about-drop-and-the-delete-act/\">California privacy law\u003c/a> — the Delete Request and Opt-out Platform (DROP) — began to offer state residents a way to limit the amount of information available to those data brokers by submitting deletion requests to have their information manually removed. As of August, data brokers have been required to start the deletion process.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Over 520,000 Californians have signed up for DROP so far, according to Tom Kemp, the executive director of CalPrivacy, the state’s Privacy Protection Agency.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’re also pleased to see that it has real-world value already,” Kemp said. “People are getting dozens and dozens of dozens of deletions occurring, which means their digital footprint is now being reduced — and that will have a downstream benefit of less spam.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Scams are caused increasingly by the bad guys getting data from data brokers,” Kemp continued. “And AI is making it incredibly easy.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Because data brokers \u003ca href=\"https://epic.org/issues/consumer-privacy/data-brokers/\">collect and sell a plethora of personal information\u003c/a> about you — including names, addresses, income, political party, shopping habits and more — there are other reasons beyond spam calls to want your details removed from their databases.\u003c/p>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\n\u003cp>It’s a good way to maintain digital privacy and prevent other bodies (\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12055606/how-ice-is-using-your-data-and-what-you-can-do-about-it\">including, increasingly, federal agencies\u003c/a>) from accessing even more information about you.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Unlike a bank or a pharmacy, data brokers specifically \u003cem>don’t \u003c/em>have a direct relationship with you, said Kemp. Instead, they function to indirectly collect as much information about you as they can, to “create these digital dossiers that they’ll sell to anyone with a credit card,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Signing up for DROP will “significantly” reduce your digital footprint, said Kemp, because your “attack surface will be dramatically reduced” by fewer people having your personal information.\u003c/p>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\n\u003cp>And while Kemp acknowledged that the long-term effects of the law might “take a couple years to see” — for example, if elder fraud will go down in California as compared with other states — it’s nonetheless “one big step in the right direction,” he said. (In fact, news outlet CalMatters \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/economy/technology/2026/06/help-us-investigate-data-privacy-california/\">recently announced a crowdsourced effort\u003c/a> to track DROP’s progress.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Keep reading for an overview of the DROP law, from what it does to how to submit a request yourself.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The state also has \u003ca href=\"https://privacy.ca.gov/drop/\">its own thorough resource on navigating DROP\u003c/a>, including \u003ca href=\"https://privacy.ca.gov/drop/personal-information-and-data-brokers/\">what it means to delete your personal data\u003c/a>. Be sure to also check out KQED’s guide on \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12070405/how-to-protect-your-information-online-in-2026\">more ways to protect yourself online\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>How you can use DROP\u003c/h2>\n\u003ch3>Who can submit a DROP request?\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>You can use DROP if you are a California resident and must \u003ca href=\"https://consumer.drop.privacy.ca.gov/check-eligibility\">verify that you are a California resident\u003c/a> when you fill out the form by either:\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>Providing personal information,\u003c/strong> including name, date of birth, address, phone or email. If you cannot provide a phone number or email, you may need to provide a Social Security number or Individual Taxpayer Identification Number. You will give this information on a state website called the \u003ca href=\"https://digitalidstrategy.cdt.ca.gov/\">California Identity Gateway\u003c/a>, which is often used to verify residency. According to the state, this information will be used only to verify your identity and residency and will not be stored or shared.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>Creating an account\u003c/strong> through \u003ca href=\"http://login.gov\">login.gov\u003c/a>, a \u003ca href=\"https://consumer.drop.privacy.ca.gov/check-eligibility\">“federally hosted identity verification service used by many government agencies.”\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>Keep in mind that if you choose to verify either through the California Identity Gateway or login.gov, you will need to use the same method for future DROP requests.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Once your identity is verified, you will be able to proceed with the submission form on the DROP website.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12069526\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-12069526 size-full\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/DataPrivacyGetty.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/DataPrivacyGetty.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/DataPrivacyGetty-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/DataPrivacyGetty-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">According to the consumer advocacy organization U.S. PIRG Education Fund, Americans received 2.56 billion robocalls per month from January to September 2025. \u003ccite>(Rain Star/Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch3>How can I submit a DROP request?\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>You can submit a request using \u003ca href=\"https://consumer.drop.privacy.ca.gov/\">the state’s official DROP website\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After verifying you’re a California resident (see above), you’ll fill out some basic information, including:\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>Full name (including any other variations of your name, like a maiden name or nickname)\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Date of birth\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Zip code(s)\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Email address(es), which you’ll be asked to verify by code\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Phone number(s), which you’ll be asked to verify by code\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Any unique IDs you have connected to your phone or smart TV since, according to the form, “Data brokers may use these IDs to track your habits and sell or share your data.” The Markup has \u003ca href=\"https://themarkup.org/privacy/2026/01/08/how-californians-can-use-a-new-state-website-to-block-hundreds-of-data-brokers\">a guide on finding some specific IDs\u003c/a>, like advertising IDs, on your smartphone.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Vehicle Identification Number (found on your car’s registration documents)\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>According to the DROP form, the “more information you provide, the more likely your personal data will be deleted.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The entire process — if you have these unique numbers on hand — takes under 10 minutes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Applying through DROP will be a lot quicker than the usual deletion process available to you, in which users had to contact each company individually to have their information removed — or pay for a service to do it in bulk. And investigative reports also show that \u003ca href=\"https://themarkup.org/privacy/2025/08/12/we-caught-companies-making-it-harder-to-delete-your-data\">the success of finding those deletion requests can vary\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After submitting the form, you will receive a DROP ID. You should save this ID, and you can use it to \u003ca href=\"https://consumer.drop.privacy.ca.gov/dropstatus\">track the state of your deletion request\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to the state’s DROP website, the information you put in the form \u003ca href=\"https://privacy.ca.gov/drop/\">“won’t be sold or shared for any other reason.”\u003c/a> The \u003ca href=\"https://privacy.ca.gov/drop/personal-information-and-data-brokers/\">state’s website\u003c/a> explains how it encrypts input data and what data brokers see in your requests.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12069528\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-12069528 size-full\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/DataPrivacyGetty2.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/DataPrivacyGetty2.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/DataPrivacyGetty2-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/DataPrivacyGetty2-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The new DROP law means that in August 2026, data brokers are required by law to start clearing their records every 45 days. \u003ccite>(Rain Star/Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch3>Does submitting a DROP request cost anything?\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>No. Submitting a DROP request is free.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>Can I submit a DROP form for someone else?\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Yes, you can submit a request for another person, like your child or your parent. The person must still be a California resident, and they must have given you permission to submit the DROP request for them.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you are submitting a form for another person, you must use \u003cem>their \u003c/em>details when verifying California residency, not your own.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After filling out the other person’s information, you will then need to provide your full name and your email address.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>How does DROP work?\u003c/h2>\n\u003ch3>What data of mine will be deleted as part of DROP?\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>The new DROP law means that data brokers are now required by law to start clearing their records every 45 days, as of August.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But there is a chance that your data may be deleted even earlier. According to Kemp, “a lot of these data brokers have already reported back, and so far about 25% of the data brokers have said that they did the deletion matching.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In addition to your phone number, this information about you that data brokers must begin to delete may include your:\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>Name\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Birthday\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Address\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Email address\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Geolocation\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Health data\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Interests, such as your political party affiliation or your hobbies.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>There are exceptions to what data these brokers must delete: For example, publicly available information (like a court appearance or property records) will not be deleted under DROP.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>Where will the data be deleted from?\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>According to the DROP form, “All current and future data brokers who register with CalPrivacy are included in your deletion request.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>You can check out \u003ca href=\"https://cppa.ca.gov/data_broker_registry/\">the list of over 600 active data brokers on the DROP website\u003c/a>, and even directly opt in for the ones you actually wish to be listed on.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The DROP website also allows you to look at these data brokers individually and see what kind of data they’re gathering, like reproductive health information and biometric data. In some cases, you can also see where your data is being sold to, like developers of generative AI — or the federal government.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Nonprofit groups like charities may have your information, Kemp explained. But these are \u003cem>not \u003c/em>required to be part of the registry of data brokers, which are for-profit companies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The registry doesn’t just include data brokers based in California; it applies to companies out of state as well, said Kemp.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“As long as there’s a company that has a lot of Californians’ data that they collect and sell and they don’t have that direct relationship, they have to register,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Keep in mind: \u003ca href=\"https://privacy.ca.gov/drop/\">According to the state website\u003c/a>, deleting your information could lead to a less personalized web experience, like targeted ads.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>How long will it take for the data to be deleted?\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>After you apply for DROP, you’ll then have \u003ca href=\"https://consumer.drop.privacy.ca.gov/\">a personal DROP profile online \u003c/a>— which you can periodically check for updates on your digital privacy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And now that the deletion process has started, you’ll likely begin to see updates from brokers to your requests on your DROP profile.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"https://privacy.ca.gov/drop/how-drop-works/\">possible status updates\u003c/a> are:\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>Deleted: \u003c/strong>Your data is deleted and will not be sold.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>Exempted: \u003c/strong>Your data is allowed to be kept because it is exempted by the privacy law, such as a court or public record.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>Opted-out: \u003c/strong>Data brokers couldn’t find the exact information you input.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>Record not found: \u003c/strong>Data brokers could not find the information at \u003cem>all\u003c/em>.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>Pending: \u003c/strong>Your deletion request is still being processed.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>You may need to \u003ca href=\"https://privacy.ca.gov/drop/personal-information-and-data-brokers/\">provide more information\u003c/a> or take extra steps if data brokers are unable to fulfill your request.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Data brokers are \u003ca href=\"https://privacy.ca.gov/drop/\">required to delete information every 45 days\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://privacy.ca.gov/drop/how-drop-works/\">take up to 90 days to give an update\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Kemp said that the state does plan to “vigorously enforce this” and, “if a data broker is not properly doing the deletions, or ignoring the deletions, the fines are $200 per day per record.”\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "san-francisco-supervisors-push-for-moratorium-on-new-data-centers",
"title": "San Francisco Supervisors Push for Moratorium on New Data Centers",
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"headTitle": "San Francisco Supervisors Push for Moratorium on New Data Centers | KQED",
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"content": "\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/san-francisco\">San Francisco\u003c/a> officials want to halt the expansion of any new \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/data-centers\">data centers\u003c/a> in the city for 45 days.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Supervisor Shamann Walton plans to introduce a moratorium Tuesday that would pause all city approvals while the planning committee studies potential risks and creates new codes.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>As the boom in artificial intelligence, largely driven by big Silicon Valley firms, continues to drive demand for data centers, Walton’s proposal reflects \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12099195/full-on-backlash-against-data-centers-occurring-as-san-jose-courts-them\">growing public opposition\u003c/a> to the infrastructure needed to support the technology. Similar moratoriums are scheduled to be considered in Richmond and Oakland in the coming weeks.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/091426-SFDataCenterBan-14-MC-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12099648\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/091426-SFDataCenterBan-14-MC-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/091426-SFDataCenterBan-14-MC-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/091426-SFDataCenterBan-14-MC-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">San Francisco District 10 Supervisor Shamann Walton announces outside of San Francisco City Hall on Sept. 14, 2026, that he will vote for a 45-day moratorium on approving the construction of new data centers in the city. (Miles Cull/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-3 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" data-id=\"12099651\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/091426-SFDataCenterBan-35-MC-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12099651\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/091426-SFDataCenterBan-35-MC-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/091426-SFDataCenterBan-35-MC-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/091426-SFDataCenterBan-35-MC-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">San Francisco District 11 Supervisor Chyanne Chen announces outside of San Francisco City Hall on Sept. 14, 2026, that she will vote for a 45-day moratorium on approving the construction of new data centers in the city. (Miles Cull/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" data-id=\"12099649\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/091426-SFDataCenterBan-23-MC-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12099649\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/091426-SFDataCenterBan-23-MC-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/091426-SFDataCenterBan-23-MC-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/091426-SFDataCenterBan-23-MC-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Geoffrea Morris speaks outside of San Francisco City Hall on Sept. 14, 2026, in support of a 45-day moratorium on approving the construction of new data centers. (Miles Cull/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In a press release, Walton said the city’s current codes governing data centers haven’t been updated since 2001, long before the scale-up of AI.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“We should not irresponsibly support technology,” Walton said at San Francisco City Hall on Monday, flanked by supervisors Jackie Fielder, Chyanne Chen and Connie Chan. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Without having the facts or information, that tells us will our communities be protected,” Walton said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Of the \u003ca href=\"https://www.datacentermap.com/usa/california/san-francisco/\">12 data centers\u003c/a> in San Francisco, two are located in the Bayview neighborhood, which Walton represents. Residents in the area have raised health concerns over environmental issues for decades. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The ordinance will be introduced on Sept. 15. If approved, it could impact the planned expansion of an existing data center in the Bayview neighborhood, according to \u003ca href=\"https://missionlocal.org/2026/09/data-center-moratorium-sf-board-of-supervisors/\">\u003cem>Mission Local\u003c/em>.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Walton said the moratorium could be extended up to 220 days, and potentially longer, if approved.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>A press release says San Francisco was following Southern California’s Monterey Park, which “moved from an interim moratorium to a permanent ban on Data Centers this past May.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“We need to know all the impacts of having a data center in [the] community before we allow another data center to come inside of San Francisco,” Walton said.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/091426-SFDataCenterBan-14-MC-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12099648\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/091426-SFDataCenterBan-14-MC-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/091426-SFDataCenterBan-14-MC-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/091426-SFDataCenterBan-14-MC-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">San Francisco District 10 Supervisor Shamann Walton announces outside of San Francisco City Hall on Sept. 14, 2026, that he will vote for a 45-day moratorium on approving the construction of new data centers in the city.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Miles Cull/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In a press release, Walton said the city’s current codes governing data centers haven’t been updated since 2001, long before the scale-up of AI.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“We should not irresponsibly support technology,” Walton said at San Francisco City Hall on Monday, flanked by supervisors Jackie Fielder, Chyanne Chen and Connie Chan. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Of the \u003ca href=\"https://www.datacentermap.com/usa/california/san-francisco/\">12 data centers\u003c/a> in San Francisco, two are located in the Bayview neighborhood, which Walton represents. Residents in the area have raised health concerns over environmental issues for decades. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The ordinance will be introduced on Sept. 15. If approved, it could impact the planned expansion of an existing data center in the Bayview neighborhood, according to \u003ca href=\"https://missionlocal.org/2026/09/data-center-moratorium-sf-board-of-supervisors/\">\u003cem>Mission Local\u003c/em>.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Walton said the moratorium could be extended up to 220 days, and potentially longer, if approved.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>A press release says San Francisco was following Southern California’s Monterey Park, which “moved from an interim moratorium to a permanent ban on Data Centers this past May.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“We need to know all the impacts of having a data center in [the] community before we allow another data center to come inside of San Francisco,” Walton said.\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "The proposal reflects growing public opposition to AI infrastructure. Similar proposals are expected around the Bay Area. ",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/san-francisco\">San Francisco\u003c/a> officials want to halt the expansion of any new \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/data-centers\">data centers\u003c/a> in the city for 45 days.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Supervisor Shamann Walton plans to introduce a moratorium Tuesday that would pause all city approvals while the planning committee studies potential risks and creates new codes.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>As the boom in artificial intelligence, largely driven by big Silicon Valley firms, continues to drive demand for data centers, Walton’s proposal reflects \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12099195/full-on-backlash-against-data-centers-occurring-as-san-jose-courts-them\">growing public opposition\u003c/a> to the infrastructure needed to support the technology. Similar moratoriums are scheduled to be considered in Richmond and Oakland in the coming weeks.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/091426-SFDataCenterBan-14-MC-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12099648\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/091426-SFDataCenterBan-14-MC-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/091426-SFDataCenterBan-14-MC-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/091426-SFDataCenterBan-14-MC-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">San Francisco District 10 Supervisor Shamann Walton announces outside of San Francisco City Hall on Sept. 14, 2026, that he will vote for a 45-day moratorium on approving the construction of new data centers in the city. (Miles Cull/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-3 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" data-id=\"12099651\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/091426-SFDataCenterBan-35-MC-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12099651\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/091426-SFDataCenterBan-35-MC-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/091426-SFDataCenterBan-35-MC-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/091426-SFDataCenterBan-35-MC-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">San Francisco District 11 Supervisor Chyanne Chen announces outside of San Francisco City Hall on Sept. 14, 2026, that she will vote for a 45-day moratorium on approving the construction of new data centers in the city. (Miles Cull/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" data-id=\"12099649\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/091426-SFDataCenterBan-23-MC-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12099649\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/091426-SFDataCenterBan-23-MC-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/091426-SFDataCenterBan-23-MC-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/091426-SFDataCenterBan-23-MC-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Geoffrea Morris speaks outside of San Francisco City Hall on Sept. 14, 2026, in support of a 45-day moratorium on approving the construction of new data centers. (Miles Cull/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In a press release, Walton said the city’s current codes governing data centers haven’t been updated since 2001, long before the scale-up of AI.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“We should not irresponsibly support technology,” Walton said at San Francisco City Hall on Monday, flanked by supervisors Jackie Fielder, Chyanne Chen and Connie Chan. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Without having the facts or information, that tells us will our communities be protected,” Walton said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Of the \u003ca href=\"https://www.datacentermap.com/usa/california/san-francisco/\">12 data centers\u003c/a> in San Francisco, two are located in the Bayview neighborhood, which Walton represents. Residents in the area have raised health concerns over environmental issues for decades. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The ordinance will be introduced on Sept. 15. If approved, it could impact the planned expansion of an existing data center in the Bayview neighborhood, according to \u003ca href=\"https://missionlocal.org/2026/09/data-center-moratorium-sf-board-of-supervisors/\">\u003cem>Mission Local\u003c/em>.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Walton said the moratorium could be extended up to 220 days, and potentially longer, if approved.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>A press release says San Francisco was following Southern California’s Monterey Park, which “moved from an interim moratorium to a permanent ban on Data Centers this past May.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“We need to know all the impacts of having a data center in [the] community before we allow another data center to come inside of San Francisco,” Walton said.\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "full-on-backlash-against-data-centers-occurring-as-san-jose-courts-them",
"title": "‘Full-on Backlash’ Against Data Centers Occurring as San José Courts Them",
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"headTitle": "‘Full-on Backlash’ Against Data Centers Occurring as San José Courts Them | KQED",
