Congresswoman Lateefah Simon refused to unequivocally back a ban on data centers at a Friday town hall, despite nationwide protests against AI and recent pushback from the Oakland community regarding a proposed data center.
A former Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory supercomputing laboratory in downtown Oakland is slated to house a new data center. Protests against these centers have become the forefront of resistance against the AI industry.
The town hall at Alameda High School drew about 50 attendees, including local city officials, board members and constituents throughout the county, including from Berkeley.
When asked if she would support a ban on the construction of data centers in an interview with The Daily Californian, Simon said “it’s not a yes or no question.” She added that she is primarily concerned with gentrification, a lack of guardrails around AI and resource overextraction.
“Do we shut down Berkeley’s data centers? I don’t think so,” Simon said. “Do we shut down Lawrence labs? No. But what we’ve demanded of (Berkeley Lab) is that they use renewable energy from beginning to end. So if we’re gonna have a technology infrastructure in the Bay Area, it better serve the people, and it better not be extracted. I think reviewing proposals around moratoriums is really important.”
Advocacy groups in Oakland, such as No Data Center in Oakland, have pushed back on the proposed data center and told the Daily Cal last week that they currently have more than 5,000 signatures opposing the project.
Simon said she wanted to combat misinformation about the proposed site, saying the Department of Energy previously owned the site as a supercomputer facility, claiming that “it was a data center.”
Citing the evolution of AI, Simon introduced legislation protecting small businesses from cybersecurity threats in May.
“Alameda was a little bit out there, but it was worth it,” said Isabella Shipman, a UC Berkeley student, about the town hall. “I think it’s always really smart to stay up to date on what is happening and what your (members of) Congress are doing for you. It was best to come in person and be able to hear that information live.”
Audience questions ranged from fears regarding U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations to plans to construct a coal plant in downtown Oakland and concerns about receiving health care.
In June, President Donald Trump allocated $75 million for a coal export terminal in West Oakland. The West Oakland community, which experiences some of the worst air quality inequity and highest risk of cancer in the county, has pushed back against the decision.
“Those children and those elders, for decades, actually for three generations, have suffered the effects of environmental racism in Oakland,” Simon said. “That is your money that is being spent on a cold terminal, that, of course, will bring thousands of trucks a year into a community that is already striving and praying to breathe.”
Simon also repeatedly emphasized the importance of Democrats regaining Congress in order to pass significant legislation such as medical research funding. The congresswoman previously helped secure $2.7 million in April for UC Berkeley STEM research amid federal cuts to research.
The congresswoman additionally addressed the importance of Americans with Disabilities Act accommodations for students and seniors. Simon spoke about a bill she sponsored, the Same-Day Paratransit Innovation Act, which would provide additional resources for transit services for individuals with disabilities. The bill has not been passed and remains in committee, which she noted means “phone calls every day to folks that don’t like me … but that’s the work.”
“You have to know that I’m listening to you, in terms of how we are talking about what Americans deserve,” Simon said. “Americans and folks who are struggling through a broken immigration process deserve due process. Everyone deserves an affordable experience. Everyone deserves healthcare when they need it.”
Simons’ next town hall is scheduled for Aug. 26 in Piedmont.