2026-09-22 - Life Enrichment Committee

Innings? Some afternoon and welcome to the life enrichment committee meeting on this Thursday Tuesday, SEPTEMBER 22nd. The time is 404, in this. Many shall come to order. The for I call roll. I would like to give instructions on how to submit a speaker card for items on this agenda. If you're here in person and would like to submit a speaker card, please fill out a speaker card and turn it into a Clark representative either before the item is read into record or 10 minutes after this meeting begin, this meeting began at 404. So the cut off time to submit a speaker card for any item on the agenda will be 4.14 If you wish to sign up online sign-up upon lies cards were do 24 hours before this meeting begins. So we will no longer be accepting. Speaking of cars on Wednesday, the hearts. But again, if you are here in person and would like to Smith submitted speaking, hide, you must be a lot has been hard with a name and turn that card in either again. 10 minutes at this MAY begin or before is read into record. Whichever comes first. So with that, we will now call roll. On row for this meeting. Customer Gallo resident Councilmember Houston. Councilmember Houston here. Thank you. Councilmember Wang, PRESIDENT And chair by present. We have 4 members present at this time. Sheriff, I do. You have any announcement before we go to the first item? I want to number one. Thank everyone for being here today with the number of public speakers that we have. And because we typically allocate 2 hours for committee meetings, we will be relegating speakers to a minute and 30 seconds for their public comments today so that we stay on time and we are we don't run over into the following committee meeting which is public safety. So I just wanted to make that announcement for everyone. Thank you so much for that. And so we will now move to our first item. Our first item being item number one, the approval of the draft minutes for the committee meeting on JULY 14th. Entertain a motion. And that was a motion by Councilmember Gilles seconded by Councilmember Houston to approve the. Track minutes for the JULY 14th, committee meeting on row for this Councilmember guile. Council Houston. COUNCILMAN Houston is out of his Houston for the Minutes. Thank you so much. Councilmember Wang. I and Chair Fi I item number one is approved with 4 eyes as is that now takes us to item number 2 determination of scheduling about standing committee items which is known as Europe Indy List. The chair. We don't have any information to be scheduled for this item. Does the administration have any items? No, not at this time entertain a motion. That was a motion by Councilmember Gallo, seconded by Councilmember Houston to approve item to as is I do have 2 speakers for this item. My apologies, Mississauga ohl Apollo in Jesse Roseman. Mississauga these ishiah participating via zoom ok? Thank you. Hi, thank you And I thank you all for being here. I'm looking at the penniless for items on that agenda. I'm Can you please State your No? I'm sorry. I'm Jessie Rose more. And so I notice that I like on the public safety penniless, that that the item that has been there, the longest with no date specific is the chair of committee really great proposal to civilian ice positions in opd so we can save millions and millions of dollars. And that that those millions of dollars that we would save, we could really use on items that go through this committee so that we'd have more money to give our Oakland residents in the people of our city, the things that they need. Unfortunately, the chair of the Public Safety Committee is detrimental to public safety in the city of Oakland and has not advanced this forward. And it's just been remain on this on this pending list. Unfortunately, the chair of that committee thinks that public safety means giving all of our money to the opd with 0 Accountability. And and that's detrimental to our city's budget and everything that we need to do for the city of Oakland. So I was wondering if it's possible to move that item to this committee so can actually be heard and said of stalemated on and on and on by by Councilmember Wang. So that's that's my public comment. Thank you very much. Appreciate it. Thank you so much for your comments. Know, missed inside. She is waiving her time. So that public speakers for this item. One. Yes. And if I can just make a quick announcement, we do have overflow seating in hearing one. So for those who are standing up and there's no seats, but looks like they're plenty of seats. There is a seeding in One downstairs just want to know that. And then I will. Acknowledge Councilmember Wang. You had, uh, you want to speak no. But that anyways. Thank you. I I don't need to respond to the public comment. Okay. No, I'm good. All right. Thank you so much. So we have a motion by Councilmember Gallo, seconded by Councilor Houston to