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"content": "\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/santa-clara\">Santa Clara\u003c/a> has quietly become California’s data center capital. The sleepy suburb known for its quiet streets and professional football stadium is home to 60 data centers — more than any other city on the West Coast. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Cheap electricity sold by the city’s own power company has for years attracted major tech firms and data center developers seeking millions of dollars in savings over PG&E rates as they build out the hulking, cube-like structures full of computers, networking and cooling equipment. The city and its planners have also made it easy on developers seeking guidance and approvals, which are largely handled by the city’s planning commission. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But now some local lawmakers are raising concerns. Kevin Park, a council member and tech worker who is running for mayor, said the city has gone too far, as the power company’s supply is strained and it has raised rates on residents to pay for major infrastructure upgrades. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Let’s stop building data centers. And the water and the electricity and all the things that we’ll save, let’s use them for other things,” he said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>As the current artificial intelligence boom fuels rising demand for data centers in Silicon Valley, concern about their effects on the environment, resources and surrounding communities has burst into public discourse and turned the issue into a political hot potato. Local lawmakers are now scrambling to weigh constituents’ concerns against the prospect of embracing the economic windfall proponents say data centers can bring.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260828-SOUTH-BAY-DATA-CENTERS-MD-07-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12098431\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260828-SOUTH-BAY-DATA-CENTERS-MD-07-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260828-SOUTH-BAY-DATA-CENTERS-MD-07-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260828-SOUTH-BAY-DATA-CENTERS-MD-07-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Buildings in the Alviso neighborhood of San José that Google plans to modify to operate in a capacity similar to a data center on Sept. 3, 2026. (Martin do Nascimento/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>While South Bay cities have so far not enacted temporary moratoriums like the one-year ban Oakley in the East Bay recently passed, some places, like Gilroy, have tightened data center approvals amid pushback to the massive buildings seemingly rising overnight. Statewide polling suggests most residents oppose building data centers to support the AI industry in their area. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Even in a city like Santa Clara, which has long leaned on data centers as a driver of revenue, some politicians, like Park, are calling for a halt. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“If we took down a single mid-size data center using 20 to 40 megawatts of power, we could actually double the population of the city and not need a single additional watt of power,” Park said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The city, which has about 130,000 residents, is also home to tech behemoths like Nvidia, whose advanced processing units and software are at the center of the AI race and data center growth. “I don’t think people understand that’s the scale we’re talking about. Every large data center we put in can use the entire electric capacity of a city,” he said. “This is something we need to think about.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But lawmakers in neighboring San José are taking a different approach from what Park is proposing, leaning into the AI industry’s demand for larger, more energy-intensive data centers even as they try to assuage residents’ concerns. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>San José, with nearly 1 million residents, has for more than a year been actively courting data center development, hoping to provide a stable injection of property and utility taxes into city coffers. Officials say the city, historically a sprawling bedroom community that struggled to generate commercial revenue, currently has about 20 operating data centers. The projects require a special use permit, which must be approved at a public hearing. A planning commission or city council meeting is not always required. But for some projects with a significant environmental impact, the city council would make the final decision.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Last summer, San José Mayor Matt Mahan \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12049830/san-jose-and-pge-strike-deal-to-attract-data-centers-to-south-bay\">announced a deal\u003c/a> with PG&E that would guarantee power availability and quick connections for 10 major projects in the coming years. In a statement, the city said the pact would position San José as the “West Coast’s premier destination for data center development.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The city launched “\u003ca href=\"https://www.sjeconomy.com/how-we-help/programs-and-services/powering-san-jos-energy-infrastructure-for-data-centers\">concierge-style support\u003c/a>” for data center developers, made dozens of individual pitches and participated in industry events and conferences, leading to a near doubling of interest in \u003ca href=\"https://www.sanjoseca.gov/your-government/departments-offices/planning-building-code-enforcement/planning-division/data-center-and-other-large-energy-use-projects\">data center development\u003c/a> in the city by earlier this year, staff reports say.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But the city’s efforts to go all-in on data centers and other large energy-use projects have prompted fierce pushback.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I think we’re in a full-on backlash against the buildout of the data centers, and not just in California, but in the country and really worldwide,” said Irina Raicu, the director of the Internet Ethics Program at the Markkula Center for Applied Ethics at Santa Clara University.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“In part because of the trade-offs that these buildings require, in part because of lack of information and the way people have been surprised in so many places by the apparition of these big centers,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260828-SOUTH-BAY-DATA-CENTERS-MD-05-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12098429\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260828-SOUTH-BAY-DATA-CENTERS-MD-05-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260828-SOUTH-BAY-DATA-CENTERS-MD-05-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260828-SOUTH-BAY-DATA-CENTERS-MD-05-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Homes in the south San José neighborhood near the lot intended to house a data center on Silver Creek Valley Road on Sept. 3, 2026. (Martin do Nascimento/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In North San José’s small Alviso neighborhood, a historically underserved portion of the city that has been heavily developed with tech campuses, corporate offices and research facilities, officials are expecting the buildout of at least three major data centers and large energy-use projects. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Google is proposing to demolish an existing warehouse and build research and development facilities expected to draw about 250 megawatts of power. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“For context, 250 MW is larger than the average demand of all of Marin County in 2024, and about half the overall average demand of San Mateo County,” the California Public Utilities Commission \u003ca href=\"https://docs.cpuc.ca.gov/PublishedDocs/Published/G000/M607/K718/607718746.PDF\">said\u003c/a> in its review of the project. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Not far away, Microsoft is already building a 99-megawatt data center with 224 natural gas generators to provide continual power when there are outages or the grid is overloaded. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>And on 159 acres of land used as a buffer between a wastewater facility jointly owned by San José and Santa Clara, the city has entered into an \u003ca href=\"https://sanjose.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=14917877&GUID=45941F3A-0A60-42A1-8F04-B09281C6E2F3\">exclusive negotiating agreement\u003c/a> with Prologis, which is proposing a facility that in total would use 496 megawatts of electricity across data centers and research facilities. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260828-SOUTH-BAY-DATA-CENTERS-MD-06-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12098430\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260828-SOUTH-BAY-DATA-CENTERS-MD-06-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260828-SOUTH-BAY-DATA-CENTERS-MD-06-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260828-SOUTH-BAY-DATA-CENTERS-MD-06-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Ellina Yin stands outside a pair of buildings in the Alviso neighborhood of San José that Google plans to modify to operate similar to a data center on Sept. 3, 2026. (Martin do Nascimento/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Based on those power estimates, the group of Alviso facilities at full capacity could use more energy daily than the \u003ca href=\"https://www.siliconvalleypower.com/home/showpublisheddocument/89484/639130534329930000\">entire city of Santa Clara\u003c/a> — with its dozens of data centers — currently does, said San José resident Ellina Yin, who has tracked data center development closely. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“So we’re putting an entire city’s worth of data centers in this tiny neighborhood, and the public health implications are unstudied. We don’t really understand what the future impacts could be,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>A community listening session in San José last month turned out hundreds of people, most expressing concern about data centers and some calling for a moratorium on accepting applications from developers. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Mahan, a former tech worker, has said in the past that rejecting data center development outright would be akin to burying “our heads in the sand.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Some residents said they sense a disconnect between what people are telling elected leaders and what policies are being advanced. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1999\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260819-SJDATALISTEN-JG-3_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12099272\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260819-SJDATALISTEN-JG-3_qed.jpg 1999w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260819-SJDATALISTEN-JG-3_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260819-SJDATALISTEN-JG-3_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">San José Mayor Matt Mahan takes notes during the city’s first community listening session focused on data centers on Aug. 19, 2026, at City Hall. (Joseph Geha/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“They don’t seem to care about the fact that a lot of people just really don’t want this in their backyard,” said Ken Thompson, a South San José resident who lives steps away from a proposed data center. “If the community doesn’t want it, if the local area around it doesn’t want it, then why are we forcing it upon them?” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Mahan doesn’t see it that way. Instead, the city has taken a build-the-airplane-while-flying-it approach, holding community meetings to gather feedback that will inform a planned beefing up of \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12095008/san-jose-weighs-data-center-benefits-as-residents-raise-environmental-concerns\">regulations and standards\u003c/a> for data center proposals.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“We’re going to set, with input from the community over the coming months, some of the highest, strictest standards in every category of concern we’ve heard,” Mahan said in an interview. “Labor standards, environmental protection, rate-payer protection, aesthetics and other community engagement and community benefits.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>City officials expect to present the City Council with the new standards by the end of the year. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“It is much more important that we regulate Big Tech to get this right than to simply say ‘no’ and make it somebody else’s problem and lose the ability to shape this investment,” Mahan said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260828-SOUTH-BAY-DATA-CENTERS-MD-08-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12098432\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260828-SOUTH-BAY-DATA-CENTERS-MD-08-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260828-SOUTH-BAY-DATA-CENTERS-MD-08-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260828-SOUTH-BAY-DATA-CENTERS-MD-08-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A Notice of Development Proposal is posted outside a building in the Alviso neighborhood of San José that Google plans to modify to operate similar to a data center on Sept. 3, 2026. (Martin do Nascimento/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Meanwhile, business and industry trade groups representing the biggest tech companies and data center developers say data centers are paramount to the success of the digital economy, Silicon Valley’s continued status as an innovation engine and American dominance in AI technologies. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“If California is not positioned to continue rapidly deploying and scaling AI technology … if our state general fund, if our local community economies are not able to garner the benefits of this, it will go elsewhere,” said Ahmad Thomas, the CEO of Silicon Valley Leadership Group.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I think the next 30 to 40 years of economic supremacy globally is going to be determined by who gets this right,” he said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Thomas said the data centers proposed in the Silicon Valley region are being developed responsibly, making use of renewable energy, recycled water, and offering community benefits. He said it’s a template all data center development should follow, and might assuage some concerns and fears. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Our thesis is that listening to the community leads to better innovation. That has always been our working approach,” he said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260828-SOUTH-BAY-DATA-CENTERS-MD-04-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12098428\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260828-SOUTH-BAY-DATA-CENTERS-MD-04-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260828-SOUTH-BAY-DATA-CENTERS-MD-04-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260828-SOUTH-BAY-DATA-CENTERS-MD-04-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A lot on Silver Creek Valley Road in south San José, which is intended to house a data center, on Sept. 3, 2026. (Martin do Nascimento/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Khara Boender, a spokesperson for the western division of the industry trade group Data Center Coalition, said data center backers want to be good neighbors. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“The industry is committed to paying for its full cost of service for electricity and the underlying infrastructure that it uses,” Boender said. “The industry is committed to responsible water use, and has made different investments in restoration and replenishment projects.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The buildings, which as recently as several years ago were much smaller and drew significantly smaller energy loads, were previously primarily used to house and exchange information across the internet, and later came to support all kinds of daily needs of a modern world, like social media, streaming services and video communication services for meetings and telehealth. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“They support the very fabric of our digital lives and every aspect of that,” said Dr. Andrew Chien, a professor of computer science at the University of Chicago. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But newer data centers are packed with high-energy processing and computing elements that are increasingly used for AI, both to do the complex computational work needed to power AI chatbots and agents, and to train massive AI models and systems that are at the forefront of the technology.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Chien said because AI is a fundamentally different way to deliver services, it has drastically increased the need for data centers.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Traditionally with computing, a service like email or like social media, it’s mostly taking a piece of digital data and serving it up or maybe organizing a little bit and then serving it up. But when you talk to a chatbot, or you ask Claude to go do some complicated analysis or Gemini or ChatGPT, you actually trigger a gigantic number of numerical computations,” Chien said. “So there’s dramatically more energy required to do that. So it’s not only the growth of AI, it’s the fact that AI is a hugely energy-intensive way of delivering this intelligence.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The rapid growth of data center proposals and industry bullishness have been met with growing grassroots resistance in Silicon Valley, led in part by Yin, the San José resident. One major factor fueling the resistance is a striking lack of clear information about how much power, water and other resources data centers use.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Yin said the financial and technological imperatives espoused by data center proponents shouldn’t trump the need for updated regulations and deeper understanding about the long-term, cumulative impacts across the region on things like air and water, which take time to develop. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“The scale that we’re seeing them be built out nationally is just, it’s overwhelming. I’ve never seen anything like it in my lifetime. And I feel like there’s just a lack of due diligence that we cannot repeat from previous generations,” Yin said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“They are leaving that to the burden of future generations to deal with, just as when cell phones came, and we didn’t understand social media, and now look at the state of child development and the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12096647/why-metas-landmark-settlement-could-be-social-medias-big-tobacco-moment\">impact of social media\u003c/a> on the youth,” she said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>She pointed to the collection of Superfund polluted \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/futureofyou/388730/silicon-valleys-toxic-past-haunts-sunnyvale-neighborhood\">sites across Santa Clara County\u003c/a>, created by years of toxic material mismanagement in the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11630861/how-silicon-valley-industry-polluted-the-sylvan-california-dream\">semiconductor industry\u003c/a> that flourished there decades ago, or the global plastics industry. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260828-SOUTH-BAY-DATA-CENTERS-MD-03-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12098427\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260828-SOUTH-BAY-DATA-CENTERS-MD-03-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260828-SOUTH-BAY-DATA-CENTERS-MD-03-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260828-SOUTH-BAY-DATA-CENTERS-MD-03-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A lot on Silver Creek Valley Road in south San José, which is intended to house a data center, on Sept. 3, 2026. (Martin do Nascimento/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“We didn’t know any better. And now it’s in our bodies, it’s in our water, and the plastics industry did not come running to save us and to do all the reparations of correcting the damage that they caused. And so I don’t think I can trust that the AI industry is going to come and do the reparation of the impacts that they’re going to cause,” she said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Raicu, the director of the Internet Ethics program, co-authored \u003ca href=\"https://www.next10.org/sites/default/files/2026-05/Data-Centers-Water-Use-Report.pdf\">a report\u003c/a> on data centers and water use, and said the overall lack of clear information about the resource consumption of data centers by the companies proposing and operating them is striking, and more disclosure should be required. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Some reports, like one out of \u003ca href=\"https://jlarc.virginia.gov/pdfs/reports/Rpt598.pdf\">Virginia\u003c/a>, which has the highest concentration of data centers in the country, say many there use as much water as large office buildings each year, between 4 million gallons and 10 million gallons. But others use far more, including one that uses 243 million gallons. The picture both locally and nationally isn’t always clear or comprehensive, Raicu said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“We don’t know how much energy and how much water data centers are using. And the demands are going to be different at the scale that we’re talking about for these new kinds of data centers,” she said, noting that \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/environment/2026/09/sam-altman-almonds-chatgpt-water-california/\">researchers\u003c/a> have advocated for more detailed information. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“The fact that it’s been such a multi-year battle in which only now are some companies voluntarily starting to disclose, data center by data center, what’s actually being used, that’s a big reason we’re seeing the pushback and the distrust,” she said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1999\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260819-SJDATALISTEN-JG-2_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12099292\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260819-SJDATALISTEN-JG-2_qed.jpg 1999w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260819-SJDATALISTEN-JG-2_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260819-SJDATALISTEN-JG-2_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Ted Smith, a San José resident, expresses concerns about the impact of data centers during the city’s first community listening session focused on data centers on Aug. 19, 2026, at City Hall. (Joseph Geha/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed a bill last year that would have required water use disclosure by data center developers, and has another similar bill on his desk \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12097457/the-data-center-backlash-is-here-and-big-tech-is-spending-big-to-combat-it\">this year\u003c/a>, along with a raft of other bills aimed at drawing more information from data center proponents and protecting electricity customers from paying higher rates in connection with them. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Thompson, the South San José resident, who lives in a small house on a former orchard, said he initially got involved in the push against data centers when he found out one could rise just steps from his home. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Prologis is proposing a three-story, 99-megawatt data center that would include 44 diesel generators for backup power on Silver Creek Valley Road. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Thompson said city officials told him current air quality regulations would limit the number of hours per year the center would be allowed to operate the generators, which produce toxic compounds when running during power outages.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“But if the penalty for [exceeding] that is a fine, then I have a sneaking suspicion that that’s not going to stop them … because the money that they make is going to be more than the fine,” Thompson said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The proposed site is next to a hiking trail and a city park, and less than a quarter-mile east of single-family home neighborhoods. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Thompson said he opposes this data center and others like it because of the potential diesel emissions and the \u003ca href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/17/us/data-centers-noise-pollution.html\">constant low-frequency sounds\u003c/a> they can emit that he worries could harm people or wildlife in the area next to Coyote Creek and the foothills. He’s also concerned about a more AI-driven world threatening workers and art, and perpetuating surveillance technology like the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12064587/civil-liberties-groups-sue-san-jose-over-license-plate-reader-use\">license plate readers\u003c/a> mounted all over the city. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>He participated in the community listening session and a small-group discussion facilitated by the city recently.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“One of the things I found most interesting was they were also focusing on the fact that old data centers used to be just these hideous boxes and we’re going to try and regulate them to be more beautiful,” Thompson said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“The funny thing to me is, it doesn’t matter to me what the color of the gun that’s pointed to my head is going to be,” he said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Raicu thinks holistic conversations about how data centers are built, where they make sense and how they affect society need to be top priorities. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“None of this is just a force of nature. These are decisions made by human beings. Regulations can be passed. There can be a lot more money spent on making more sustainable technology. There could be delays put in place as to whether you deploy something at this kind of scale,” she said. “All of that is just human decisions.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>KQED Correspondent \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/author/gmarzorati\">Guy Marzorati\u003c/a> contributed to this story. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/santa-clara\">Santa Clara\u003c/a> has quietly become California’s data center capital. The sleepy suburb known for its quiet streets and professional football stadium is home to 60 data centers — more than any other city on the West Coast. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/santa-clara\">Santa Clara\u003c/a> has quietly become California’s data center capital. The sleepy suburb known for its quiet streets and professional football stadium is home to 60 data centers — more than any other city on the West Coast. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Cheap electricity sold by the city’s own power company has for years attracted major tech firms and data center developers seeking millions of dollars in savings over PG&E rates as they build out the hulking, cube-like structures full of computers, networking and cooling equipment. The city and its planners have also made it easy on developers seeking guidance and approvals, which are largely handled by the city’s planning commission. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Cheap electricity sold by the city’s own power company has for years attracted major tech firms and data center developers seeking millions of dollars in savings over PG&E rates as they build out the hulking, cube-like structures full of computers, networking and cooling equipment. The city and its planners have also made it easy on developers seeking guidance and approvals, which are largely handled by the city’s planning commission. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>But now some local lawmakers are raising concerns. Kevin Park, a council member and tech worker who is running for mayor, said the city has gone too far, as the power company’s supply is strained and it has raised rates on residents to pay for major infrastructure upgrades. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>But now some local lawmakers are raising concerns. Kevin Park, a council member and tech worker who is running for mayor, said the city has gone too far, as the power company’s supply is strained and it has raised rates on residents to pay for major infrastructure upgrades. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Let’s stop building data centers. And the water and the electricity and all the things that we’ll save, let’s use them for other things,” he said. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“Let’s stop building data centers. And the water and the electricity and all the things that we’ll save, let’s use them for other things,” he said. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>As the current artificial intelligence boom fuels rising demand for data centers in Silicon Valley, concern about their effects on the environment, resources and surrounding communities has burst into public discourse and turned the issue into a political hot potato. Local lawmakers are now scrambling to weigh constituents’ concerns against the prospect of embracing the economic windfall proponents say data centers can bring.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260828-SOUTH-BAY-DATA-CENTERS-MD-07-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12098431\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260828-SOUTH-BAY-DATA-CENTERS-MD-07-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260828-SOUTH-BAY-DATA-CENTERS-MD-07-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260828-SOUTH-BAY-DATA-CENTERS-MD-07-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Buildings in the Alviso neighborhood of San José that Google plans to modify to operate in a capacity similar to a data center on Sept. 3, 2026.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Martin do Nascimento/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>While South Bay cities have so far not enacted temporary moratoriums like the one-year ban Oakley in the East Bay recently passed, some places, like Gilroy, have tightened data center approvals amid pushback to the massive buildings seemingly rising overnight. Statewide polling suggests most residents oppose building data centers to support the AI industry in their area. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>While South Bay cities have so far not enacted temporary moratoriums like the one-year ban Oakley in the East Bay recently passed, some places, like Gilroy, have tightened data center approvals amid pushback to the massive buildings seemingly rising overnight. Statewide polling suggests most residents oppose building data centers to support the AI industry in their area. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Even in a city like Santa Clara, which has long leaned on data centers as a driver of revenue, some politicians, like Park, are calling for a halt. