By Robert Haugh
Tomorrow’s Santa Clara City Council meeting has the following agendized items:
- Joint Dinner Meeting with Parks and Recreation Commission
- Proclamation of October 2026 as Breast Cancer Awareness Month
- Proclamation of October 2026 as Domestic Violence Awareness Month
- Proclamation of October 18 – 24, 2026 as United Against Hate Week
- Report on Pedestrian Access Restrictions on Portions of Lawrence and San Tomas Expressways and Potential Council Action to Affirm Such Restrictions
- Action on the Santa Clara Stadium Authority Financial Status Report for Quarter Ending June 30, 2026 and to Approve Related Budget Amendments
- Staff Presentation and Solicitation of Input on a Comprehensive Approach to Updating City Policies Addressing New Data Center Development [Staff’s Response to Councilmember Suds Jain’s 030 Request, Approved by Council, Regarding New Policy Development on Data Center Water Usage and Demand Side Grid Support Participation]
- Action on a Council Written Request (Council Policy 030) Submitted by Councilmember Karen Hardy to Place an Item on a Future Agenda for Staff to Provide an Update to Council and the Public on the Entitlement and Power Allocation Processes for New Large Electrical Load Uses, Including Data Centers, within 30 Days, with Option of Moratorium on New Stand Alone Data Centers
- Action on a Council Written Request (Council Policy 030) Submitted by Councilmember Hardy to Place an Item on a Future Agenda to Discuss a Proposed Policy that would Prohibit the City from Entering Into Non-Disclosure Agreements with Stand Alone Data Centers
- Action on a Council Written Request (Council Policy 030) Submitted by Councilmember Kevin Park to Place an Item on a Future Agenda to Consider how Residents may Safely Park their Cars in or near their Apartment Complexes without Fear of getting Ticketed or Towed (DEFERRED FROM SEPTEMBER 22, 2026)
- Action on a Council Written Request (Council Policy 030) Submitted by Councilmember Park to Place an Item on a Future Agenda Regarding Potential Compensation for Residents Whose Vehicles were Ticketed or Towed during recent Stadium Events (DEFERRED FROM SEPTEMBER 22, 2026)
- Action on a Council Written Request (Council Policy 030) Submitted by Councilmember Park to Place an Item on a Future Agenda to Discuss Parking Requirements for Affordable Housing Projects (DEFERRED FROM SEPTEMBER 22, 2026)
I left an eComment regarding tonight’s staff presentation on Data Centers:
“Economics Nobel Prize awardee Prof. Krugman attributes current high interest rates, that cause prices to rise (i.e. our ‘affordability’ crisis), primarily to unimaginable $$ poured into AI, along with the Iran war. We don’t need a zillion, mostly redundant & proprietary, ewaste-creating, air & water polluting data centers. We need worldwide policy & regulation. BTW, the ‘electrical load’ chart doesn’t give the AMOUNT of mega-watts used, only a percent. We need better ‘comprehensive’ accounting.”
We’re in the middle of a worldwide climate change crisis that some call a “6th mass extinction” event. Everyone should be focusing on that, not on how to make money by increasing the global pollution burden through data center creation. While there are good cases to be made for using AI (BTW, no AI was used in writing this statement) we do not need companies competing with each other to create redundant centers for data. If data was better handled and AI use was properly regulated (we do NOT need Google AI to help find a cheap doodad or give us a fruit pie recipe or write a 3 paragraph advocacy letter) AI might help humanity. Instead we have a mass panic where all of the billionaires are worried their companies will be left behind — the result of which will be that money made will be useless as the earth becomes unlivable.
In my 8 years on the council, I am not aware of any NDA’s being signed regarding any data center. To do so would raise concerns about openness and transparency!
Just like the NDA’s that were required to be signed regarding FIFA, Mayor Gillmor and I refused due to concerns about transparency, protecting City and residents. Our protests fell on deaf ears and we were prohibited from being part of agreement discussions regarding FIFA.
Yet now, one of that council majority who signed the FIFA NDA is calling for a prohibition on NDAs.
I left a comment on Karen Hardy’s item to prohibit nondisclosure agreements for data centers: “Given that recent enactment of SB 995 will prohibit nondisclosure agreements, this proposal seems unnecessary. To the extent the Council considers a local transparency policy for select businesses, they should include NFL franchises.”