approve item 2 determination of Schedule ii announced a new committee. Adams has is on roll for this item. Councilmember Gallo. I Houston, I. Wang I and Chair Fi. I just regarding that legislation regarding civilian is Ation. I I brought it forward many times. I will bring that back to the Public Safety Committee meeting. And we can call in the next item. Thank you so much. And that concludes item. 2 and we're now 3. Item. 3 is resolution, a warning, a grant agreement to serve opportunities for seniors to administer the Meals on Wheels. Food Delivery program and the amount of not to exceed $150,000 physical year. 25 to 26 in $150,000 fiscal year. 26 to 27 and authorizing the city administrator to negotiate and enter into a grant agreement with grantee for fiscal year. 25 to 27 with that authority to extend the term without increasing the amount. Of the grant award. And I have 2 speakers for this item. Thank you. Okay. If you could put 5 minutes on the clock, we will hear from our staff. Good afternoon. Members of committee. My name muggy, the Human Services Department. Age is an adult services division. I'm here representing the manager of our division for this particular item, as read it, a proposal for a grant Celeste Meals on Wheels that will for 150,004. 25 26 150,000 for 26. 27, course, be retroactive 25. 26. Coming to committee. At this later time. This is actually an item that was approved by council. For the two-year budget. Back for 25 to 6. 26 27 by resolution. Number 9, 1, 0, 6, 6, 1, But it was mistakenly left off. So therefore, we're bringing it to you as a separate item this time. And now I to call last year. I worked the last time around. I worked on this particular item in who was left prior. So we to be able to get ahead of that. That issue so that makes it in what the community-based we're going to say, says that City council, would like to support. And at this point, I'll take any questions Councilmember guiding Councilmember Houston you for bringing this back up. But I just want to express my gratitude to the organizations that provide seniors with the meals on wheels, but also recognize the many volunteers that show up. They come by to deliver the meals and thank you for your work. And with that, I make a motion to approve And to chair. Thank you, MR. Keim, thank She aided to the children and seniors that are most important. So I appreciate Thank you very much. And a second. Okay. This is a very straight forward item. It's a grant to ensure that our seniors are getting the resources that they need for their meal program. And we have a motion a second on the floor and we do have 3 speakers for this item. Let's hear from our public speakers. Thank you. Missus, saddle of Jesse Roseman in some you Ramsey in in order, please. Please, thank you. So as a senior, I don't know if this is a straight forward item because they are some current concerns and challenges related to meals on wheels. In generally speaking it, I don't know if it's like that in Oakland. They are long waiting lists which averages 3 to 4 months and sometimes stretch full year due to funding in capacity. So shortages. This been historically recently service reductions rising operation costs and a reduction in federal funding contracts. So here's some of the issues the scene used say about the food. They say the food is bland. Menus of repetitions. That the food is impassable. Sometimes. Itay sometimes like little costs frozen down Foods, a design fault. Curving maximum use of sodium and people that have diabetes in people who have problems, too. And they take all of that in consideration. You can imagine when you finish doing all of those things with the food taste like. This is not. Anything that I haven't said before. And I have talked to a lot of people that use it and you get a meal with his call as a meals like the appetizer. It doesn't feel you up. That's what this 8 so I hope at some point we can do it. Thank you for your comments. Item next speaker. Please. Hi, my name is Jesse Rose might like to speak in support of this item. I see that it at Okay. $300,000 for from the General Fund. And my concern here is that I've watched the city austerity and means I like every item except those that go to our police department. And and I saw pio a contract and how it balloons costs and the out years of those 5 years, we didn't have much chance to I to comment on it because somehow it's get committee. I'm not sure how, but I'm concerned about us having enough money for critical programs like this going forward just how. Bad budgeting and mouthy isn't pio? A contract? Is and, you know, watching our city council, we have 6 first timers were wildly just feckless and mouth Eason's nonsense. We also have a one council member believes in a lot. But unfortunately, that includes everything and anything. Says, which is unfortunate for all of us. So councilmember, if I'd like to thank you