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Even in a city like Santa Clara, which has long leaned on data centers as a driver of revenue, some politicians, like Park, are calling for a halt. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“If we took down a single mid-size data center using 20 to 40 megawatts of power, we could actually double the population of the city and not need a single additional watt of power,” Park said. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“If we took down a single mid-size data center using 20 to 40 megawatts of power, we could actually double the population of the city and not need a single additional watt of power,” Park said. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The city, which has about 130,000 residents, is also home to tech behemoths like Nvidia, whose advanced processing units and software are at the center of the AI race and data center growth. “I don’t think people understand that’s the scale we’re talking about. Every large data center we put in can use the entire electric capacity of a city,” he said. “This is something we need to think about.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>But lawmakers in neighboring San José are taking a different approach from what Park is proposing, leaning into the AI industry’s demand for larger, more energy-intensive data centers even as they try to assuage residents’ concerns. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>But lawmakers in neighboring San José are taking a different approach from what Park is proposing, leaning into the AI industry’s demand for larger, more energy-intensive data centers even as they try to assuage residents’ concerns. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>San José, with nearly 1 million residents, has for more than a year been actively courting data center development, hoping to provide a stable injection of property and utility taxes into city coffers. Officials say the city, historically a sprawling bedroom community that struggled to generate commercial revenue, currently has about 20 operating data centers. The projects require a special use permit, which must be approved at a public hearing. A planning commission or city council meeting is not always required. But for some projects with a significant environmental impact, the city council would make the final decision.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>San José, with nearly 1 million residents, has for more than a year been actively courting data center development, hoping to provide a stable injection of property and utility taxes into city coffers. Officials say the city, historically a sprawling bedroom community that struggled to generate commercial revenue, currently has about 20 operating data centers. The projects require a special use permit, which must be approved at a public hearing. A planning commission or city council meeting is not always required. But for some projects with a significant environmental impact, the city council would make the final decision.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Last summer, San José Mayor Matt Mahan \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12049830/san-jose-and-pge-strike-deal-to-attract-data-centers-to-south-bay\">announced a deal\u003c/a> with PG&E that would guarantee power availability and quick connections for 10 major projects in the coming years. In a statement, the city said the pact would position San José as the “West Coast’s premier destination for data center development.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Last summer, San José Mayor Matt Mahan \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12049830/san-jose-and-pge-strike-deal-to-attract-data-centers-to-south-bay\">announced a deal\u003c/a> with PG&E that would guarantee power availability and quick connections for 10 major projects in the coming years. In a statement, the city said the pact would position San José as the “West Coast’s premier destination for data center development.” \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The city launched “\u003ca href=\"https://www.sjeconomy.com/how-we-help/programs-and-services/powering-san-jos-energy-infrastructure-for-data-centers\">concierge-style support\u003c/a>” for data center developers, made dozens of individual pitches and participated in industry events and conferences, leading to a near doubling of interest in \u003ca href=\"https://www.sanjoseca.gov/your-government/departments-offices/planning-building-code-enforcement/planning-division/data-center-and-other-large-energy-use-projects\">data center development\u003c/a> in the city by earlier this year, staff reports say.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The city launched “\u003ca href=\"https://www.sjeconomy.com/how-we-help/programs-and-services/powering-san-jos-energy-infrastructure-for-data-centers\">concierge-style support\u003c/a>” for data center developers, made dozens of individual pitches and participated in industry events and conferences, leading to a near doubling of interest in \u003ca href=\"https://www.sanjoseca.gov/your-government/departments-offices/planning-building-code-enforcement/planning-division/data-center-and-other-large-energy-use-projects\">data center development\u003c/a> in the city by earlier this year, staff reports say.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>But the city’s efforts to go all-in on data centers and other large energy-use projects have prompted fierce pushback.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“I think we’re in a full-on backlash against the buildout of the data centers, and not just in California, but in the country and really worldwide,” said Irina Raicu, the director of the Internet Ethics Program at the Markkula Center for Applied Ethics at Santa Clara University.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“I think we’re in a full-on backlash against the buildout of the data centers, and not just in California, but in the country and really worldwide,” said Irina Raicu, the director of the Internet Ethics Program at the Markkula Center for Applied Ethics at Santa Clara University.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“In part because of the trade-offs that these buildings require, in part because of lack of information and the way people have been surprised in so many places by the apparition of these big centers,” she said.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“In part because of the trade-offs that these buildings require, in part because of lack of information and the way people have been surprised in so many places by the apparition of these big centers,” she said.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260828-SOUTH-BAY-DATA-CENTERS-MD-05-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12098429\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260828-SOUTH-BAY-DATA-CENTERS-MD-05-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260828-SOUTH-BAY-DATA-CENTERS-MD-05-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260828-SOUTH-BAY-DATA-CENTERS-MD-05-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Homes in the south San José neighborhood near the lot intended to house a data center on Silver Creek Valley Road on Sept. 3, 2026.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Martin do Nascimento/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260828-SOUTH-BAY-DATA-CENTERS-MD-05-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12098429\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Homes in the south San José neighborhood near the lot intended to house a data center on Silver Creek Valley Road on Sept. 3, 2026.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Martin do Nascimento/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In North San José’s small Alviso neighborhood, a historically underserved portion of the city that has been heavily developed with tech campuses, corporate offices and research facilities, officials are expecting the buildout of at least three major data centers and large energy-use projects. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>In North San José’s small Alviso neighborhood, a historically underserved portion of the city that has been heavily developed with tech campuses, corporate offices and research facilities, officials are expecting the buildout of at least three major data centers and large energy-use projects. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Google is proposing to demolish an existing warehouse and build research and development facilities expected to draw about 250 megawatts of power. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“For context, 250 MW is larger than the average demand of all of Marin County in 2024, and about half the overall average demand of San Mateo County,” the California Public Utilities Commission \u003ca href=\"https://docs.cpuc.ca.gov/PublishedDocs/Published/G000/M607/K718/607718746.PDF\">said\u003c/a> in its review of the project. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“For context, 250 MW is larger than the average demand of all of Marin County in 2024, and about half the overall average demand of San Mateo County,” the California Public Utilities Commission \u003ca href=\"https://docs.cpuc.ca.gov/PublishedDocs/Published/G000/M607/K718/607718746.PDF\">said\u003c/a> in its review of the project. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Not far away, Microsoft is already building a 99-megawatt data center with 224 natural gas generators to provide continual power when there are outages or the grid is overloaded. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Not far away, Microsoft is already building a 99-megawatt data center with 224 natural gas generators to provide continual power when there are outages or the grid is overloaded. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>And on 159 acres of land used as a buffer between a wastewater facility jointly owned by San José and Santa Clara, the city has entered into an \u003ca href=\"https://sanjose.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=14917877&GUID=45941F3A-0A60-42A1-8F04-B09281C6E2F3\">exclusive negotiating agreement\u003c/a> with Prologis, which is proposing a facility that in total would use 496 megawatts of electricity across data centers and research facilities. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>And on 159 acres of land used as a buffer between a wastewater facility jointly owned by San José and Santa Clara, the city has entered into an \u003ca href=\"https://sanjose.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=14917877&GUID=45941F3A-0A60-42A1-8F04-B09281C6E2F3\">exclusive negotiating agreement\u003c/a> with Prologis, which is proposing a facility that in total would use 496 megawatts of electricity across data centers and research facilities. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260828-SOUTH-BAY-DATA-CENTERS-MD-06-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12098430\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260828-SOUTH-BAY-DATA-CENTERS-MD-06-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260828-SOUTH-BAY-DATA-CENTERS-MD-06-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260828-SOUTH-BAY-DATA-CENTERS-MD-06-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Ellina Yin stands outside a pair of buildings in the Alviso neighborhood of San José that Google plans to modify to operate similar to a data center on Sept. 3, 2026.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Martin do Nascimento/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260828-SOUTH-BAY-DATA-CENTERS-MD-06-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12098430\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Ellina Yin stands outside a pair of buildings in the Alviso neighborhood of San José that Google plans to modify to operate similar to a data center on Sept. 3, 2026.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Martin do Nascimento/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Based on those power estimates, the group of Alviso facilities at full capacity could use more energy daily than the \u003ca href=\"https://www.siliconvalleypower.com/home/showpublisheddocument/89484/639130534329930000\">entire city of Santa Clara\u003c/a> — with its dozens of data centers — currently does, said San José resident Ellina Yin, who has tracked data center development closely. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Based on those power estimates, the group of Alviso facilities at full capacity could use more energy daily than the \u003ca href=\"https://www.siliconvalleypower.com/home/showpublisheddocument/89484/639130534329930000\">entire city of Santa Clara\u003c/a> — with its dozens of data centers — currently does, said San José resident Ellina Yin, who has tracked data center development closely. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“So we’re putting an entire city’s worth of data centers in this tiny neighborhood, and the public health implications are unstudied. We don’t really understand what the future impacts could be,” she said.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“So we’re putting an entire city’s worth of data centers in this tiny neighborhood, and the public health implications are unstudied. We don’t really understand what the future impacts could be,” she said.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>A community listening session in San José last month turned out hundreds of people, most expressing concern about data centers and some calling for a moratorium on accepting applications from developers. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Mahan, a former tech worker, has said in the past that rejecting data center development outright would be akin to burying “our heads in the sand.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Some residents said they sense a disconnect between what people are telling elected leaders and what policies are being advanced. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260819-SJDATALISTEN-JG-3_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12099272\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260819-SJDATALISTEN-JG-3_qed.jpg 1999w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260819-SJDATALISTEN-JG-3_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260819-SJDATALISTEN-JG-3_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">San José Mayor Matt Mahan takes notes during the city’s first community listening session focused on data centers on Aug. 19, 2026, at City Hall.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Joseph Geha/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“They don’t seem to care about the fact that a lot of people just really don’t want this in their backyard,” said Ken Thompson, a South San José resident who lives steps away from a proposed data center. “If the community doesn’t want it, if the local area around it doesn’t want it, then why are we forcing it upon them?” \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“They don’t seem to care about the fact that a lot of people just really don’t want this in their backyard,” said Ken Thompson, a South San José resident who lives steps away from a proposed data center. “If the community doesn’t want it, if the local area around it doesn’t want it, then why are we forcing it upon them?” \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Mahan doesn’t see it that way. Instead, the city has taken a build-the-airplane-while-flying-it approach, holding community meetings to gather feedback that will inform a planned beefing up of \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12095008/san-jose-weighs-data-center-benefits-as-residents-raise-environmental-concerns\">regulations and standards\u003c/a> for data center proposals.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Mahan doesn’t see it that way. Instead, the city has taken a build-the-airplane-while-flying-it approach, holding community meetings to gather feedback that will inform a planned beefing up of \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12095008/san-jose-weighs-data-center-benefits-as-residents-raise-environmental-concerns\">regulations and standards\u003c/a> for data center proposals.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“We’re going to set, with input from the community over the coming months, some of the highest, strictest standards in every category of concern we’ve heard,” Mahan said in an interview. “Labor standards, environmental protection, rate-payer protection, aesthetics and other community engagement and community benefits.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“We’re going to set, with input from the community over the coming months, some of the highest, strictest standards in every category of concern we’ve heard,” Mahan said in an interview. “Labor standards, environmental protection, rate-payer protection, aesthetics and other community engagement and community benefits.” \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>City officials expect to present the City Council with the new standards by the end of the year. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“It is much more important that we regulate Big Tech to get this right than to simply say ‘no’ and make it somebody else’s problem and lose the ability to shape this investment,” Mahan said. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“It is much more important that we regulate Big Tech to get this right than to simply say ‘no’ and make it somebody else’s problem and lose the ability to shape this investment,” Mahan said. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260828-SOUTH-BAY-DATA-CENTERS-MD-08-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12098432\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260828-SOUTH-BAY-DATA-CENTERS-MD-08-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260828-SOUTH-BAY-DATA-CENTERS-MD-08-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260828-SOUTH-BAY-DATA-CENTERS-MD-08-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A Notice of Development Proposal is posted outside a building in the Alviso neighborhood of San José that Google plans to modify to operate similar to a data center on Sept. 3, 2026.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Martin do Nascimento/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260828-SOUTH-BAY-DATA-CENTERS-MD-08-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12098432\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A Notice of Development Proposal is posted outside a building in the Alviso neighborhood of San José that Google plans to modify to operate similar to a data center on Sept. 3, 2026.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Martin do Nascimento/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Meanwhile, business and industry trade groups representing the biggest tech companies and data center developers say data centers are paramount to the success of the digital economy, Silicon Valley’s continued status as an innovation engine and American dominance in AI technologies. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Meanwhile, business and industry trade groups representing the biggest tech companies and data center developers say data centers are paramount to the success of the digital economy, Silicon Valley’s continued status as an innovation engine and American dominance in AI technologies. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“If California is not positioned to continue rapidly deploying and scaling AI technology … if our state general fund, if our local community economies are not able to garner the benefits of this, it will go elsewhere,” said Ahmad Thomas, the CEO of Silicon Valley Leadership Group.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“If California is not positioned to continue rapidly deploying and scaling AI technology … if our state general fund, if our local community economies are not able to garner the benefits of this, it will go elsewhere,” said Ahmad Thomas, the CEO of Silicon Valley Leadership Group.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“I think the next 30 to 40 years of economic supremacy globally is going to be determined by who gets this right,” he said. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“I think the next 30 to 40 years of economic supremacy globally is going to be determined by who gets this right,” he said. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Thomas said the data centers proposed in the Silicon Valley region are being developed responsibly, making use of renewable energy, recycled water, and offering community benefits. He said it’s a template all data center development should follow, and might assuage some concerns and fears. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Thomas said the data centers proposed in the Silicon Valley region are being developed responsibly, making use of renewable energy, recycled water, and offering community benefits. He said it’s a template all data center development should follow, and might assuage some concerns and fears. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Our thesis is that listening to the community leads to better innovation. That has always been our working approach,” he said. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“Our thesis is that listening to the community leads to better innovation. That has always been our working approach,” he said. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260828-SOUTH-BAY-DATA-CENTERS-MD-04-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12098428\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260828-SOUTH-BAY-DATA-CENTERS-MD-04-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260828-SOUTH-BAY-DATA-CENTERS-MD-04-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260828-SOUTH-BAY-DATA-CENTERS-MD-04-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A lot on Silver Creek Valley Road in south San José, which is intended to house a data center, on Sept. 3, 2026.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Martin do Nascimento/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260828-SOUTH-BAY-DATA-CENTERS-MD-04-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12098428\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A lot on Silver Creek Valley Road in south San José, which is intended to house a data center, on Sept. 3, 2026.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Martin do Nascimento/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Khara Boender, a spokesperson for the western division of the industry trade group Data Center Coalition, said data center backers want to be good neighbors. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“The industry is committed to paying for its full cost of service for electricity and the underlying infrastructure that it uses,” Boender said. “The industry is committed to responsible water use, and has made different investments in restoration and replenishment projects.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“The industry is committed to paying for its full cost of service for electricity and the underlying infrastructure that it uses,” Boender said. “The industry is committed to responsible water use, and has made different investments in restoration and replenishment projects.” \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The buildings, which as recently as several years ago were much smaller and drew significantly smaller energy loads, were previously primarily used to house and exchange information across the internet, and later came to support all kinds of daily needs of a modern world, like social media, streaming services and video communication services for meetings and telehealth. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The buildings, which as recently as several years ago were much smaller and drew significantly smaller energy loads, were previously primarily used to house and exchange information across the internet, and later came to support all kinds of daily needs of a modern world, like social media, streaming services and video communication services for meetings and telehealth. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“They support the very fabric of our digital lives and every aspect of that,” said Dr. Andrew Chien, a professor of computer science at the University of Chicago. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“They support the very fabric of our digital lives and every aspect of that,” said Dr. Andrew Chien, a professor of computer science at the University of Chicago. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>But newer data centers are packed with high-energy processing and computing elements that are increasingly used for AI, both to do the complex computational work needed to power AI chatbots and agents, and to train massive AI models and systems that are at the forefront of the technology.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>But newer data centers are packed with high-energy processing and computing elements that are increasingly used for AI, both to do the complex computational work needed to power AI chatbots and agents, and to train massive AI models and systems that are at the forefront of the technology.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Chien said because AI is a fundamentally different way to deliver services, it has drastically increased the need for data centers.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Chien said because AI is a fundamentally different way to deliver services, it has drastically increased the need for data centers.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Traditionally with computing, a service like email or like social media, it’s mostly taking a piece of digital data and serving it up or maybe organizing a little bit and then serving it up. But when you talk to a chatbot, or you ask Claude to go do some complicated analysis or Gemini or ChatGPT, you actually trigger a gigantic number of numerical computations,” Chien said. “So there’s dramatically more energy required to do that. So it’s not only the growth of AI, it’s the fact that AI is a hugely energy-intensive way of delivering this intelligence.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“Traditionally with computing, a service like email or like social media, it’s mostly taking a piece of digital data and serving it up or maybe organizing a little bit and then serving it up. But when you talk to a chatbot, or you ask Claude to go do some complicated analysis or Gemini or ChatGPT, you actually trigger a gigantic number of numerical computations,” Chien said. “So there’s dramatically more energy required to do that. So it’s not only the growth of AI, it’s the fact that AI is a hugely energy-intensive way of delivering this intelligence.” \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The rapid growth of data center proposals and industry bullishness have been met with growing grassroots resistance in Silicon Valley, led in part by Yin, the San José resident. One major factor fueling the resistance is a striking lack of clear information about how much power, water and other resources data centers use.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The rapid growth of data center proposals and industry bullishness have been met with growing grassroots resistance in Silicon Valley, led in part by Yin, the San José resident. One major factor fueling the resistance is a striking lack of clear information about how much power, water and other resources data centers use.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Yin said the financial and technological imperatives espoused by data center proponents shouldn’t trump the need for updated regulations and deeper understanding about the long-term, cumulative impacts across the region on things like air and water, which take time to develop. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Yin said the financial and technological imperatives espoused by data center proponents shouldn’t trump the need for updated regulations and deeper understanding about the long-term, cumulative impacts across the region on things like air and water, which take time to develop. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“The scale that we’re seeing them be built out nationally is just, it’s overwhelming. I’ve never seen anything like it in my lifetime. And I feel like there’s just a lack of due diligence that we cannot repeat from previous generations,” Yin said. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“The scale that we’re seeing them be built out nationally is just, it’s overwhelming. I’ve never seen anything like it in my lifetime. And I feel like there’s just a lack of due diligence that we cannot repeat from previous generations,” Yin said. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“They are leaving that to the burden of future generations to deal with, just as when cell phones came, and we didn’t understand social media, and now look at the state of child development and the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12096647/why-metas-landmark-settlement-could-be-social-medias-big-tobacco-moment\">impact of social media\u003c/a> on the youth,” she said. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“They are leaving that to the burden of future generations to deal with, just as when cell phones came, and we didn’t understand social media, and now look at the state of child development and the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12096647/why-metas-landmark-settlement-could-be-social-medias-big-tobacco-moment\">impact of social media\u003c/a> on the youth,” she said. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>She pointed to the collection of Superfund polluted \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/futureofyou/388730/silicon-valleys-toxic-past-haunts-sunnyvale-neighborhood\">sites across Santa Clara County\u003c/a>, created by years of toxic material mismanagement in the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11630861/how-silicon-valley-industry-polluted-the-sylvan-california-dream\">semiconductor industry\u003c/a> that flourished there decades ago, or the global plastics industry. