Where AI Data Centers in California Are Being Paused

San Francisco and Oakland each voted on Tuesday, October 6, 2026, to pause new data center approvals for 45 days. San Francisco's Board of Supervisors approved its moratorium unanimously, and Oakland's City Council voted 7-0. The two votes add to a list of local limits on artificial intelligence (AI) data centers in California.

Santa Clara has started a year-long review, and the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors has received a proposal to ban hyperscale data centers. Both city pauses are meant to give officials time to study energy, water and other impacts before they write permanent rules.

Which Cities Have Paused AI Data Centers in California

Reporting from KTVU on San Francisco, Santa Clara and Los Angeles County, The San Francisco Standard on the city's moratorium and KTVU on Oakland names the California cities with a data center moratorium approved or in place: San Francisco, Oakland, Oakley, Richmond and Gilroy. Hayward, Santa Clara and Los Angeles County are studying or debating limits. Here is the status of each one as of October 6, 2026:

• San Francisco: 45-day moratorium approved unanimously by the Board of Supervisors. The Standard reports it takes effect 10 days after approval unless Mayor Daniel Lurie returns it earlier.
• Oakland: 45-day moratorium approved 7-0 by the City Council, effective immediately.
• Oakley, Richmond and Gilroy: moratoriums already in place, according to the Standard.
• Hayward: considering a moratorium, according to the Standard.
• Santa Clara: starting a year-long review of data center impacts, with updated development rules to follow.
• Los Angeles County: the Board of Supervisors received a proposal to permanently ban hyperscale data centers. KTVU did not report whether the board has acted.

The Standard does not report when the Oakley, Richmond and Gilroy moratoriums started or how long they last.

San Francisco's 45-Day Data Center Moratorium

San Francisco's moratorium pauses city approvals of data centers for 45 days. Supervisor Shamann Walton, who represents District 10, wrote the measure. The Land Use and Transportation Committee sent it to the full Board of Supervisors, which approved it unanimously.

Neither KTVU nor the Standard gave a numeric tally for the vote. In approving the pause, supervisors declared "an immediate threat to public health, safety, and welfare" without comprehensive regulations in place, KTVU reported.

What the Planning Department Will Study

The pause gives the San Francisco Planning Department time to study five kinds of impact, according to the Standard:

• Energy
• Water
• Air quality
• Land use
• Community impacts

The Planning Department is also charged with developing long-term controls and a clear definition of a data center.

When the Pause Starts and How Long It Could Last

The Standard reports the San Francisco measure takes effect 10 days after approval unless Mayor Daniel Lurie returns it earlier. Lurie could also veto it. The moratorium could be extended to as long as 22 months. The Standard says it is unclear whether city leaders would consider that. By November, city leaders will hold a hearing on the Planning Department's progress and findings.

San Francisco has six data center sites, two of them in Walton's District 10, the Standard reports.

Oakland's 7-0 Vote on New Data Centers

Oakland's City Council voted 7-0 on October 6, 2026, for a 45-day moratorium on "all new data center development across the city," effective immediately, according to KTVU's report on the Oakland vote. Councilmember Carroll Fife sponsored it. The pause halts new approvals while the city studies impacts on water supplies, electrical grids and air quality.

KTVU does not give an end date.

What Speakers Told the Oakland Council

Residents spoke on both sides of the Oakland moratorium:

• Speakers raised the water data centers use for cooling. One cited the limited supply from the Mokelumne River.
• Some speakers called for a permanent ban instead of a 45-day pause.
• Some residents argued data centers would bring economic benefits and jobs to Oakland.

Fife has criticized developers for using nondisclosure agreements to shield project details. Mayor Barbara Lee said the pause gives the public time to weigh in. Ban the Bots covers cooling water in its explainer on AI water use.

Santa Clara Data Centers and the City's Year-Long Review

Santa Clara is starting a year-long review of data centers in a city that already has 56 of them operating, KTVU reported. Here are the numbers KTVU gives:

• Population: about 133,000
• Operating data centers: 56
• Data centers in development: 2
• Taxes from data centers: $35 million a year to the city's general fund

In 2023, Silicon Valley Power, Santa Clara's municipal utility, stopped accepting new data center applications because of high power demand. The new review is interdepartmental and covers environmental, water, power and quality-of-life impacts. Updated local development rules are to follow it.

For more on data center power demand, see the Ban the Bots page on AI grid impact.

Los Angeles County's Hyperscale Data Center Proposal

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors received a proposal to permanently ban hyperscale data centers while allowing smaller operations. The reason given is that hyperscale facilities are often built to support resource-intensive AI workloads, KTVU reported.

The proposal differs from the San Francisco and Oakland pauses in two ways. It would be permanent, and it would draw the line by the size of the facility. KTVU does not say whether the board has acted on it.

What a Data Center Moratorium Does and Does Not Do

A data center moratorium is a temporary hold on new approvals while a city studies impacts and writes rules. When the hold ends, a city can adopt permanent controls, extend the pause if its rules allow, or let the pause lapse with no new rules.

San Francisco and Oakland Compared

• Vote: San Francisco's was unanimous, with no tally published. Oakland's was 7-0.
• Sponsor: Supervisor Shamann Walton in San Francisco. Councilmember Carroll Fife in Oakland.
• Start: San Francisco's takes effect 10 days after approval unless the mayor returns it earlier. Oakland's took effect immediately.
• What gets studied: energy, water, air quality, land use and community impacts in San Francisco. Water supplies, electrical grids and air quality in Oakland.
• Length: 45 days in both cities. San Francisco's could be extended to as long as 22 months.
• Next public step reported: a San Francisco hearing by November. KTVU does not report a follow-up date for Oakland.

What the Sources Leave Open

None of the sources say what permanent rules will look like in either city. San Francisco has asked its Planning Department to develop long-term controls, and some Oakland speakers asked for a permanent ban. None of the three reports describes a draft rule.

The measures, as reported, cover new approvals and new development. The reports do not describe any effect on data centers that already operate, such as San Francisco's six sites. No source reports that either moratorium has been extended.

What Residents Can Do About AI Data Centers in California

Residents can use the San Francisco and Oakland study periods to follow the findings and speak at public meetings. These steps draw on what each city has said about its own process:

1. In San Francisco, plan to attend the hearing city leaders will hold by November on the Planning Department's progress and findings.
2. In Oakland, weigh in during the 45-day pause. Mayor Barbara Lee named public input as one purpose of it.
3. Ask officials and developers for project details on any proposal near you. Fife has criticized developers for using nondisclosure agreements to shield those details.
4. Read the Ban the Bots guide on how to stop a data center for organizing steps.
5. Read whether data centers raise electric bills before a hearing where power demand comes up.

The Ban the Bots overview of data center impact covers water, power and neighborhood effects in more depth.

Tracking Data Centers in California and Neighboring States

Ban the Bots also covers data centers in other West Coast states, including Oregon and Washington. Open the Ban the Bots data center map to follow AI data centers in California while the San Francisco and Oakland study periods run.