San Diego, California: City Advances Data Center Moratorium as Mayor Issues Executive Order and Council Unanimously Approves a 45-Day Pause
The City of San Diego, in San Diego County, California, is advancing a moratorium on new data centers. Mayor Todd Gloria issued an executive order on October 22 directing the city to pursue an interim pause on new data center projects. After taking the matter up on October 26, the City Council unanimously approved an initial 45-day moratorium on October 27, which can be extended for a total period approaching two years.
Under the mayor's order, the city will convene a stakeholder working group of up to 15 members and deliver preliminary recommendations to the council within 180 days. The review will assess data centers' water use, electricity costs, and their effects on housing supply, infrastructure and surrounding communities.
The immediate backdrop is a developer's concept for a 400-megawatt data center on the federal Naval Information Warfare Systems Command (NAVWAR) site in the Midway district. Council members and residents supporting the pause argue that large data centers consume enormous amounts of power and water, and that no new project should be approved before the city understands the effects on electricity prices, water resources and nearby neighborhoods.
The city said projects already approved are not affected by the pause, and the working group's recommendations will determine whether the pause gives way to permanent rules or conditional approvals.
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 圣迭戈市长托德·格洛里亚（资料图）。公共领域。 / San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria (file photo). Public domain.