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>She pointed to the collection of Superfund polluted \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/futureofyou/388730/silicon-valleys-toxic-past-haunts-sunnyvale-neighborhood\">sites across Santa Clara County\u003c/a>, created by years of toxic material mismanagement in the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11630861/how-silicon-valley-industry-polluted-the-sylvan-california-dream\">semiconductor industry\u003c/a> that flourished there decades ago, or the global plastics industry. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260828-SOUTH-BAY-DATA-CENTERS-MD-03-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12098427\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260828-SOUTH-BAY-DATA-CENTERS-MD-03-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260828-SOUTH-BAY-DATA-CENTERS-MD-03-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260828-SOUTH-BAY-DATA-CENTERS-MD-03-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A lot on Silver Creek Valley Road in south San José, which is intended to house a data center, on Sept. 3, 2026.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Martin do Nascimento/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“We didn’t know any better. And now it’s in our bodies, it’s in our water, and the plastics industry did not come running to save us and to do all the reparations of correcting the damage that they caused. And so I don’t think I can trust that the AI industry is going to come and do the reparation of the impacts that they’re going to cause,” she said. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“We didn’t know any better. And now it’s in our bodies, it’s in our water, and the plastics industry did not come running to save us and to do all the reparations of correcting the damage that they caused. And so I don’t think I can trust that the AI industry is going to come and do the reparation of the impacts that they’re going to cause,” she said. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Raicu, the director of the Internet Ethics program, co-authored \u003ca href=\"https://www.next10.org/sites/default/files/2026-05/Data-Centers-Water-Use-Report.pdf\">a report\u003c/a> on data centers and water use, and said the overall lack of clear information about the resource consumption of data centers by the companies proposing and operating them is striking, and more disclosure should be required. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Raicu, the director of the Internet Ethics program, co-authored \u003ca href=\"https://www.next10.org/sites/default/files/2026-05/Data-Centers-Water-Use-Report.pdf\">a report\u003c/a> on data centers and water use, and said the overall lack of clear information about the resource consumption of data centers by the companies proposing and operating them is striking, and more disclosure should be required. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Some reports, like one out of \u003ca href=\"https://jlarc.virginia.gov/pdfs/reports/Rpt598.pdf\">Virginia\u003c/a>, which has the highest concentration of data centers in the country, say many there use as much water as large office buildings each year, between 4 million gallons and 10 million gallons. But others use far more, including one that uses 243 million gallons. The picture both locally and nationally isn’t always clear or comprehensive, Raicu said. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Some reports, like one out of \u003ca href=\"https://jlarc.virginia.gov/pdfs/reports/Rpt598.pdf\">Virginia\u003c/a>, which has the highest concentration of data centers in the country, say many there use as much water as large office buildings each year, between 4 million gallons and 10 million gallons. But others use far more, including one that uses 243 million gallons. The picture both locally and nationally isn’t always clear or comprehensive, Raicu said. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“We don’t know how much energy and how much water data centers are using. And the demands are going to be different at the scale that we’re talking about for these new kinds of data centers,” she said, noting that \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/environment/2026/09/sam-altman-almonds-chatgpt-water-california/\">researchers\u003c/a> have advocated for more detailed information. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“We don’t know how much energy and how much water data centers are using. And the demands are going to be different at the scale that we’re talking about for these new kinds of data centers,” she said, noting that \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/environment/2026/09/sam-altman-almonds-chatgpt-water-california/\">researchers\u003c/a> have advocated for more detailed information. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“The fact that it’s been such a multi-year battle in which only now are some companies voluntarily starting to disclose, data center by data center, what’s actually being used, that’s a big reason we’re seeing the pushback and the distrust,” she said. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260819-SJDATALISTEN-JG-2_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12099292\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260819-SJDATALISTEN-JG-2_qed.jpg 1999w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260819-SJDATALISTEN-JG-2_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260819-SJDATALISTEN-JG-2_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Ted Smith, a San José resident, expresses concerns about the impact of data centers during the city’s first community listening session focused on data centers on Aug. 19, 2026, at City Hall.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Joseph Geha/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed a bill last year that would have required water use disclosure by data center developers, and has another similar bill on his desk \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12097457/the-data-center-backlash-is-here-and-big-tech-is-spending-big-to-combat-it\">this year\u003c/a>, along with a raft of other bills aimed at drawing more information from data center proponents and protecting electricity customers from paying higher rates in connection with them. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Thompson, the South San José resident, who lives in a small house on a former orchard, said he initially got involved in the push against data centers when he found out one could rise just steps from his home. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Thompson, the South San José resident, who lives in a small house on a former orchard, said he initially got involved in the push against data centers when he found out one could rise just steps from his home. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Prologis is proposing a three-story, 99-megawatt data center that would include 44 diesel generators for backup power on Silver Creek Valley Road. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Prologis is proposing a three-story, 99-megawatt data center that would include 44 diesel generators for backup power on Silver Creek Valley Road. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Thompson said city officials told him current air quality regulations would limit the number of hours per year the center would be allowed to operate the generators, which produce toxic compounds when running during power outages.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“But if the penalty for [exceeding] that is a fine, then I have a sneaking suspicion that that’s not going to stop them … because the money that they make is going to be more than the fine,” Thompson said. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“But if the penalty for [exceeding] that is a fine, then I have a sneaking suspicion that that’s not going to stop them … because the money that they make is going to be more than the fine,” Thompson said. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The proposed site is next to a hiking trail and a city park, and less than a quarter-mile east of single-family home neighborhoods. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Thompson said he opposes this data center and others like it because of the potential diesel emissions and the \u003ca href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/17/us/data-centers-noise-pollution.html\">constant low-frequency sounds\u003c/a> they can emit that he worries could harm people or wildlife in the area next to Coyote Creek and the foothills. He’s also concerned about a more AI-driven world threatening workers and art, and perpetuating surveillance technology like the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12064587/civil-liberties-groups-sue-san-jose-over-license-plate-reader-use\">license plate readers\u003c/a> mounted all over the city. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Thompson said he opposes this data center and others like it because of the potential diesel emissions and the \u003ca href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/17/us/data-centers-noise-pollution.html\">constant low-frequency sounds\u003c/a> they can emit that he worries could harm people or wildlife in the area next to Coyote Creek and the foothills. He’s also concerned about a more AI-driven world threatening workers and art, and perpetuating surveillance technology like the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12064587/civil-liberties-groups-sue-san-jose-over-license-plate-reader-use\">license plate readers\u003c/a> mounted all over the city. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>He participated in the community listening session and a small-group discussion facilitated by the city recently.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“One of the things I found most interesting was they were also focusing on the fact that old data centers used to be just these hideous boxes and we’re going to try and regulate them to be more beautiful,” Thompson said. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“One of the things I found most interesting was they were also focusing on the fact that old data centers used to be just these hideous boxes and we’re going to try and regulate them to be more beautiful,” Thompson said. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“The funny thing to me is, it doesn’t matter to me what the color of the gun that’s pointed to my head is going to be,” he said. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>“The funny thing to me is, it doesn’t matter to me what the color of the gun that’s pointed to my head is going to be,” he said. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Raicu thinks holistic conversations about how data centers are built, where they make sense and how they affect society need to be top priorities. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“None of this is just a force of nature. These are decisions made by human beings. Regulations can be passed. There can be a lot more money spent on making more sustainable technology. There could be delays put in place as to whether you deploy something at this kind of scale,” she said. “All of that is just human decisions.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“None of this is just a force of nature. These are decisions made by human beings. Regulations can be passed. There can be a lot more money spent on making more sustainable technology. There could be delays put in place as to whether you deploy something at this kind of scale,” she said. “All of that is just human decisions.” \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cem>KQED Correspondent \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/author/gmarzorati\">Guy Marzorati\u003c/a> contributed to this story. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cem>KQED Correspondent \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/author/gmarzorati\">Guy Marzorati\u003c/a> contributed to this story. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n"
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/santa-clara\">Santa Clara\u003c/a> has quietly become California’s data center capital. The sleepy suburb known for its quiet streets and professional football stadium is home to 60 data centers — more than any other city on the West Coast. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Cheap electricity sold by the city’s own power company has for years attracted major tech firms and data center developers seeking millions of dollars in savings over PG&E rates as they build out the hulking, cube-like structures full of computers, networking and cooling equipment. The city and its planners have also made it easy on developers seeking guidance and approvals, which are largely handled by the city’s planning commission. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But now some local lawmakers are raising concerns. Kevin Park, a council member and tech worker who is running for mayor, said the city has gone too far, as the power company’s supply is strained and it has raised rates on residents to pay for major infrastructure upgrades. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Let’s stop building data centers. And the water and the electricity and all the things that we’ll save, let’s use them for other things,” he said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>As the current artificial intelligence boom fuels rising demand for data centers in Silicon Valley, concern about their effects on the environment, resources and surrounding communities has burst into public discourse and turned the issue into a political hot potato. Local lawmakers are now scrambling to weigh constituents’ concerns against the prospect of embracing the economic windfall proponents say data centers can bring.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260828-SOUTH-BAY-DATA-CENTERS-MD-07-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12098431\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260828-SOUTH-BAY-DATA-CENTERS-MD-07-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260828-SOUTH-BAY-DATA-CENTERS-MD-07-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260828-SOUTH-BAY-DATA-CENTERS-MD-07-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Buildings in the Alviso neighborhood of San José that Google plans to modify to operate in a capacity similar to a data center on Sept. 3, 2026. (Martin do Nascimento/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>While South Bay cities have so far not enacted temporary moratoriums like the one-year ban Oakley in the East Bay recently passed, some places, like Gilroy, have tightened data center approvals amid pushback to the massive buildings seemingly rising overnight. Statewide polling suggests most residents oppose building data centers to support the AI industry in their area. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Even in a city like Santa Clara, which has long leaned on data centers as a driver of revenue, some politicians, like Park, are calling for a halt. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“If we took down a single mid-size data center using 20 to 40 megawatts of power, we could actually double the population of the city and not need a single additional watt of power,” Park said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The city, which has about 130,000 residents, is also home to tech behemoths like Nvidia, whose advanced processing units and software are at the center of the AI race and data center growth. “I don’t think people understand that’s the scale we’re talking about. Every large data center we put in can use the entire electric capacity of a city,” he said. “This is something we need to think about.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But lawmakers in neighboring San José are taking a different approach from what Park is proposing, leaning into the AI industry’s demand for larger, more energy-intensive data centers even as they try to assuage residents’ concerns. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>San José, with nearly 1 million residents, has for more than a year been actively courting data center development, hoping to provide a stable injection of property and utility taxes into city coffers. Officials say the city, historically a sprawling bedroom community that struggled to generate commercial revenue, currently has about 20 operating data centers. The projects require a special use permit, which must be approved at a public hearing. A planning commission or city council meeting is not always required. But for some projects with a significant environmental impact, the city council would make the final decision.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Last summer, San José Mayor Matt Mahan \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12049830/san-jose-and-pge-strike-deal-to-attract-data-centers-to-south-bay\">announced a deal\u003c/a> with PG&E that would guarantee power availability and quick connections for 10 major projects in the coming years. In a statement, the city said the pact would position San José as the “West Coast’s premier destination for data center development.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The city launched “\u003ca href=\"https://www.sjeconomy.com/how-we-help/programs-and-services/powering-san-jos-energy-infrastructure-for-data-centers\">concierge-style support\u003c/a>” for data center developers, made dozens of individual pitches and participated in industry events and conferences, leading to a near doubling of interest in \u003ca href=\"https://www.sanjoseca.gov/your-government/departments-offices/planning-building-code-enforcement/planning-division/data-center-and-other-large-energy-use-projects\">data center development\u003c/a> in the city by earlier this year, staff reports say.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But the city’s efforts to go all-in on data centers and other large energy-use projects have prompted fierce pushback.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I think we’re in a full-on backlash against the buildout of the data centers, and not just in California, but in the country and really worldwide,” said Irina Raicu, the director of the Internet Ethics Program at the Markkula Center for Applied Ethics at Santa Clara University.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“In part because of the trade-offs that these buildings require, in part because of lack of information and the way people have been surprised in so many places by the apparition of these big centers,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260828-SOUTH-BAY-DATA-CENTERS-MD-05-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12098429\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260828-SOUTH-BAY-DATA-CENTERS-MD-05-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260828-SOUTH-BAY-DATA-CENTERS-MD-05-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260828-SOUTH-BAY-DATA-CENTERS-MD-05-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Homes in the south San José neighborhood near the lot intended to house a data center on Silver Creek Valley Road on Sept. 3, 2026. (Martin do Nascimento/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In North San José’s small Alviso neighborhood, a historically underserved portion of the city that has been heavily developed with tech campuses, corporate offices and research facilities, officials are expecting the buildout of at least three major data centers and large energy-use projects. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Google is proposing to demolish an existing warehouse and build research and development facilities expected to draw about 250 megawatts of power. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“For context, 250 MW is larger than the average demand of all of Marin County in 2024, and about half the overall average demand of San Mateo County,” the California Public Utilities Commission \u003ca href=\"https://docs.cpuc.ca.gov/PublishedDocs/Published/G000/M607/K718/607718746.PDF\">said\u003c/a> in its review of the project. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Not far away, Microsoft is already building a 99-megawatt data center with 224 natural gas generators to provide continual power when there are outages or the grid is overloaded. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>And on 159 acres of land used as a buffer between a wastewater facility jointly owned by San José and Santa Clara, the city has entered into an \u003ca href=\"https://sanjose.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=14917877&GUID=45941F3A-0A60-42A1-8F04-B09281C6E2F3\">exclusive negotiating agreement\u003c/a> with Prologis, which is proposing a facility that in total would use 496 megawatts of electricity across data centers and research facilities. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260828-SOUTH-BAY-DATA-CENTERS-MD-06-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12098430\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260828-SOUTH-BAY-DATA-CENTERS-MD-06-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260828-SOUTH-BAY-DATA-CENTERS-MD-06-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260828-SOUTH-BAY-DATA-CENTERS-MD-06-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Ellina Yin stands outside a pair of buildings in the Alviso neighborhood of San José that Google plans to modify to operate similar to a data center on Sept. 3, 2026. (Martin do Nascimento/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Based on those power estimates, the group of Alviso facilities at full capacity could use more energy daily than the \u003ca href=\"https://www.siliconvalleypower.com/home/showpublisheddocument/89484/639130534329930000\">entire city of Santa Clara\u003c/a> — with its dozens of data centers — currently does, said San José resident Ellina Yin, who has tracked data center development closely. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“So we’re putting an entire city’s worth of data centers in this tiny neighborhood, and the public health implications are unstudied. We don’t really understand what the future impacts could be,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>A community listening session in San José last month turned out hundreds of people, most expressing concern about data centers and some calling for a moratorium on accepting applications from developers. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Mahan, a former tech worker, has said in the past that rejecting data center development outright would be akin to burying “our heads in the sand.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Some residents said they sense a disconnect between what people are telling elected leaders and what policies are being advanced. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1999\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260819-SJDATALISTEN-JG-3_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12099272\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260819-SJDATALISTEN-JG-3_qed.jpg 1999w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260819-SJDATALISTEN-JG-3_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260819-SJDATALISTEN-JG-3_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">San José Mayor Matt Mahan takes notes during the city’s first community listening session focused on data centers on Aug. 19, 2026, at City Hall. (Joseph Geha/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“They don’t seem to care about the fact that a lot of people just really don’t want this in their backyard,” said Ken Thompson, a South San José resident who lives steps away from a proposed data center. “If the community doesn’t want it, if the local area around it doesn’t want it, then why are we forcing it upon them?” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Mahan doesn’t see it that way. Instead, the city has taken a build-the-airplane-while-flying-it approach, holding community meetings to gather feedback that will inform a planned beefing up of \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12095008/san-jose-weighs-data-center-benefits-as-residents-raise-environmental-concerns\">regulations and standards\u003c/a> for data center proposals.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“We’re going to set, with input from the community over the coming months, some of the highest, strictest standards in every category of concern we’ve heard,” Mahan said in an interview. “Labor standards, environmental protection, rate-payer protection, aesthetics and other community engagement and community benefits.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>City officials expect to present the City Council with the new standards by the end of the year. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“It is much more important that we regulate Big Tech to get this right than to simply say ‘no’ and make it somebody else’s problem and lose the ability to shape this investment,” Mahan said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260828-SOUTH-BAY-DATA-CENTERS-MD-08-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12098432\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260828-SOUTH-BAY-DATA-CENTERS-MD-08-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260828-SOUTH-BAY-DATA-CENTERS-MD-08-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260828-SOUTH-BAY-DATA-CENTERS-MD-08-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A Notice of Development Proposal is posted outside a building in the Alviso neighborhood of San José that Google plans to modify to operate similar to a data center on Sept. 3, 2026. (Martin do Nascimento/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Meanwhile, business and industry trade groups representing the biggest tech companies and data center developers say data centers are paramount to the success of the digital economy, Silicon Valley’s continued status as an innovation engine and American dominance in AI technologies. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“If California is not positioned to continue rapidly deploying and scaling AI technology … if our state general fund, if our local community economies are not able to garner the benefits of this, it will go elsewhere,” said Ahmad Thomas, the CEO of Silicon Valley Leadership Group.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I think the next 30 to 40 years of economic supremacy globally is going to be determined by who gets this right,” he said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Thomas said the data centers proposed in the Silicon Valley region are being developed responsibly, making use of renewable energy, recycled water, and offering community benefits. He said it’s a template all data center development should follow, and might assuage some concerns and fears. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Our thesis is that listening to the community leads to better innovation. That has always been our working approach,” he said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260828-SOUTH-BAY-DATA-CENTERS-MD-04-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12098428\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260828-SOUTH-BAY-DATA-CENTERS-MD-04-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260828-SOUTH-BAY-DATA-CENTERS-MD-04-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260828-SOUTH-BAY-DATA-CENTERS-MD-04-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A lot on Silver Creek Valley Road in south San José, which is intended to house a data center, on Sept. 3, 2026. (Martin do Nascimento/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Khara Boender, a spokesperson for the western division of the industry trade group Data Center Coalition, said data center backers want to be good neighbors. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“The industry is committed to paying for its full cost of service for electricity and the underlying infrastructure that it uses,” Boender said. “The industry is committed to responsible water use, and has made different investments in restoration and replenishment projects.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The buildings, which as recently as several years ago were much smaller and drew significantly smaller energy loads, were previously primarily used to house and exchange information across the internet, and later came to support all kinds of daily needs of a modern world, like social media, streaming services and video communication services for meetings and telehealth. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“They support the very fabric of our digital lives and every aspect of that,” said Dr. Andrew Chien, a professor of computer science at the University of Chicago. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But newer data centers are packed with high-energy processing and computing elements that are increasingly used for AI, both to do the complex computational work needed to power AI chatbots and agents, and to train massive AI models and systems that are at the forefront of the technology.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Chien said because AI is a fundamentally different way to deliver services, it has drastically increased the need for data centers.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Traditionally with computing, a service like email or like social media, it’s mostly taking a piece of digital data and serving it up or maybe organizing a little bit and then serving it up. But when you talk to a chatbot, or you ask Claude to go do some complicated analysis or Gemini or ChatGPT, you actually trigger a gigantic number of numerical computations,” Chien said. “So there’s dramatically more energy required to do that. So it’s not only the growth of AI, it’s the fact that AI is a hugely energy-intensive way of delivering this intelligence.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The rapid growth of data center proposals and industry bullishness have been met with growing grassroots resistance in Silicon Valley, led in part by Yin, the San José resident. One major factor fueling the resistance is a striking lack of clear information about how much power, water and other resources data centers use.