I am calling for a moratorium on new Data Centers in District 10. After doing my due diligence, listening to residents, and reviewing the facts. Any proposal for a data center must be evaluated against a clear standard and transparent process with adequate time for community input. We also need clarity around resident protections, preventing additional environmental harm, creating meaningful community benefits and jobs, proactive anti-displacement measures, and ensuring that San Franciscans are not left paying the bill.

Our neighborhoods know what happens when major industrial projects move forward without transparency, meaningful community involvement, or a full accounting of their long-term impacts. In our approach, we must pause, study, and protect the existing community assets. Residents are right to ask hard questions about electricity rates, air quality, water use, noise, permanent jobs, and who ultimately pays for the infrastructure these facilities require.

I am encouraged that bipartisan efforts are currently underway at the federal and state levels to establish stronger standards. We need the same here locally in San Francisco.  

Considerations should include:

• Moratoriums and stronger permitting requirements in communities across the country

• Requiring large data centers to pay the full cost of necessary energy infrastructure upgrades and not shifting those costs onto residents short-term and long-term

• Establishing financial protections and anti-displacement measures for ratepayers

• Requiring greater public disclosure of current and projected utility use, especially water

• Creating a Data Center Public Investment Funding Tool, as an AI displacement prevention strategy to support workers and legacy residents

More proposals, hearings, and policy debates will come as the new Congress takes office in January. Several bills have also made it to Governor Newsom's desk after the recent close of session. San Francisco needs a similar focus to address the many outstanding questions. 

More background for informational purposes, views expressed are my own: 

Overview of federal efforts on energy and data centers (link here)

State Bills: AB 2469: AB 2469: Data centers: water use disclosures  | AB 2619: AB 2619: Water resources: data centers | AB 1577: AB 1577: Data centers: reporting | SB 1168: SB 1168: Data centers: rate structures | SB 887: SB 887: California Environmental Quality Act: data centers | AB 2383: AB 2383: Data center electric utility tariffs and rate structures | SB 886: SB 886: California Technology Innovation and Ratepayer Protection Act

Please share your thoughts with me: [email protected].

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