The rally took place outside San Diego City Hall, where officials urged Congress to intervene and announced new efforts to regulate data center development locally.<\/p>\n
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The proposed facility is reportedly being considered by San Diego-based Manchester Financial Group as part of a broader redevelopment plan for the Naval Information Warfare Systems Command site at Naval Base Point Loma\u2019s Old Town Campus.<\/p>\n
Sparky Mitra, a San Diego resident, said data centers could put additional strain on local resources.<\/p>\n
\u201cRegardless of what political ideology you have, what background you’re from, we’ve seen the harms it’s caused with our water supply, with our air, with our electricity,\u201d Mitra said.<\/p>\n
The rally was organized by San Diego City Councilmember Sean Elo-Rivera, who announced an executive order signed by Mayor Todd Gloria calling for a temporary pause on data center development while the city works to establish safeguards. The proposed moratorium is scheduled to go before the San Diego City Council for a vote Monday.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat’s our stopgap between the moment we’re in right now, and when our permanent policy is in place to protect San Diegans from truly, truly awful data centers,\u201d Elo-Rivera said.<\/p>\n
Elo-Rivera said proposed local policies would include worker protections, requirements for clean energy and opportunities for community input on data center projects. He also said housing should be considered before land is used for a data center.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou’re going to have to prove that this data center is something that can and should be built, and then the first step in doing that is proving that you can’t build housing there,\u201d Elo-Rivera said. \u201cSan Diegans need homes, not data centers.\u201d<\/p>\n
A data center is just one of several potential uses for the 70-acre NAVWAR property. Manchester Financial Group said other possibilities include housing, a medical center and university campuses.<\/p>\n
The company told CBS 8 there are currently no negotiations or agreements for a data center, only early, informational conversations with energy providers.<\/p>\n