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Yin said the financial and technological imperatives espoused by data center proponents shouldn’t trump the need for updated regulations and deeper understanding about the long-term, cumulative impacts across the region on things like air and water, which take time to develop. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“The scale that we’re seeing them be built out nationally is just, it’s overwhelming. I’ve never seen anything like it in my lifetime. And I feel like there’s just a lack of due diligence that we cannot repeat from previous generations,” Yin said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“They are leaving that to the burden of future generations to deal with, just as when cell phones came, and we didn’t understand social media, and now look at the state of child development and the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12096647/why-metas-landmark-settlement-could-be-social-medias-big-tobacco-moment\">impact of social media\u003c/a> on the youth,” she said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>She pointed to the collection of Superfund polluted \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/futureofyou/388730/silicon-valleys-toxic-past-haunts-sunnyvale-neighborhood\">sites across Santa Clara County\u003c/a>, created by years of toxic material mismanagement in the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11630861/how-silicon-valley-industry-polluted-the-sylvan-california-dream\">semiconductor industry\u003c/a> that flourished there decades ago, or the global plastics industry. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260828-SOUTH-BAY-DATA-CENTERS-MD-03-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12098427\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260828-SOUTH-BAY-DATA-CENTERS-MD-03-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260828-SOUTH-BAY-DATA-CENTERS-MD-03-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260828-SOUTH-BAY-DATA-CENTERS-MD-03-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A lot on Silver Creek Valley Road in south San José, which is intended to house a data center, on Sept. 3, 2026. (Martin do Nascimento/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“We didn’t know any better. And now it’s in our bodies, it’s in our water, and the plastics industry did not come running to save us and to do all the reparations of correcting the damage that they caused. And so I don’t think I can trust that the AI industry is going to come and do the reparation of the impacts that they’re going to cause,” she said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Raicu, the director of the Internet Ethics program, co-authored \u003ca href=\"https://www.next10.org/sites/default/files/2026-05/Data-Centers-Water-Use-Report.pdf\">a report\u003c/a> on data centers and water use, and said the overall lack of clear information about the resource consumption of data centers by the companies proposing and operating them is striking, and more disclosure should be required. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Some reports, like one out of \u003ca href=\"https://jlarc.virginia.gov/pdfs/reports/Rpt598.pdf\">Virginia\u003c/a>, which has the highest concentration of data centers in the country, say many there use as much water as large office buildings each year, between 4 million gallons and 10 million gallons. But others use far more, including one that uses 243 million gallons. The picture both locally and nationally isn’t always clear or comprehensive, Raicu said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“We don’t know how much energy and how much water data centers are using. And the demands are going to be different at the scale that we’re talking about for these new kinds of data centers,” she said, noting that \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/environment/2026/09/sam-altman-almonds-chatgpt-water-california/\">researchers\u003c/a> have advocated for more detailed information. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“The fact that it’s been such a multi-year battle in which only now are some companies voluntarily starting to disclose, data center by data center, what’s actually being used, that’s a big reason we’re seeing the pushback and the distrust,” she said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1999\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260819-SJDATALISTEN-JG-2_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12099292\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260819-SJDATALISTEN-JG-2_qed.jpg 1999w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260819-SJDATALISTEN-JG-2_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260819-SJDATALISTEN-JG-2_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Ted Smith, a San José resident, expresses concerns about the impact of data centers during the city’s first community listening session focused on data centers on Aug. 19, 2026, at City Hall. (Joseph Geha/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed a bill last year that would have required water use disclosure by data center developers, and has another similar bill on his desk \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12097457/the-data-center-backlash-is-here-and-big-tech-is-spending-big-to-combat-it\">this year\u003c/a>, along with a raft of other bills aimed at drawing more information from data center proponents and protecting electricity customers from paying higher rates in connection with them. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Thompson, the South San José resident, who lives in a small house on a former orchard, said he initially got involved in the push against data centers when he found out one could rise just steps from his home. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Prologis is proposing a three-story, 99-megawatt data center that would include 44 diesel generators for backup power on Silver Creek Valley Road. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Thompson said city officials told him current air quality regulations would limit the number of hours per year the center would be allowed to operate the generators, which produce toxic compounds when running during power outages.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“But if the penalty for [exceeding] that is a fine, then I have a sneaking suspicion that that’s not going to stop them … because the money that they make is going to be more than the fine,” Thompson said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The proposed site is next to a hiking trail and a city park, and less than a quarter-mile east of single-family home neighborhoods. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Thompson said he opposes this data center and others like it because of the potential diesel emissions and the \u003ca href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/17/us/data-centers-noise-pollution.html\">constant low-frequency sounds\u003c/a> they can emit that he worries could harm people or wildlife in the area next to Coyote Creek and the foothills. He’s also concerned about a more AI-driven world threatening workers and art, and perpetuating surveillance technology like the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12064587/civil-liberties-groups-sue-san-jose-over-license-plate-reader-use\">license plate readers\u003c/a> mounted all over the city. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>He participated in the community listening session and a small-group discussion facilitated by the city recently.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“One of the things I found most interesting was they were also focusing on the fact that old data centers used to be just these hideous boxes and we’re going to try and regulate them to be more beautiful,” Thompson said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“The funny thing to me is, it doesn’t matter to me what the color of the gun that’s pointed to my head is going to be,” he said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Raicu thinks holistic conversations about how data centers are built, where they make sense and how they affect society need to be top priorities. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“None of this is just a force of nature. These are decisions made by human beings. Regulations can be passed. There can be a lot more money spent on making more sustainable technology. There could be delays put in place as to whether you deploy something at this kind of scale,” she said. “All of that is just human decisions.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>KQED Correspondent \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/author/gmarzorati\">Guy Marzorati\u003c/a> contributed to this story. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "newsoms-final-months-a-failed-deal-and-regulating-ai",
"title": "Newsom's Final Months: A Failed Deal and Regulating AI",
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"title": "Chatbots, Data Centers and Surveillance: 5 Silicon Valley Bills Land on Newsom’s Desk",
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"content": "\n\u003cp>California’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/politics\">legislative session\u003c/a> ended at midnight on Monday, and numerous bills ranging from housing to health care to technology cleared both the Senate and the Assembly.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Gov. Gavin Newsom has until Sept. 30 to decide whether he’ll veto or sign the measures. Here’s where some of the most closely watched \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/technology\">tech\u003c/a> bills landed.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Companion chatbots and children’s safety\u003cstrong> \u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>California lawmakers on Monday approved a sweeping set of safety requirements for artificial intelligence chatbots used by children and teens. The bill, known as \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.digitaldemocracy.org/bills/ca_202520260sb1119\">Adam’s Law\u003c/a>, builds on last year’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12052617/newsoms-tightrope-walk-between-ai-regulation-and-silicon-valley-cash\">SB 243\u003c/a>, which required chatbot operators to disclose when users were interacting with AI companions and to maintain protocols for detecting self-harm content. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Co-authored by San Diego Democrat Sen. Steve Padilla and Assemblymembers Rebecca Bauer-Kahan (D-Orinda) and Buffy Wicks (D-Oakland), the bill adds requirements for user age checks, safety-risk assessments before new or substantially modified companion chatbots are released, independent audits and crisis-support resources. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/GettyImages-2159671948-scaled-e1781542152687.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12058035\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Close-up of a phone screen in Lafayette, California, on June 27, 2024, displaying Claude, a generative artificial intelligence chatbot from Anthropic powered by large language model (or LLM). (Smith Collection/Gado via Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The bill also requires default protections for young users, including limits on notifications, usage and persistent conversational memory. It restricts targeted advertising to children and imposes additional privacy protections. Chatbot operators could face liability for failing to take reasonable measures to prevent certain harmful outputs, including content involving self-harm, sexually explicit material, romantic role-playing and emotionally manipulative behavior. Families would have a private right of redress for certain violations. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The legislation is named for \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12080610/california-mom-who-lost-her-son-to-an-ai-chatbot-is-now-fighting-to-regulate-them\">Adam Raine\u003c/a>, a California teenager who died by suicide in 2025. Raine’s parents have said that Adam spent months discussing his loneliness and plans to harm himself with ChatGPT before his death. In a joint statement released after the bill successfully passed through the Legislature, Maria Raine called it “a serious and much-needed step forward for AI companion chatbot safety.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>This year, lawmakers also passed another bill by Padilla that enacts a four-year moratorium on the sale and manufacturing of AI-chatbot-powered toys over concerns that the technology can harm children.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The technology industry has not been uniformly opposed. OpenAI supports SB 1119 and has urged Newsom to sign it, saying the legislation establishes meaningful safeguards while preserving young people’s ability to use AI for learning, creativity and other purposes. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Teens are the first generation growing up with AI,” OpenAI said in a \u003ca href=\"https://openai.com/index/supporting-california-bill-advance-ai-youth-safety/\">statement\u003c/a>. “Nearly nine in ten teens who use ChatGPT turn to it for learning, information, skill-building, or productivity in a given week.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“That opportunity comes with a clear responsibility: teens should have experiences designed around their distinct developmental needs, with strong default protections and appropriate opportunities to learn, create, and explore.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Opponents of the legislation include the California Chamber of Commerce, the Software Information Industry Association and TechNet.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Newsom vetoed a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12059714/newsom-vetoes-most-watched-childrens-ai-bill-signs-16-others-targeting-tech\">stronger child-safety bill\u003c/a> last year after raising concerns that its restrictions could effectively prevent teenagers from accessing conversational AI. Though his office has not indicated whether Newsom will sign, the version now on his desk was negotiated with those concerns in mind. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003cstrong>Data centers and ratepayer protections \u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>California lawmakers on Monday approved two linked bills that would require the state to establish special rules for how large data centers pay for electricity and the infrastructure needed to serve them.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.digitaldemocracy.org/bills/ca_202520260sb886\">SB 886\u003c/a>, also authored by Padilla, and \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.digitaldemocracy.org/bills/ca_202520260ab2383\">AB 2383\u003c/a>, by Assemblymember Rick Chavez Zbur (D-Los Angeles), would require the California Public Utilities Commission to create separate electricity rates and updated interconnection rules for data centers. The measures are designed to prevent electricity customers from bearing the costs of new power generation and grid upgrades needed to serve the facilities. AB 2383 is contingent on SB 886 becoming law. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Big Tech keeps promising to be good neighbors, and these bills will make those promises legally enforceable,” Padilla said in a press release celebrating the passage of SB 886 and a related bill, \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.digitaldemocracy.org/bills/ca_202520260sb887\">887\u003c/a>. “No more saying one thing in the White House and doing the opposite in our local communities.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1980\" height=\"1231\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/GettyImages-2267080472.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12094084\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/GettyImages-2267080472.jpg 1980w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/GettyImages-2267080472-160x99.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/GettyImages-2267080472-1536x955.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1980px) 100vw, 1980px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">San Diego Democrat Sen. Steve Padilla. (Nelvin C. Cepeda/The San Diego Union-Tribune via Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The legislation follows a year of intensifying political pressure over the expansion of data centers, which are being built to meet the enormous computing demands of AI. California has fewer giant data centers than Virginia and Texas, but the state still has \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/forum/2010101912379/californias-ai-data-centers-taking-growing-environmental-toll\">one of the largest counts overall\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The facilities have \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12028158/crackdown-on-power-guzzling-data-centers-may-soon-come-online-in-california\">generated growing concern\u003c/a> over their electricity and water use, as well as the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12064265/new-report-reveals-strain-of-data-centers-on-californias-grid\">lack of transparency\u003c/a> about their potential effect on utility bills. A Public Policy Institute of California poll released in July found that \u003ca href=\"https://www.ppic.org/publication/ppic-statewide-survey-californians-and-the-environment-july-2026/\">73%\u003c/a> of Californians opposed building data centers in their communities. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In March 2026, the Little Hoover Commission released \u003ca href=\"https://lhc.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/LHC-Report-292-Data-Centers-California-Electricity-Policy-FINAL-PUBLIC-3.3.26.pdf\">\u003cem>Data Centers and California Electricity Policy\u003c/em>\u003c/a>, a report that explicitly recommends making tech companies and data center developers cover their own grid-integration costs rather than shifting the burden to everyday ratepayers. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“California’s electricity rates are among the highest in the nation, and affordability remains a top concern for residents,” the report states.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Supporters — including The Utility Reform Network, the Union of Concerned Scientists, the Natural Resources Defense Council and utility-worker unions — argued that companies building the facilities should pay for the infrastructure their electricity demand requires. Bill sponsor TURN pointed to a California grid-planning estimate that increased demand from data centers in PG&E’s service territory, where most of the state’s projects are concentrated, could generate as much as $1.8 billion in transmission-upgrade costs. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260829-oakdatacentermeeting-TV00394_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12097519\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260829-oakdatacentermeeting-TV00394_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260829-oakdatacentermeeting-TV00394_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260829-oakdatacentermeeting-TV00394_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A flyer that says, “No Data Center,” is posted at the Church of All Faiths in Oakland, California, on Aug. 29, 2026. (Tâm Vũ/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The Data Center Coalition, which represents companies including Google and Microsoft, opposed the legislation, arguing that it unfairly singled out one type of electricity customer. PG&E also opposed the original approach, warning that it could increase costs for customers and delay infrastructure needed to meet the state’s broader energy demand. Business groups argued that California’s high energy costs, limited land and additional regulation could make the state less attractive for data-center development. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The bills were substantially worked over in the final weeks of the session. Earlier drafts were far more prescriptive, including provisions for mandatory on-site batteries and 100% carbon-free power for data centers by 2030. Both were stripped out in favor of giving the CPUC until July 1, 2027, to establish special tariffs and rules. Newsom and regulators in turn secured more control over how the new rate structure will work. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The final compromise drew criticism from some environmental and consumer advocates. They say data centers could find loopholes to avoid paying some grid costs and wriggle out of clean-energy requirements for facilities that generate their own electricity. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Newsom’s position has shifted noticeably during the course of the debate. Last year, he \u003ca href=\"https://www.gov.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/AB-93-Veto.pdf\">vetoed \u003c/a>legislation requiring data centers to disclose their water consumption, writing: “I am reluctant to impose rigid reporting requirements about operational details on this sector without understanding the full impact on businesses and the consumers of their technology.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1337\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/GavinJenniferNewsomGetty.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12087658\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/GavinJenniferNewsomGetty.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/GavinJenniferNewsomGetty-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/GavinJenniferNewsomGetty-1536x1027.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks as his wife, Jennifer Siebel Newsom (left), looks on during an election night gathering at California Democratic headquarters in Sacramento, California, on Nov. 4, 2025. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>This year, however, Newsom became directly involved in negotiations over both bills. On Monday in the state Capitol, he said his administration had been working with lawmakers on several data-center bills, and that the final versions “landed fairly well,” \u003ca href=\"https://www.politico.com/news/2026/09/01/california-lawmakers-big-swing-newsom-data-centers-01058848\">\u003cem>Politico \u003c/em>reported\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“You’re seeing states all across this country leaning in,” Newsom said. “We’ll be leaning in.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>He also said last month that companies, rather than other electricity customers, should bear the costs associated with their data-center investments. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“We believe that all of these investments, the costs, should be borne by the companies,” Newsom said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>That makes a Newsom signature more likely here than it appeared earlier in the year, although the governor has not formally committed to signing either bill.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Social media’s addictive features\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The California Senate \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.digitaldemocracy.org/bills/ca_202520260ab1709\">voted\u003c/a> to bar social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok from offering certain addictive features to users younger than 16. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The measure, authored by Assemblymember Josh Lowenthal (D-Long Beach), targets features on so-called “covered platforms” — which predominantly share user-generated content — designed to keep people engaged, including algorithmically driven feeds and other mechanisms that can encourage prolonged use. It also would establish an e-Safety Advisory Commission within the California Department of Justice to advise state officials on online safety and report annually to the governor and Legislature.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Common Sense Media, which sponsored the bill, is among its major supporters, along with Mothers Against Media Addiction and the American Academy of Pediatrics. The bill was amended as it moved through the Legislature, narrowing some of its provisions and changing how the state would oversee online safety. For supporters, the changes don’t go nearly far enough. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/AIGetty.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12092171\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/AIGetty.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/AIGetty-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/AIGetty-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A 14-year-old boy looks at an iPhone screen displaying various social media and messaging apps on March 29, 2026. (Anna Barclay/Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Jim Steyer, founder and CEO of Common Sense Media, \u003ca href=\"https://www.commonsensemedia.org/press-releases/common-sense-media-statement-on-passage-of-ab-1709\">wrote Monday\u003c/a> that \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12096647/why-metas-landmark-settlement-could-be-social-medias-big-tobacco-moment\">recent litigation\u003c/a> against major technology companies has exposed how deliberately social media platforms have been designed to keep children engaged.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Social media companies have engineered their products to hook children, and their own researchers proved it worked,” Steyer said in a statement. “Parents cannot out-parent an algorithm built in a lab to keep kids scrolling.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The Electronic Frontier Foundation, Civil Justice Association of California and trade group NetChoice, which represents major technology companies including Google, Meta and Snap, oppose the measure. Civil liberties advocates, in particular, have raised First Amendment and privacy concerns, particularly around how platforms would determine which users are under 16 and which features should be considered addictive.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“This well-intentioned, but deeply flawed piece of legislation, cuts young people off from essential information and experiences, particularly harming vulnerable youth and marginalized groups who often find safety in supportive online communities they can’t access offline,” the EFF \u003ca href=\"https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2026/08/eff-gov-newsom-veto-californias-ab-1709\">wrote\u003c/a> in a statement.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Newsom has already signed several California laws aimed at \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12005803/newsom-signs-law-to-protect-children-from-social-media-addiction\">protecting children online\u003c/a>, including legislation requiring warning labels on social media platforms. But AB 1709 could face the same free-speech and age-verification challenges that have complicated the state’s broader effort to regulate social media. A federal judge has already blocked portions of California’s existing law restricting addictive social media feeds while a legal challenge proceeds.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Newsom has not publicly indicated whether he will sign the bill, but he called on lawmakers to explore stricter youth online safety guardrails during his \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12069094/in-final-state-of-state-speech-gov-newsom-says-california-offers-model-for-the-nation\">final State of the State\u003c/a> address. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Workplace surveillance\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>California employers could face new limits on the use of AI to monitor workers. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.digitaldemocracy.org/bills/ca_202520260ab1883\">AB 1883\u003c/a>, authored by Assemblymember Isaac Bryan (D-Los Angeles), would prohibit employers from using AI-powered workplace-surveillance tools to collect \u003ca href=\"https://law.stanford.edu/2024/12/02/what-are-neural-data-an-invitation-to-flexible-regulatory-implementation/\">neural data\u003c/a> — sensitive personal information from a user’s nervous system — or recognize an employee’s emotional state, with some exceptions. It also covers certain other AI-based inferences about workers and allows civil penalties of up to $500 per violation.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The measure is part of a small but growing effort by states to regulate how employers use AI to monitor and manage their workers. California’s bill is unusually focused on technologies that attempt to infer what is happening inside an employee’s body or mind. There is a narrower approach in Illinois, which regulates AI-analyzed video interviews in hiring, and in Maryland, which restricts the use of facial-recognition technology.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/12/RS46155_GettyImages-1139953504-qut.jpg\" alt=\"""\" class=\"wp-image-11849216\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/12/RS46155_GettyImages-1139953504-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/12/RS46155_GettyImages-1139953504-qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/12/RS46155_GettyImages-1139953504-qut-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/12/RS46155_GettyImages-1139953504-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/12/RS46155_GettyImages-1139953504-qut-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A view of Slack headquarters on April 2, 2019, in San Francisco, California. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>AB 1883 was sponsored by major state labor unions and Privacy Rights Clearinghouse. Business groups representing various employers opposed the bill, ranging from the American Petroleum and Convenience Store Association to the Wine Institute.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The legislation’s ambitions were softened in committees. The latest version exempts certain workplace-surveillance uses required by federal law, regulation or binding federal contracts involving aircraft, national security, military, space or defense work. Senate amendments also modified the bill’s enforcement provisions.