A proposal to reclassify a research facility in North San Jose as a data center is moving forward, after the San Jose City Council rejected an appeal attempting to block the project on environmental grounds, amid a citywide backlash against data center developments. Councilmembers voted unanimously Tuesday — with Councilmember Peter Ortiz absent and Vice Mayor...
Gilroy extends moratorium on data center projects
The Gilroy City Council has extended a temporary ban on new data center projects in the city for more than 10 months. Councilmembers on Monday unanimously approved a longer moratorium than it set last month as employees work to create objective zoning, development and operational standards for projects similar to an Amazon data center previously...
San Jose’s draft data center development standards fall short
San Jose is creating development standards for future data center projects, but residents and advocates said they don’t go far enough to protect their health and the environment. City officials presented the draft standards for the first time Thursday in front of a packed audience at City Hall. Dozens of residents spoke during the public comment...
Santa Clara wants better water, air standards for data centers
Santa Clara officials are moving forward with plans to update the city’s policies governing data center development, but have stopped short of considering a moratorium on new projects coming through the pipeline. The City Council on Oct. 6 unanimously approved a plan to prioritize new water and air quality standards for data centers and directed...
San Jose sets rules for delivery robots
San Jose’s experiment with autonomous food delivery robots is entering a new phase as the city prepares to roll out rules governing their use, including operating fees as well as fines for companies that run afoul of the new standards. The City Council greenlit a regulatory package Tuesday that will not only set the rules...
Judge hands San Jose win in license plate reader case
A judge has dismissed a lawsuit challenging San Jose’s network of license plate reader cameras, dealing a legal setback to opponents of a technology used to fight crime that has divided the city’s residents over fears of dragnet surveillance. In a ruling delivered Friday, Santa Clara County Superior Court Judge Jeffrey El-Hajj rejected arguments that...
Data center developers share plans at San Jose town hall
While San Jose is developing uniform data center standards to mitigate environmental impacts and support economic growth, two developers with projects in the pipeline said they will adhere to the guidelines once set. At a Tuesday community town hall organized by the District 2 Neighborhood Leadership Council, representatives from major data center developers Prologis and...
San Jose residents want city to stop using Flock cameras after misuse
Residents are calling for San Jose’s police chief to step down, after revelations that a police officer used license plate tracking technology to help his cousin stalk a woman she alleges abused her. In addition, a coalition of groups — including Safety over Surveillance, Services, Immigrant Rights and Education Network (SIREN), Working Partnerships USA, Electronic...
Data center company to acquire former South San Jose IBM site
The former IBM Almaden Research Center in the rolling hills of Coyote Valley has a buyer. Blackstart Digital — a data center development and investment firm focused on sustainable redevelopment — has entered into an agreement to acquire the historic campus in South San Jose, according to land use consultant Erik Schoennauer, a representative of...
San Jose again tries to tighten controls on license plate readers
Facing public outcry over alleged misuse of San Jose’s automated license plate reader data, a group of elected leaders has unveiled new safeguards for the controversial technology. The safeguards, announced Wednesday, aim to make it harder for city employees to use personal devices to access sensitive law enforcement data, including that gathered by license plate...