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Still, the core prohibition survived.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Workers should have a general expectation of privacy in certain areas,” said Lorena Gonzalez, who heads up the powerful California Federation of Labor Unions, to KQED’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12097046/california-labor-leader-on-ai-bills-and-billionaire-tax-measure-splitting-unions\">Political Breakdown\u003c/a> last week. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Employers, Gonzalez said, are able to take advantage of outdated laws that don’t account for changes in technology. Labor interests have been at the forefront of legislation addressing \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12076608/what-do-san-franciscos-ai-vs-humans-billboards-say-about-our-working-futures\">AI anxieties\u003c/a> this session. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“You don’t want the boss reading your mind,” Gonzalez added.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The measure comes a year after Newsom vetoed the “No Robo Bosses Act,” which would have required employers to notify workers when AI was used in disciplinary or termination decisions and let employees challenge certain AI-generated decisions. In his \u003ca href=\"https://www.gov.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/SB-7-Veto.pdf\">veto message\u003c/a> last year, Newsom wrote the bill “imposes unfocused notification requirements on any business using even the most innocuous tools.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>AB 1883 is narrower in scope. Rather than governing how AI makes decisions about workers, it bans a single, especially invasive use. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Newsom has not said whether he will sign it. With a widely expected presidential run ahead, his decision will signal whether he’s willing to side with workers over employers and draw a hard line against AI that tries to read a worker’s mind.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Gov. Gavin Newsom has until Sept. 30 to decide whether he’ll veto or sign the measures. Here’s where some of the most closely watched \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/technology\">tech\u003c/a> bills landed.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Gov. Gavin Newsom has until Sept. 30 to decide whether he’ll veto or sign the measures. Here’s where some of the most closely watched \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/technology\">tech\u003c/a> bills landed.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>California lawmakers on Monday approved a sweeping set of safety requirements for artificial intelligence chatbots used by children and teens. The bill, known as \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.digitaldemocracy.org/bills/ca_202520260sb1119\">Adam’s Law\u003c/a>, builds on last year’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12052617/newsoms-tightrope-walk-between-ai-regulation-and-silicon-valley-cash\">SB 243\u003c/a>, which required chatbot operators to disclose when users were interacting with AI companions and to maintain protocols for detecting self-harm content. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>California lawmakers on Monday approved a sweeping set of safety requirements for artificial intelligence chatbots used by children and teens. The bill, known as \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.digitaldemocracy.org/bills/ca_202520260sb1119\">Adam’s Law\u003c/a>, builds on last year’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12052617/newsoms-tightrope-walk-between-ai-regulation-and-silicon-valley-cash\">SB 243\u003c/a>, which required chatbot operators to disclose when users were interacting with AI companions and to maintain protocols for detecting self-harm content. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Co-authored by San Diego Democrat Sen. Steve Padilla and Assemblymembers Rebecca Bauer-Kahan (D-Orinda) and Buffy Wicks (D-Oakland), the bill adds requirements for user age checks, safety-risk assessments before new or substantially modified companion chatbots are released, independent audits and crisis-support resources. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Co-authored by San Diego Democrat Sen. Steve Padilla and Assemblymembers Rebecca Bauer-Kahan (D-Orinda) and Buffy Wicks (D-Oakland), the bill adds requirements for user age checks, safety-risk assessments before new or substantially modified companion chatbots are released, independent audits and crisis-support resources. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/GettyImages-2159671948-scaled-e1781542152687.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12058035\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Close-up of a phone screen in Lafayette, California, on June 27, 2024, displaying Claude, a generative artificial intelligence chatbot from Anthropic powered by large language model (or LLM).\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Smith Collection/Gado via Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/GettyImages-2159671948-scaled-e1781542152687.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12058035\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Close-up of a phone screen in Lafayette, California, on June 27, 2024, displaying Claude, a generative artificial intelligence chatbot from Anthropic powered by large language model (or LLM).\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Smith Collection/Gado via Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The bill also requires default protections for young users, including limits on notifications, usage and persistent conversational memory. It restricts targeted advertising to children and imposes additional privacy protections. Chatbot operators could face liability for failing to take reasonable measures to prevent certain harmful outputs, including content involving self-harm, sexually explicit material, romantic role-playing and emotionally manipulative behavior. Families would have a private right of redress for certain violations. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The bill also requires default protections for young users, including limits on notifications, usage and persistent conversational memory. It restricts targeted advertising to children and imposes additional privacy protections. Chatbot operators could face liability for failing to take reasonable measures to prevent certain harmful outputs, including content involving self-harm, sexually explicit material, romantic role-playing and emotionally manipulative behavior. Families would have a private right of redress for certain violations. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The legislation is named for \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12080610/california-mom-who-lost-her-son-to-an-ai-chatbot-is-now-fighting-to-regulate-them\">Adam Raine\u003c/a>, a California teenager who died by suicide in 2025. Raine’s parents have said that Adam spent months discussing his loneliness and plans to harm himself with ChatGPT before his death. In a joint statement released after the bill successfully passed through the Legislature, Maria Raine called it “a serious and much-needed step forward for AI companion chatbot safety.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The legislation is named for \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12080610/california-mom-who-lost-her-son-to-an-ai-chatbot-is-now-fighting-to-regulate-them\">Adam Raine\u003c/a>, a California teenager who died by suicide in 2025. Raine’s parents have said that Adam spent months discussing his loneliness and plans to harm himself with ChatGPT before his death. In a joint statement released after the bill successfully passed through the Legislature, Maria Raine called it “a serious and much-needed step forward for AI companion chatbot safety.” \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>This year, lawmakers also passed another bill by Padilla that enacts a four-year moratorium on the sale and manufacturing of AI-chatbot-powered toys over concerns that the technology can harm children.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>This year, lawmakers also passed another bill by Padilla that enacts a four-year moratorium on the sale and manufacturing of AI-chatbot-powered toys over concerns that the technology can harm children.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The technology industry has not been uniformly opposed. OpenAI supports SB 1119 and has urged Newsom to sign it, saying the legislation establishes meaningful safeguards while preserving young people’s ability to use AI for learning, creativity and other purposes. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The technology industry has not been uniformly opposed. OpenAI supports SB 1119 and has urged Newsom to sign it, saying the legislation establishes meaningful safeguards while preserving young people’s ability to use AI for learning, creativity and other purposes. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Teens are the first generation growing up with AI,” OpenAI said in a \u003ca href=\"https://openai.com/index/supporting-california-bill-advance-ai-youth-safety/\">statement\u003c/a>. “Nearly nine in ten teens who use ChatGPT turn to it for learning, information, skill-building, or productivity in a given week.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“Teens are the first generation growing up with AI,” OpenAI said in a \u003ca href=\"https://openai.com/index/supporting-california-bill-advance-ai-youth-safety/\">statement\u003c/a>. “Nearly nine in ten teens who use ChatGPT turn to it for learning, information, skill-building, or productivity in a given week.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“That opportunity comes with a clear responsibility: teens should have experiences designed around their distinct developmental needs, with strong default protections and appropriate opportunities to learn, create, and explore.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“That opportunity comes with a clear responsibility: teens should have experiences designed around their distinct developmental needs, with strong default protections and appropriate opportunities to learn, create, and explore.” \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Opponents of the legislation include the California Chamber of Commerce, the Software Information Industry Association and TechNet.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Opponents of the legislation include the California Chamber of Commerce, the Software Information Industry Association and TechNet.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Newsom vetoed a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12059714/newsom-vetoes-most-watched-childrens-ai-bill-signs-16-others-targeting-tech\">stronger child-safety bill\u003c/a> last year after raising concerns that its restrictions could effectively prevent teenagers from accessing conversational AI. Though his office has not indicated whether Newsom will sign, the version now on his desk was negotiated with those concerns in mind. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Newsom vetoed a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12059714/newsom-vetoes-most-watched-childrens-ai-bill-signs-16-others-targeting-tech\">stronger child-safety bill\u003c/a> last year after raising concerns that its restrictions could effectively prevent teenagers from accessing conversational AI. Though his office has not indicated whether Newsom will sign, the version now on his desk was negotiated with those concerns in mind. \u003c/p>\n"
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"attrs": {
"text": "Data centers and ratepayer protections ",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003cstrong>Data centers and ratepayer protections \u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n",
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"\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003cstrong>Data centers and ratepayer protections \u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>California lawmakers on Monday approved two linked bills that would require the state to establish special rules for how large data centers pay for electricity and the infrastructure needed to serve them.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>California lawmakers on Monday approved two linked bills that would require the state to establish special rules for how large data centers pay for electricity and the infrastructure needed to serve them.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.digitaldemocracy.org/bills/ca_202520260sb886\">SB 886\u003c/a>, also authored by Padilla, and \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.digitaldemocracy.org/bills/ca_202520260ab2383\">AB 2383\u003c/a>, by Assemblymember Rick Chavez Zbur (D-Los Angeles), would require the California Public Utilities Commission to create separate electricity rates and updated interconnection rules for data centers. The measures are designed to prevent electricity customers from bearing the costs of new power generation and grid upgrades needed to serve the facilities. AB 2383 is contingent on SB 886 becoming law. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.digitaldemocracy.org/bills/ca_202520260sb886\">SB 886\u003c/a>, also authored by Padilla, and \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.digitaldemocracy.org/bills/ca_202520260ab2383\">AB 2383\u003c/a>, by Assemblymember Rick Chavez Zbur (D-Los Angeles), would require the California Public Utilities Commission to create separate electricity rates and updated interconnection rules for data centers. The measures are designed to prevent electricity customers from bearing the costs of new power generation and grid upgrades needed to serve the facilities. AB 2383 is contingent on SB 886 becoming law. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Big Tech keeps promising to be good neighbors, and these bills will make those promises legally enforceable,” Padilla said in a press release celebrating the passage of SB 886 and a related bill, \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.digitaldemocracy.org/bills/ca_202520260sb887\">887\u003c/a>. “No more saying one thing in the White House and doing the opposite in our local communities.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“Big Tech keeps promising to be good neighbors, and these bills will make those promises legally enforceable,” Padilla said in a press release celebrating the passage of SB 886 and a related bill, \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.digitaldemocracy.org/bills/ca_202520260sb887\">887\u003c/a>. “No more saying one thing in the White House and doing the opposite in our local communities.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/GettyImages-2267080472.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12094084\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/GettyImages-2267080472.jpg 1980w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/GettyImages-2267080472-160x99.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/GettyImages-2267080472-1536x955.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">San Diego Democrat Sen. Steve Padilla.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Nelvin C. Cepeda/The San Diego Union-Tribune via Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/GettyImages-2267080472.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12094084\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">San Diego Democrat Sen. Steve Padilla.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Nelvin C. Cepeda/The San Diego Union-Tribune via Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The legislation follows a year of intensifying political pressure over the expansion of data centers, which are being built to meet the enormous computing demands of AI. California has fewer giant data centers than Virginia and Texas, but the state still has \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/forum/2010101912379/californias-ai-data-centers-taking-growing-environmental-toll\">one of the largest counts overall\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The legislation follows a year of intensifying political pressure over the expansion of data centers, which are being built to meet the enormous computing demands of AI. California has fewer giant data centers than Virginia and Texas, but the state still has \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/forum/2010101912379/californias-ai-data-centers-taking-growing-environmental-toll\">one of the largest counts overall\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The facilities have \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12028158/crackdown-on-power-guzzling-data-centers-may-soon-come-online-in-california\">generated growing concern\u003c/a> over their electricity and water use, as well as the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12064265/new-report-reveals-strain-of-data-centers-on-californias-grid\">lack of transparency\u003c/a> about their potential effect on utility bills. A Public Policy Institute of California poll released in July found that \u003ca href=\"https://www.ppic.org/publication/ppic-statewide-survey-californians-and-the-environment-july-2026/\">73%\u003c/a> of Californians opposed building data centers in their communities. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The facilities have \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12028158/crackdown-on-power-guzzling-data-centers-may-soon-come-online-in-california\">generated growing concern\u003c/a> over their electricity and water use, as well as the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12064265/new-report-reveals-strain-of-data-centers-on-californias-grid\">lack of transparency\u003c/a> about their potential effect on utility bills. A Public Policy Institute of California poll released in July found that \u003ca href=\"https://www.ppic.org/publication/ppic-statewide-survey-californians-and-the-environment-july-2026/\">73%\u003c/a> of Californians opposed building data centers in their communities. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In March 2026, the Little Hoover Commission released \u003ca href=\"https://lhc.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/LHC-Report-292-Data-Centers-California-Electricity-Policy-FINAL-PUBLIC-3.3.26.pdf\">\u003cem>Data Centers and California Electricity Policy\u003c/em>\u003c/a>, a report that explicitly recommends making tech companies and data center developers cover their own grid-integration costs rather than shifting the burden to everyday ratepayers. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>In March 2026, the Little Hoover Commission released \u003ca href=\"https://lhc.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/LHC-Report-292-Data-Centers-California-Electricity-Policy-FINAL-PUBLIC-3.3.26.pdf\">\u003cem>Data Centers and California Electricity Policy\u003c/em>\u003c/a>, a report that explicitly recommends making tech companies and data center developers cover their own grid-integration costs rather than shifting the burden to everyday ratepayers. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“California’s electricity rates are among the highest in the nation, and affordability remains a top concern for residents,” the report states.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“California’s electricity rates are among the highest in the nation, and affordability remains a top concern for residents,” the report states.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Supporters — including The Utility Reform Network, the Union of Concerned Scientists, the Natural Resources Defense Council and utility-worker unions — argued that companies building the facilities should pay for the infrastructure their electricity demand requires. Bill sponsor TURN pointed to a California grid-planning estimate that increased demand from data centers in PG&E’s service territory, where most of the state’s projects are concentrated, could generate as much as $1.8 billion in transmission-upgrade costs. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Supporters — including The Utility Reform Network, the Union of Concerned Scientists, the Natural Resources Defense Council and utility-worker unions — argued that companies building the facilities should pay for the infrastructure their electricity demand requires. Bill sponsor TURN pointed to a California grid-planning estimate that increased demand from data centers in PG&E’s service territory, where most of the state’s projects are concentrated, could generate as much as $1.8 billion in transmission-upgrade costs. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260829-oakdatacentermeeting-TV00394_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12097519\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260829-oakdatacentermeeting-TV00394_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260829-oakdatacentermeeting-TV00394_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260829-oakdatacentermeeting-TV00394_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A flyer that says, “No Data Center,” is posted at the Church of All Faiths in Oakland, California, on Aug. 29, 2026.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Tâm Vũ/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260829-oakdatacentermeeting-TV00394_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12097519\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A flyer that says, “No Data Center,” is posted at the Church of All Faiths in Oakland, California, on Aug. 29, 2026.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Tâm Vũ/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The Data Center Coalition, which represents companies including Google and Microsoft, opposed the legislation, arguing that it unfairly singled out one type of electricity customer. PG&E also opposed the original approach, warning that it could increase costs for customers and delay infrastructure needed to meet the state’s broader energy demand. Business groups argued that California’s high energy costs, limited land and additional regulation could make the state less attractive for data-center development. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The Data Center Coalition, which represents companies including Google and Microsoft, opposed the legislation, arguing that it unfairly singled out one type of electricity customer. PG&E also opposed the original approach, warning that it could increase costs for customers and delay infrastructure needed to meet the state’s broader energy demand. Business groups argued that California’s high energy costs, limited land and additional regulation could make the state less attractive for data-center development. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The bills were substantially worked over in the final weeks of the session. Earlier drafts were far more prescriptive, including provisions for mandatory on-site batteries and 100% carbon-free power for data centers by 2030. Both were stripped out in favor of giving the CPUC until July 1, 2027, to establish special tariffs and rules. Newsom and regulators in turn secured more control over how the new rate structure will work. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The bills were substantially worked over in the final weeks of the session. Earlier drafts were far more prescriptive, including provisions for mandatory on-site batteries and 100% carbon-free power for data centers by 2030. Both were stripped out in favor of giving the CPUC until July 1, 2027, to establish special tariffs and rules. Newsom and regulators in turn secured more control over how the new rate structure will work. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The final compromise drew criticism from some environmental and consumer advocates. They say data centers could find loopholes to avoid paying some grid costs and wriggle out of clean-energy requirements for facilities that generate their own electricity. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The final compromise drew criticism from some environmental and consumer advocates. They say data centers could find loopholes to avoid paying some grid costs and wriggle out of clean-energy requirements for facilities that generate their own electricity. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Newsom’s position has shifted noticeably during the course of the debate. Last year, he \u003ca href=\"https://www.gov.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/AB-93-Veto.pdf\">vetoed \u003c/a>legislation requiring data centers to disclose their water consumption, writing: “I am reluctant to impose rigid reporting requirements about operational details on this sector without understanding the full impact on businesses and the consumers of their technology.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Newsom’s position has shifted noticeably during the course of the debate. Last year, he \u003ca href=\"https://www.gov.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/AB-93-Veto.pdf\">vetoed \u003c/a>legislation requiring data centers to disclose their water consumption, writing: “I am reluctant to impose rigid reporting requirements about operational details on this sector without understanding the full impact on businesses and the consumers of their technology.” \u003c/p>\n"
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"srcset": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/GavinJenniferNewsomGetty.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/GavinJenniferNewsomGetty-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/GavinJenniferNewsomGetty-1536x1027.jpg 1536w",
"sizes": "(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/GavinJenniferNewsomGetty.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12087658\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/GavinJenniferNewsomGetty.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/GavinJenniferNewsomGetty-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/GavinJenniferNewsomGetty-1536x1027.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks as his wife, Jennifer Siebel Newsom (left), looks on during an election night gathering at California Democratic headquarters in Sacramento, California, on Nov. 4, 2025.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/GavinJenniferNewsomGetty.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12087658\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks as his wife, Jennifer Siebel Newsom (left), looks on during an election night gathering at California Democratic headquarters in Sacramento, California, on Nov. 4, 2025.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>This year, however, Newsom became directly involved in negotiations over both bills. On Monday in the state Capitol, he said his administration had been working with lawmakers on several data-center bills, and that the final versions “landed fairly well,” \u003ca href=\"https://www.politico.com/news/2026/09/01/california-lawmakers-big-swing-newsom-data-centers-01058848\">\u003cem>Politico \u003c/em>reported\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>This year, however, Newsom became directly involved in negotiations over both bills. On Monday in the state Capitol, he said his administration had been working with lawmakers on several data-center bills, and that the final versions “landed fairly well,” \u003ca href=\"https://www.politico.com/news/2026/09/01/california-lawmakers-big-swing-newsom-data-centers-01058848\">\u003cem>Politico \u003c/em>reported\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“You’re seeing states all across this country leaning in,” Newsom said. “We’ll be leaning in.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“You’re seeing states all across this country leaning in,” Newsom said. “We’ll be leaning in.” \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>He also said last month that companies, rather than other electricity customers, should bear the costs associated with their data-center investments. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>He also said last month that companies, rather than other electricity customers, should bear the costs associated with their data-center investments. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“We believe that all of these investments, the costs, should be borne by the companies,” Newsom said. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“We believe that all of these investments, the costs, should be borne by the companies,” Newsom said. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>That makes a Newsom signature more likely here than it appeared earlier in the year, although the governor has not formally committed to signing either bill.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>That makes a Newsom signature more likely here than it appeared earlier in the year, although the governor has not formally committed to signing either bill.\u003c/p>\n"
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{
"blockName": "core/heading",
"attrs": {
"text": "Social media’s addictive features",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Social media’s addictive features\u003c/h2>\n",
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"\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Social media’s addictive features\u003c/h2>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The California Senate \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.digitaldemocracy.org/bills/ca_202520260ab1709\">voted\u003c/a> to bar social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok from offering certain addictive features to users younger than 16. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The California Senate \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.digitaldemocracy.org/bills/ca_202520260ab1709\">voted\u003c/a> to bar social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok from offering certain addictive features to users younger than 16. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The measure, authored by Assemblymember Josh Lowenthal (D-Long Beach), targets features on so-called “covered platforms” — which predominantly share user-generated content — designed to keep people engaged, including algorithmically driven feeds and other mechanisms that can encourage prolonged use. It also would establish an e-Safety Advisory Commission within the California Department of Justice to advise state officials on online safety and report annually to the governor and Legislature.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The measure, authored by Assemblymember Josh Lowenthal (D-Long Beach), targets features on so-called “covered platforms” — which predominantly share user-generated content — designed to keep people engaged, including algorithmically driven feeds and other mechanisms that can encourage prolonged use. It also would establish an e-Safety Advisory Commission within the California Department of Justice to advise state officials on online safety and report annually to the governor and Legislature.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Common Sense Media, which sponsored the bill, is among its major supporters, along with Mothers Against Media Addiction and the American Academy of Pediatrics. The bill was amended as it moved through the Legislature, narrowing some of its provisions and changing how the state would oversee online safety. For supporters, the changes don’t go nearly far enough. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Common Sense Media, which sponsored the bill, is among its major supporters, along with Mothers Against Media Addiction and the American Academy of Pediatrics. The bill was amended as it moved through the Legislature, narrowing some of its provisions and changing how the state would oversee online safety. For supporters, the changes don’t go nearly far enough. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/AIGetty.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12092171\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/AIGetty.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/AIGetty-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/AIGetty-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A 14-year-old boy looks at an iPhone screen displaying various social media and messaging apps on March 29, 2026.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Anna Barclay/Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/AIGetty.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12092171\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A 14-year-old boy looks at an iPhone screen displaying various social media and messaging apps on March 29, 2026.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Anna Barclay/Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Jim Steyer, founder and CEO of Common Sense Media, \u003ca href=\"https://www.commonsensemedia.org/press-releases/common-sense-media-statement-on-passage-of-ab-1709\">wrote Monday\u003c/a> that \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12096647/why-metas-landmark-settlement-could-be-social-medias-big-tobacco-moment\">recent litigation\u003c/a> against major technology companies has exposed how deliberately social media platforms have been designed to keep children engaged.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Jim Steyer, founder and CEO of Common Sense Media, \u003ca href=\"https://www.commonsensemedia.org/press-releases/common-sense-media-statement-on-passage-of-ab-1709\">wrote Monday\u003c/a> that \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12096647/why-metas-landmark-settlement-could-be-social-medias-big-tobacco-moment\">recent litigation\u003c/a> against major technology companies has exposed how deliberately social media platforms have been designed to keep children engaged.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Social media companies have engineered their products to hook children, and their own researchers proved it worked,” Steyer said in a statement. “Parents cannot out-parent an algorithm built in a lab to keep kids scrolling.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“Social media companies have engineered their products to hook children, and their own researchers proved it worked,” Steyer said in a statement. “Parents cannot out-parent an algorithm built in a lab to keep kids scrolling.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The Electronic Frontier Foundation, Civil Justice Association of California and trade group NetChoice, which represents major technology companies including Google, Meta and Snap, oppose the measure. Civil liberties advocates, in particular, have raised First Amendment and privacy concerns, particularly around how platforms would determine which users are under 16 and which features should be considered addictive.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The Electronic Frontier Foundation, Civil Justice Association of California and trade group NetChoice, which represents major technology companies including Google, Meta and Snap, oppose the measure. Civil liberties advocates, in particular, have raised First Amendment and privacy concerns, particularly around how platforms would determine which users are under 16 and which features should be considered addictive.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“This well-intentioned, but deeply flawed piece of legislation, cuts young people off from essential information and experiences, particularly harming vulnerable youth and marginalized groups who often find safety in supportive online communities they can’t access offline,” the EFF \u003ca href=\"https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2026/08/eff-gov-newsom-veto-californias-ab-1709\">wrote\u003c/a> in a statement.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“This well-intentioned, but deeply flawed piece of legislation, cuts young people off from essential information and experiences, particularly harming vulnerable youth and marginalized groups who often find safety in supportive online communities they can’t access offline,” the EFF \u003ca href=\"https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2026/08/eff-gov-newsom-veto-californias-ab-1709\">wrote\u003c/a> in a statement.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Newsom has already signed several California laws aimed at \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12005803/newsom-signs-law-to-protect-children-from-social-media-addiction\">protecting children online\u003c/a>, including legislation requiring warning labels on social media platforms. But AB 1709 could face the same free-speech and age-verification challenges that have complicated the state’s broader effort to regulate social media. A federal judge has already blocked portions of California’s existing law restricting addictive social media feeds while a legal challenge proceeds.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Newsom has already signed several California laws aimed at \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12005803/newsom-signs-law-to-protect-children-from-social-media-addiction\">protecting children online\u003c/a>, including legislation requiring warning labels on social media platforms. But AB 1709 could face the same free-speech and age-verification challenges that have complicated the state’s broader effort to regulate social media. A federal judge has already blocked portions of California’s existing law restricting addictive social media feeds while a legal challenge proceeds.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Newsom has not publicly indicated whether he will sign the bill, but he called on lawmakers to explore stricter youth online safety guardrails during his \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12069094/in-final-state-of-state-speech-gov-newsom-says-california-offers-model-for-the-nation\">final State of the State\u003c/a> address. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Newsom has not publicly indicated whether he will sign the bill, but he called on lawmakers to explore stricter youth online safety guardrails during his \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12069094/in-final-state-of-state-speech-gov-newsom-says-california-offers-model-for-the-nation\">final State of the State\u003c/a> address. \u003c/p>\n"
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"attrs": {
"text": "Workplace surveillance",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Workplace surveillance\u003c/h2>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>California employers could face new limits on the use of AI to monitor workers. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.digitaldemocracy.org/bills/ca_202520260ab1883\">AB 1883\u003c/a>, authored by Assemblymember Isaac Bryan (D-Los Angeles), would prohibit employers from using AI-powered workplace-surveillance tools to collect \u003ca href=\"https://law.stanford.edu/2024/12/02/what-are-neural-data-an-invitation-to-flexible-regulatory-implementation/\">neural data\u003c/a> — sensitive personal information from a user’s nervous system — or recognize an employee’s emotional state, with some exceptions. It also covers certain other AI-based inferences about workers and allows civil penalties of up to $500 per violation.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.digitaldemocracy.org/bills/ca_202520260ab1883\">AB 1883\u003c/a>, authored by Assemblymember Isaac Bryan (D-Los Angeles), would prohibit employers from using AI-powered workplace-surveillance tools to collect \u003ca href=\"https://law.stanford.edu/2024/12/02/what-are-neural-data-an-invitation-to-flexible-regulatory-implementation/\">neural data\u003c/a> — sensitive personal information from a user’s nervous system — or recognize an employee’s emotional state, with some exceptions. It also covers certain other AI-based inferences about workers and allows civil penalties of up to $500 per violation.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The measure is part of a small but growing effort by states to regulate how employers use AI to monitor and manage their workers. California’s bill is unusually focused on technologies that attempt to infer what is happening inside an employee’s body or mind. There is a narrower approach in Illinois, which regulates AI-analyzed video interviews in hiring, and in Maryland, which restricts the use of facial-recognition technology.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The measure is part of a small but growing effort by states to regulate how employers use AI to monitor and manage their workers. California’s bill is unusually focused on technologies that attempt to infer what is happening inside an employee’s body or mind. There is a narrower approach in Illinois, which regulates AI-analyzed video interviews in hiring, and in Maryland, which restricts the use of facial-recognition technology.\u003c/p>\n"
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/12/RS46155_GettyImages-1139953504-qut.jpg\" alt=\"""\" class=\"wp-image-11849216\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A view of Slack headquarters on April 2, 2019, in San Francisco, California. \u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>AB 1883 was sponsored by major state labor unions and Privacy Rights Clearinghouse. Business groups representing various employers opposed the bill, ranging from the American Petroleum and Convenience Store Association to the Wine Institute.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>AB 1883 was sponsored by major state labor unions and Privacy Rights Clearinghouse. Business groups representing various employers opposed the bill, ranging from the American Petroleum and Convenience Store Association to the Wine Institute.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The legislation’s ambitions were softened in committees. The latest version exempts certain workplace-surveillance uses required by federal law, regulation or binding federal contracts involving aircraft, national security, military, space or defense work. Senate amendments also modified the bill’s enforcement provisions.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The legislation’s ambitions were softened in committees. The latest version exempts certain workplace-surveillance uses required by federal law, regulation or binding federal contracts involving aircraft, national security, military, space or defense work. Senate amendments also modified the bill’s enforcement provisions.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Still, the core prohibition survived.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Workers should have a general expectation of privacy in certain areas,” said Lorena Gonzalez, who heads up the powerful California Federation of Labor Unions, to KQED’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12097046/california-labor-leader-on-ai-bills-and-billionaire-tax-measure-splitting-unions\">Political Breakdown\u003c/a> last week. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“Workers should have a general expectation of privacy in certain areas,” said Lorena Gonzalez, who heads up the powerful California Federation of Labor Unions, to KQED’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12097046/california-labor-leader-on-ai-bills-and-billionaire-tax-measure-splitting-unions\">Political Breakdown\u003c/a> last week. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Employers, Gonzalez said, are able to take advantage of outdated laws that don’t account for changes in technology. Labor interests have been at the forefront of legislation addressing \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12076608/what-do-san-franciscos-ai-vs-humans-billboards-say-about-our-working-futures\">AI anxieties\u003c/a> this session. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“You don’t want the boss reading your mind,” Gonzalez added.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The measure comes a year after Newsom vetoed the “No Robo Bosses Act,” which would have required employers to notify workers when AI was used in disciplinary or termination decisions and let employees challenge certain AI-generated decisions. In his \u003ca href=\"https://www.gov.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/SB-7-Veto.pdf\">veto message\u003c/a> last year, Newsom wrote the bill “imposes unfocused notification requirements on any business using even the most innocuous tools.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The measure comes a year after Newsom vetoed the “No Robo Bosses Act,” which would have required employers to notify workers when AI was used in disciplinary or termination decisions and let employees challenge certain AI-generated decisions. In his \u003ca href=\"https://www.gov.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/SB-7-Veto.pdf\">veto message\u003c/a> last year, Newsom wrote the bill “imposes unfocused notification requirements on any business using even the most innocuous tools.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>AB 1883 is narrower in scope. Rather than governing how AI makes decisions about workers, it bans a single, especially invasive use. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>AB 1883 is narrower in scope. Rather than governing how AI makes decisions about workers, it bans a single, especially invasive use. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Newsom has not said whether he will sign it. With a widely expected presidential run ahead, his decision will signal whether he’s willing to side with workers over employers and draw a hard line against AI that tries to read a worker’s mind.\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "California lawmakers took on data centers, addictive social media features and AI-powered workplace monitoring with this legislative session’s bills. Which will Newsom sign into law?",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\n\u003cp>California’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/politics\">legislative session\u003c/a> ended at midnight on Monday, and numerous bills ranging from housing to health care to technology cleared both the Senate and the Assembly.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Gov. Gavin Newsom has until Sept. 30 to decide whether he’ll veto or sign the measures. Here’s where some of the most closely watched \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/technology\">tech\u003c/a> bills landed.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Companion chatbots and children’s safety\u003cstrong> \u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>California lawmakers on Monday approved a sweeping set of safety requirements for artificial intelligence chatbots used by children and teens. The bill, known as \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.digitaldemocracy.org/bills/ca_202520260sb1119\">Adam’s Law\u003c/a>, builds on last year’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12052617/newsoms-tightrope-walk-between-ai-regulation-and-silicon-valley-cash\">SB 243\u003c/a>, which required chatbot operators to disclose when users were interacting with AI companions and to maintain protocols for detecting self-harm content. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Co-authored by San Diego Democrat Sen. Steve Padilla and Assemblymembers Rebecca Bauer-Kahan (D-Orinda) and Buffy Wicks (D-Oakland), the bill adds requirements for user age checks, safety-risk assessments before new or substantially modified companion chatbots are released, independent audits and crisis-support resources. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/GettyImages-2159671948-scaled-e1781542152687.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12058035\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Close-up of a phone screen in Lafayette, California, on June 27, 2024, displaying Claude, a generative artificial intelligence chatbot from Anthropic powered by large language model (or LLM). (Smith Collection/Gado via Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The bill also requires default protections for young users, including limits on notifications, usage and persistent conversational memory. It restricts targeted advertising to children and imposes additional privacy protections. Chatbot operators could face liability for failing to take reasonable measures to prevent certain harmful outputs, including content involving self-harm, sexually explicit material, romantic role-playing and emotionally manipulative behavior. Families would have a private right of redress for certain violations. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The legislation is named for \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12080610/california-mom-who-lost-her-son-to-an-ai-chatbot-is-now-fighting-to-regulate-them\">Adam Raine\u003c/a>, a California teenager who died by suicide in 2025. Raine’s parents have said that Adam spent months discussing his loneliness and plans to harm himself with ChatGPT before his death. In a joint statement released after the bill successfully passed through the Legislature, Maria Raine called it “a serious and much-needed step forward for AI companion chatbot safety.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>This year, lawmakers also passed another bill by Padilla that enacts a four-year moratorium on the sale and manufacturing of AI-chatbot-powered toys over concerns that the technology can harm children.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The technology industry has not been uniformly opposed. OpenAI supports SB 1119 and has urged Newsom to sign it, saying the legislation establishes meaningful safeguards while preserving young people’s ability to use AI for learning, creativity and other purposes. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Teens are the first generation growing up with AI,” OpenAI said in a \u003ca href=\"https://openai.com/index/supporting-california-bill-advance-ai-youth-safety/\">statement\u003c/a>. “Nearly nine in ten teens who use ChatGPT turn to it for learning, information, skill-building, or productivity in a given week.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“That opportunity comes with a clear responsibility: teens should have experiences designed around their distinct developmental needs, with strong default protections and appropriate opportunities to learn, create, and explore.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Opponents of the legislation include the California Chamber of Commerce, the Software Information Industry Association and TechNet.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Newsom vetoed a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12059714/newsom-vetoes-most-watched-childrens-ai-bill-signs-16-others-targeting-tech\">stronger child-safety bill\u003c/a> last year after raising concerns that its restrictions could effectively prevent teenagers from accessing conversational AI. Though his office has not indicated whether Newsom will sign, the version now on his desk was negotiated with those concerns in mind. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003cstrong>Data centers and ratepayer protections \u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>California lawmakers on Monday approved two linked bills that would require the state to establish special rules for how large data centers pay for electricity and the infrastructure needed to serve them.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.digitaldemocracy.org/bills/ca_202520260sb886\">SB 886\u003c/a>, also authored by Padilla, and \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.digitaldemocracy.org/bills/ca_202520260ab2383\">AB 2383\u003c/a>, by Assemblymember Rick Chavez Zbur (D-Los Angeles), would require the California Public Utilities Commission to create separate electricity rates and updated interconnection rules for data centers. The measures are designed to prevent electricity customers from bearing the costs of new power generation and grid upgrades needed to serve the facilities. AB 2383 is contingent on SB 886 becoming law. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Big Tech keeps promising to be good neighbors, and these bills will make those promises legally enforceable,” Padilla said in a press release celebrating the passage of SB 886 and a related bill, \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.digitaldemocracy.org/bills/ca_202520260sb887\">887\u003c/a>. “No more saying one thing in the White House and doing the opposite in our local communities.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1980\" height=\"1231\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/GettyImages-2267080472.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12094084\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/GettyImages-2267080472.jpg 1980w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/GettyImages-2267080472-160x99.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/GettyImages-2267080472-1536x955.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1980px) 100vw, 1980px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">San Diego Democrat Sen. Steve Padilla. (Nelvin C. Cepeda/The San Diego Union-Tribune via Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The legislation follows a year of intensifying political pressure over the expansion of data centers, which are being built to meet the enormous computing demands of AI. California has fewer giant data centers than Virginia and Texas, but the state still has \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/forum/2010101912379/californias-ai-data-centers-taking-growing-environmental-toll\">one of the largest counts overall\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The facilities have \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12028158/crackdown-on-power-guzzling-data-centers-may-soon-come-online-in-california\">generated growing concern\u003c/a> over their electricity and water use, as well as the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12064265/new-report-reveals-strain-of-data-centers-on-californias-grid\">lack of transparency\u003c/a> about their potential effect on utility bills. A Public Policy Institute of California poll released in July found that \u003ca href=\"https://www.ppic.org/publication/ppic-statewide-survey-californians-and-the-environment-july-2026/\">73%\u003c/a> of Californians opposed building data centers in their communities. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In March 2026, the Little Hoover Commission released \u003ca href=\"https://lhc.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/LHC-Report-292-Data-Centers-California-Electricity-Policy-FINAL-PUBLIC-3.3.26.pdf\">\u003cem>Data Centers and California Electricity Policy\u003c/em>\u003c/a>, a report that explicitly recommends making tech companies and data center developers cover their own grid-integration costs rather than shifting the burden to everyday ratepayers. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“California’s electricity rates are among the highest in the nation, and affordability remains a top concern for residents,” the report states.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Supporters — including The Utility Reform Network, the Union of Concerned Scientists, the Natural Resources Defense Council and utility-worker unions — argued that companies building the facilities should pay for the infrastructure their electricity demand requires. Bill sponsor TURN pointed to a California grid-planning estimate that increased demand from data centers in PG&E’s service territory, where most of the state’s projects are concentrated, could generate as much as $1.8 billion in transmission-upgrade costs. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260829-oakdatacentermeeting-TV00394_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12097519\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260829-oakdatacentermeeting-TV00394_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260829-oakdatacentermeeting-TV00394_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260829-oakdatacentermeeting-TV00394_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A flyer that says, “No Data Center,” is posted at the Church of All Faiths in Oakland, California, on Aug. 29, 2026. (Tâm Vũ/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The Data Center Coalition, which represents companies including Google and Microsoft, opposed the legislation, arguing that it unfairly singled out one type of electricity customer. PG&E also opposed the original approach, warning that it could increase costs for customers and delay infrastructure needed to meet the state’s broader energy demand. Business groups argued that California’s high energy costs, limited land and additional regulation could make the state less attractive for data-center development. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The bills were substantially worked over in the final weeks of the session. Earlier drafts were far more prescriptive, including provisions for mandatory on-site batteries and 100% carbon-free power for data centers by 2030. Both were stripped out in favor of giving the CPUC until July 1, 2027, to establish special tariffs and rules. Newsom and regulators in turn secured more control over how the new rate structure will work. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The final compromise drew criticism from some environmental and consumer advocates. They say data centers could find loopholes to avoid paying some grid costs and wriggle out of clean-energy requirements for facilities that generate their own electricity. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Newsom’s position has shifted noticeably during the course of the debate. Last year, he \u003ca href=\"https://www.gov.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/AB-93-Veto.pdf\">vetoed \u003c/a>legislation requiring data centers to disclose their water consumption, writing: “I am reluctant to impose rigid reporting requirements about operational details on this sector without understanding the full impact on businesses and the consumers of their technology.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1337\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/GavinJenniferNewsomGetty.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12087658\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/GavinJenniferNewsomGetty.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/GavinJenniferNewsomGetty-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/GavinJenniferNewsomGetty-1536x1027.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks as his wife, Jennifer Siebel Newsom (left), looks on during an election night gathering at California Democratic headquarters in Sacramento, California, on Nov. 4, 2025. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>This year, however, Newsom became directly involved in negotiations over both bills. On Monday in the state Capitol, he said his administration had been working with lawmakers on several data-center bills, and that the final versions “landed fairly well,” \u003ca href=\"https://www.politico.com/news/2026/09/01/california-lawmakers-big-swing-newsom-data-centers-01058848\">\u003cem>Politico \u003c/em>reported\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“You’re seeing states all across this country leaning in,” Newsom said. “We’ll be leaning in.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>He also said last month that companies, rather than other electricity customers, should bear the costs associated with their data-center investments. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“We believe that all of these investments, the costs, should be borne by the companies,” Newsom said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>That makes a Newsom signature more likely here than it appeared earlier in the year, although the governor has not formally committed to signing either bill.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Social media’s addictive features\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The California Senate \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.digitaldemocracy.org/bills/ca_202520260ab1709\">voted\u003c/a> to bar social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok from offering certain addictive features to users younger than 16. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The measure, authored by Assemblymember Josh Lowenthal (D-Long Beach), targets features on so-called “covered platforms” — which predominantly share user-generated content — designed to keep people engaged, including algorithmically driven feeds and other mechanisms that can encourage prolonged use. It also would establish an e-Safety Advisory Commission within the California Department of Justice to advise state officials on online safety and report annually to the governor and Legislature.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Common Sense Media, which sponsored the bill, is among its major supporters, along with Mothers Against Media Addiction and the American Academy of Pediatrics. The bill was amended as it moved through the Legislature, narrowing some of its provisions and changing how the state would oversee online safety. For supporters, the changes don’t go nearly far enough. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/AIGetty.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12092171\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/AIGetty.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/AIGetty-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/AIGetty-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A 14-year-old boy looks at an iPhone screen displaying various social media and messaging apps on March 29, 2026. (Anna Barclay/Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Jim Steyer, founder and CEO of Common Sense Media, \u003ca href=\"https://www.commonsensemedia.org/press-releases/common-sense-media-statement-on-passage-of-ab-1709\">wrote Monday\u003c/a> that \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12096647/why-metas-landmark-settlement-could-be-social-medias-big-tobacco-moment\">recent litigation\u003c/a> against major technology companies has exposed how deliberately social media platforms have been designed to keep children engaged.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Social media companies have engineered their products to hook children, and their own researchers proved it worked,” Steyer said in a statement. “Parents cannot out-parent an algorithm built in a lab to keep kids scrolling.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The Electronic Frontier Foundation, Civil Justice Association of California and trade group NetChoice, which represents major technology companies including Google, Meta and Snap, oppose the measure. Civil liberties advocates, in particular, have raised First Amendment and privacy concerns, particularly around how platforms would determine which users are under 16 and which features should be considered addictive.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“This well-intentioned, but deeply flawed piece of legislation, cuts young people off from essential information and experiences, particularly harming vulnerable youth and marginalized groups who often find safety in supportive online communities they can’t access offline,” the EFF \u003ca href=\"https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2026/08/eff-gov-newsom-veto-californias-ab-1709\">wrote\u003c/a> in a statement.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Newsom has already signed several California laws aimed at \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12005803/newsom-signs-law-to-protect-children-from-social-media-addiction\">protecting children online\u003c/a>, including legislation requiring warning labels on social media platforms. But AB 1709 could face the same free-speech and age-verification challenges that have complicated the state’s broader effort to regulate social media. A federal judge has already blocked portions of California’s existing law restricting addictive social media feeds while a legal challenge proceeds.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Newsom has not publicly indicated whether he will sign the bill, but he called on lawmakers to explore stricter youth online safety guardrails during his \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12069094/in-final-state-of-state-speech-gov-newsom-says-california-offers-model-for-the-nation\">final State of the State\u003c/a> address. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Workplace surveillance\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>California employers could face new limits on the use of AI to monitor workers. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.digitaldemocracy.org/bills/ca_202520260ab1883\">AB 1883\u003c/a>, authored by Assemblymember Isaac Bryan (D-Los Angeles), would prohibit employers from using AI-powered workplace-surveillance tools to collect \u003ca href=\"https://law.stanford.edu/2024/12/02/what-are-neural-data-an-invitation-to-flexible-regulatory-implementation/\">neural data\u003c/a> — sensitive personal information from a user’s nervous system — or recognize an employee’s emotional state, with some exceptions. It also covers certain other AI-based inferences about workers and allows civil penalties of up to $500 per violation.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The measure is part of a small but growing effort by states to regulate how employers use AI to monitor and manage their workers. California’s bill is unusually focused on technologies that attempt to infer what is happening inside an employee’s body or mind. There is a narrower approach in Illinois, which regulates AI-analyzed video interviews in hiring, and in Maryland, which restricts the use of facial-recognition technology.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/12/RS46155_GettyImages-1139953504-qut.jpg\" alt=\"""\" class=\"wp-image-11849216\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/12/RS46155_GettyImages-1139953504-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/12/RS46155_GettyImages-1139953504-qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/12/RS46155_GettyImages-1139953504-qut-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/12/RS46155_GettyImages-1139953504-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/12/RS46155_GettyImages-1139953504-qut-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A view of Slack headquarters on April 2, 2019, in San Francisco, California. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>AB 1883 was sponsored by major state labor unions and Privacy Rights Clearinghouse. Business groups representing various employers opposed the bill, ranging from the American Petroleum and Convenience Store Association to the Wine Institute.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The legislation’s ambitions were softened in committees. The latest version exempts certain workplace-surveillance uses required by federal law, regulation or binding federal contracts involving aircraft, national security, military, space or defense work. Senate amendments also modified the bill’s enforcement provisions.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Still, the core prohibition survived.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Workers should have a general expectation of privacy in certain areas,” said Lorena Gonzalez, who heads up the powerful California Federation of Labor Unions, to KQED’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12097046/california-labor-leader-on-ai-bills-and-billionaire-tax-measure-splitting-unions\">Political Breakdown\u003c/a> last week. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Employers, Gonzalez said, are able to take advantage of outdated laws that don’t account for changes in technology. Labor interests have been at the forefront of legislation addressing \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12076608/what-do-san-franciscos-ai-vs-humans-billboards-say-about-our-working-futures\">AI anxieties\u003c/a> this session. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“You don’t want the boss reading your mind,” Gonzalez added.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The measure comes a year after Newsom vetoed the “No Robo Bosses Act,” which would have required employers to notify workers when AI was used in disciplinary or termination decisions and let employees challenge certain AI-generated decisions. In his \u003ca href=\"https://www.gov.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/SB-7-Veto.pdf\">veto message\u003c/a> last year, Newsom wrote the bill “imposes unfocused notification requirements on any business using even the most innocuous tools.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>AB 1883 is narrower in scope. Rather than governing how AI makes decisions about workers, it bans a single, especially invasive use. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Newsom has not said whether he will sign it. With a widely expected presidential run ahead, his decision will signal whether he’s willing to side with workers over employers and draw a hard line against AI that tries to read a worker’s mind.\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "Developer, Councilmember Say Proposed Oakland Data Center Isn’t What You Might Think",
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"content": "\u003cp>A proposed data center in downtown \u003ca href=\"http://kqed.org/news/tag/oakland\">Oakland\u003c/a> is the latest artificial intelligence project to face backlash, but proponents say this one’s different. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Developer Behring Companies is planning to use a portion of an almost 83,000 square-foot 4-story building at 415 20th St. as a data center to complement a larger AI campus. About 20,000 square-foot would be used for the data center, according to Behring’s plans. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The building \u003ca href=\"https://www.nersc.gov/news-and-events/news/berkeley-lab-dedicates-first-oakland-city-facility\">used to be a supercomputing complex\u003c/a> for the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. Behring Companies’ CEO Colin Behring says those operations are not different from what the project proposes. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/OAK-Data-Center-Behring.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12095480\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/OAK-Data-Center-Behring.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/OAK-Data-Center-Behring-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/OAK-Data-Center-Behring-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Colin Behring, CEO and founder of Behring Companies, addresses the media in front of 415 20th St. in Oakland on Friday, Aug. 14, 2026, as Councilmember Carroll Fife, to the right, listens in. (Juan Carlos Lara/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Nothing has changed, and our proposal at this point is to use the same building doing what it used to do the same way,” said Behring, who spoke at a Friday press conference alongside Oakland City Councilmember Carroll Fife. “While it might be big headlines to talk about data centers, this project is very much different.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Behring said there are various definitions of what a “data center” is and the space is not like a typical data center that is made up of racks and computing for different outside parties in a dark place. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“For us, the data center is effectively really strong computers in your office,” Behring said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The project includes three neighboring buildings and would house a 39-story apartment complex directly above the 19th Street BART station, 20 stories of office space and a parking area. The site already supports up to 20 megawatts of computing capacity because of its past use, according to Behring. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>For comparison, that’s about 15 times smaller than the \u003ca href=\"https://www.imperial.ca.gov/276/Data-Center-Info\">largest proposed data center\u003c/a> in the state, which would consume 330 megawatts. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>AI data centers popping up around the country have sparked concerns about water and energy usage, noise pollution and health effects. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In the Bay Area, data center proposals have not gone over well with residents. From \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12076074/oakley-drops-data-center-plans-approves-massive-industrial-project\">Oakley \u003c/a>and \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12093604/theyve-been-very-quiet-pittsburg-residents-seek-answers-as-data-center-sets-up-shop-in-city\">Pittsburg \u003c/a>in the East Bay to \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/forum/2010101914179/bay-area-communities-resist-data-center-boom\">Gilroy in Silicon Valley\u003c/a>, advocates have cited a range of environmental and aesthetic concerns with facilities planned in their communities. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I wanted to be absolutely critically clear that this is not the large-scale mega-facility that people have expressed, and legitimately so, concerns,” Fife, who represents downtown Oakland where the project is proposed, said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The councilmember told reporters her goal is to revitalize the downtown area by bringing responsible development to the city, and that she’ll be communicating with Behring to keep an eye on the proposal and ensure the public is informed. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Opponents still aren’t so sure. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The Party for Socialism and Liberation has emerged as one of the project’s primary opponents, starting an online petition over concerns AI data centers “destroy jobs and the environment,” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“As long as tech billionaires control AI, they’ll use the technology to raise profits by eliminating millions of jobs. And they don’t care if they have to destroy the planet to do so,” the website reads. “This fight is about who decides the future of Oakland: the people, or the ultra wealthy.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Behring said the project would provide up to 2,300 jobs, with neighboring businesses producing more. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The proposal, which was sent to city staff a week ago, is still in the beginning stages, so it hasn’t reached the City Council. Fife said it may not need additional approval if Behring’s uses conform with existing uses by the Lawrence lab. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Either way, Fife said she’s in the process of developing legislation that would define what responsible AI use is.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>KQED’s \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/author/jlara\">\u003cem>Juan Carlos Lara\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem> contributed to this report.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Nothing has changed, and our proposal at this point is to use the same building doing what it used to do the same way,” said Behring, who spoke at a Friday press conference alongside Oakland City Councilmember Carroll Fife. “While it might be big headlines to talk about data centers, this project is very much different.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The project includes three neighboring buildings and would house a 39-story apartment complex directly above the 19th Street BART station, 20 stories of office space and a parking area. The site already supports up to 20 megawatts of computing capacity because of its past use, according to Behring. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>AI data centers popping up around the country have sparked concerns about water and energy usage, noise pollution and health effects. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“I wanted to be absolutely critically clear that this is not the large-scale mega-facility that people have expressed, and legitimately so, concerns,” Fife, who represents downtown Oakland where the project is proposed, said. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The Party for Socialism and Liberation has emerged as one of the project’s primary opponents, starting an online petition over concerns AI data centers “destroy jobs and the environment,” \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“As long as tech billionaires control AI, they’ll use the technology to raise profits by eliminating millions of jobs. And they don’t care if they have to destroy the planet to do so,” the website reads. “This fight is about who decides the future of Oakland: the people, or the ultra wealthy.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The proposal, which was sent to city staff a week ago, is still in the beginning stages, so it hasn’t reached the City Council. Fife said it may not need additional approval if Behring’s uses conform with existing uses by the Lawrence lab. \u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>A proposed data center in downtown \u003ca href=\"http://kqed.org/news/tag/oakland\">Oakland\u003c/a> is the latest artificial intelligence project to face backlash, but proponents say this one’s different. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Developer Behring Companies is planning to use a portion of an almost 83,000 square-foot 4-story building at 415 20th St. as a data center to complement a larger AI campus. About 20,000 square-foot would be used for the data center, according to Behring’s plans. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The building \u003ca href=\"https://www.nersc.gov/news-and-events/news/berkeley-lab-dedicates-first-oakland-city-facility\">used to be a supercomputing complex\u003c/a> for the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. Behring Companies’ CEO Colin Behring says those operations are not different from what the project proposes. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/OAK-Data-Center-Behring.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12095480\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/OAK-Data-Center-Behring.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/OAK-Data-Center-Behring-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/OAK-Data-Center-Behring-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Colin Behring, CEO and founder of Behring Companies, addresses the media in front of 415 20th St. in Oakland on Friday, Aug. 14, 2026, as Councilmember Carroll Fife, to the right, listens in. (Juan Carlos Lara/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Nothing has changed, and our proposal at this point is to use the same building doing what it used to do the same way,” said Behring, who spoke at a Friday press conference alongside Oakland City Councilmember Carroll Fife. “While it might be big headlines to talk about data centers, this project is very much different.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Behring said there are various definitions of what a “data center” is and the space is not like a typical data center that is made up of racks and computing for different outside parties in a dark place. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“For us, the data center is effectively really strong computers in your office,” Behring said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The project includes three neighboring buildings and would house a 39-story apartment complex directly above the 19th Street BART station, 20 stories of office space and a parking area. The site already supports up to 20 megawatts of computing capacity because of its past use, according to Behring. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>For comparison, that’s about 15 times smaller than the \u003ca href=\"https://www.imperial.ca.gov/276/Data-Center-Info\">largest proposed data center\u003c/a> in the state, which would consume 330 megawatts. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>AI data centers popping up around the country have sparked concerns about water and energy usage, noise pollution and health effects. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In the Bay Area, data center proposals have not gone over well with residents. From \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12076074/oakley-drops-data-center-plans-approves-massive-industrial-project\">Oakley \u003c/a>and \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12093604/theyve-been-very-quiet-pittsburg-residents-seek-answers-as-data-center-sets-up-shop-in-city\">Pittsburg \u003c/a>in the East Bay to \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/forum/2010101914179/bay-area-communities-resist-data-center-boom\">Gilroy in Silicon Valley\u003c/a>, advocates have cited a range of environmental and aesthetic concerns with facilities planned in their communities. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I wanted to be absolutely critically clear that this is not the large-scale mega-facility that people have expressed, and legitimately so, concerns,” Fife, who represents downtown Oakland where the project is proposed, said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The councilmember told reporters her goal is to revitalize the downtown area by bringing responsible development to the city, and that she’ll be communicating with Behring to keep an eye on the proposal and ensure the public is informed. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Opponents still aren’t so sure. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The Party for Socialism and Liberation has emerged as one of the project’s primary opponents, starting an online petition over concerns AI data centers “destroy jobs and the environment,” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“As long as tech billionaires control AI, they’ll use the technology to raise profits by eliminating millions of jobs. And they don’t care if they have to destroy the planet to do so,” the website reads. “This fight is about who decides the future of Oakland: the people, or the ultra wealthy.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Behring said the project would provide up to 2,300 jobs, with neighboring businesses producing more. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The proposal, which was sent to city staff a week ago, is still in the beginning stages, so it hasn’t reached the City Council. Fife said it may not need additional approval if Behring’s uses conform with existing uses by the Lawrence lab. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Either way, Fife said she’s in the process of developing legislation that would define what responsible AI use is.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>KQED’s \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/author/jlara\">\u003cem>Juan Carlos Lara\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem> contributed to this report.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"info": "KQED’s statewide radio news program providing daily coverage of issues, trends and public policy decisions.",
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"order": 8
},
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},
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"order": 1
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"info": "\u003cem>Code Switch\u003c/em>, which listeners will hear in the first part of the hour, has fearless and much-needed conversations about race. Hosted by journalists of color, the show tackles the subject of race head-on, exploring how it impacts every part of society — from politics and pop culture to history, sports and more.\u003cbr />\u003cbr />\u003cem>Life Kit\u003c/em>, which will be in the second part of the hour, guides you through spaces and feelings no one prepares you for — from finances to mental health, from workplace microaggressions to imposter syndrome, from relationships to parenting. The show features experts with real world experience and shares their knowledge. Because everyone needs a little help being human.\u003cbr />\u003cbr />\u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/podcasts/510312/codeswitch\">\u003cem>Code Switch\u003c/em> offical site and podcast\u003c/a>\u003cbr />\u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/lifekit\">\u003cem>Life Kit\u003c/em> offical site and podcast\u003c/a>\u003cbr />",
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"id": "commonwealth-club",
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"meta": {
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"source": "WNYC"
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"id": "fresh-air",
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"hidden-brain": {
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"hyphenacion": {
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"tagline": "Where conversation and cultura meet",
"info": "What kind of no sabo word is Hyphenación? For us, it’s about living within a hyphenation. Like being a third-gen Mexican-American from the Texas border now living that Bay Area Chicano life. Like Xorje! Each week we bring together a couple of hyphenated Latinos to talk all about personal life choices: family, careers, relationships, belonging … everything is on the table. ",
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"jerrybrown": {
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"title": "The Political Mind of Jerry Brown",
"tagline": "Lessons from a lifetime in politics",
"info": "The Political Mind of Jerry Brown brings listeners the wisdom of the former Governor, Mayor, and presidential candidate. Scott Shafer interviewed Brown for more than 40 hours, covering the former governor's life and half-century in the political game – and Brown has some lessons he'd like to share. ",
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"order": 18
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"title": "Latino USA",
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"info": "Latino USA, the radio journal of news and culture, is the only national, English-language radio program produced from a Latino perspective.",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/latinoUsa.jpg",
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},
"marketplace": {
"id": "marketplace",
"title": "Marketplace",
"info": "Our flagship program, helmed by Kai Ryssdal, examines what the day in money delivered, through stories, conversations, newsworthy numbers and more. Updated Monday through Friday at about 3:30 p.m. PT.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 4pm-4:30pm, MON-WED 6:30pm-7pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Marketplace-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.marketplace.org/",
"meta": {
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"source": "American Public Media"
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"masters-of-scale": {
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"title": "Masters of Scale",
"info": "Masters of Scale is an original podcast in which LinkedIn co-founder and Greylock Partner Reid Hoffman sets out to describe and prove theories that explain how great entrepreneurs take their companies from zero to a gazillion in ingenious fashion.",
"airtime": "Every other Wednesday June 12 through October 16 at 8pm (repeats Thursdays at 2am)",
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"source": "WaitWhat"
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"rss": "https://rss.art19.com/masters-of-scale"
}
},
"mindshift": {
"id": "mindshift",
"title": "MindShift",
"tagline": "A podcast about the future of learning and how we raise our kids",
"info": "The MindShift podcast explores the innovations in education that are shaping how kids learn. Hosts Ki Sung and Katrina Schwartz introduce listeners to educators, researchers, parents and students who are developing effective ways to improve how kids learn. We cover topics like how fed-up administrators are developing surprising tactics to deal with classroom disruptions; how listening to podcasts are helping kids develop reading skills; the consequences of overparenting; and why interdisciplinary learning can engage students on all ends of the traditional achievement spectrum. This podcast is part of the MindShift education site, a division of KQED News. KQED is an NPR/PBS member station based in San Francisco. You can also visit the MindShift website for episodes and supplemental blog posts or tweet us \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/MindShiftKQED\">@MindShiftKQED\u003c/a> or visit us at \u003ca href=\"/mindshift\">MindShift.KQED.org\u003c/a>",
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"imageAlt": "KQED MindShift: How We Will Learn",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/mindshift/",
"meta": {
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"source": "kqed",
"order": 12
},
"link": "/podcasts/mindshift",
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"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vS1FJTkM1NzY0NjAwNDI5",
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}
},
"morning-edition": {
"id": "morning-edition",
"title": "Morning Edition",
"info": "\u003cem>Morning Edition\u003c/em> takes listeners around the country and the world with multi-faceted stories and commentaries every weekday. Hosts Steve Inskeep, David Greene and Rachel Martin bring you the latest breaking news and features to prepare you for the day.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 3am-9am",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Morning-Edition-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/programs/morning-edition/",
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"onourwatch": {
"id": "onourwatch",
"title": "On Our Watch",
"tagline": "Deeply-reported investigative journalism",
"info": "For decades, the process for how police police themselves has been inconsistent – if not opaque. In some states, like California, these proceedings were completely hidden. After a new police transparency law unsealed scores of internal affairs files, our reporters set out to examine these cases and the shadow world of police discipline. On Our Watch brings listeners into the rooms where officers are questioned and witnesses are interrogated to find out who this system is really protecting. Is it the officers, or the public they've sworn to serve?",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/On-Our-Watch-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
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