for your leadership again and always, just so shame that the rest of the city council and I'm outraged by what's happening with pio, a contract, just the corruption that's laden in that contract and knowing what this is going to mean for years and years and years when items like this come forward to our city Council. Thank you for your comments. Gooding Co. My name is Samuel You know for each? Community garden. I'm a farm. The usda farm Hawking saw a ufo food But the thing is we got people know can get see the food. We just talked. It's become see and medical being so hot. Beach And he used ongoing food out. You back your Good graph. Real soon. Here we go. You every day. She to stop all up. So we've all In that same they're doing school because we didn't what they go into the owner of don't full committee ground. And the Levant down just to the out. I will rise beach Bill food. They have no way you want reaction to take so we don't do that with the I do because both of us are used the We go from making instant from that a future in pay? We need that to go forward. So back really in that meeting, what you got in Grant Alameda County Food Grant. So do have center. Israel sent East Lake Annecy. It's Tuesday. Thank you. Thank you for your comments that concludes public speakers for this item. And we do have a motion in the second for this item before we call the roll. I just want my staff to pay attention that we just got another volunteer for our food program District 3. So thank you, MR. Rayney. We call the roll. Thank you so much for that. And then we have a motion by Councilmember Gallo, seconded by Councilmember Houston to approve item 3 to be 42. The OCTOBER 6 city Council agenda on Unroll councilmember guy and I Houston, I in Fife. Item number 3 was approved with 4 eyes to be forwarded to the OCTOBER 6 City Council agenda on consent. And that now takes us to item number 4. Item. 4 is adopt a resolution appropriating the first 5 Alameda County. Early care in education, emergency grant any amount not to exceed $500,000 to provide stipends for eligible early-childhood and Family Service Division staff in other allowable early-childhood expenditures. I have 2 speakers for this item. Thank you. Put 5 minutes on the clock. You can go ahead and introduce yourself through the chair. Sarah Tristan term program director for early Childhood and Family Services Division. This resolution has already passed through City Council resolution. 9, 1, 0, 2, 9, providing the authority to apply for and accept the first 5 Alameda County, early care and education emergency grant funding. The purpose of this item is to correct the appropriation and distribution of funds to allow the city to directly except the funds instead of using a fiscal sponsor. The funds are meant to support goal to of Measure c recruiting, retaining and supporting early educators primarily providing stipends to our head start, educators and family service workers directly involved that was straight forward. I will say that the amount of money that's being allocated in this particular grants. Really counts. Change for the city of Oakland and it is to me, particularly being a formerly childhood educator, really sad that we don't have the resources that we require to pay a living wage for the people who are doing so much for little people. That's just Editorializing your comments, but also on my soapbox about how this country needs to do so much better. I will recognize councilmember Houston and then Councilmember Gallo and then Councilmember So chairs This is minimum $1000. Correct. So what we've done is looked at those staff who have direct contact, providing service to families in person every day. We then looked at our 2024. Salary study done by a 3rd party identifying that our educators are not paid on par with area educators. We looked at the maximum award that we could receive. That's $500,000 and then sought to make up the difference. Even for one year. For those educators and this money fall short. And so the primary purpose of this is to help stabilize the workforce. While we work on a larger fix for teacher pay. So that's question to the chair. So is this for the full fiscal year? It is through JUNE. 30th 2027. Yes for the public's information when we talk. But early child childhood, what age group are we referring to? Through the chair of 0 to 5 Syria to 5. Yes, we also homebase visitors who are in the home teaching parents to be their child's first teachers who are working with prenatal participants as well. So we are starting from conception through 5. And so the the instruction to support that we're providing is throughout the city. Was there a certain school certain neighborhoods that prioritized? These are for all of the educators with an early childhood and family services. We serve up and children through centers to home base, visiting programs and also our partner, bananas and family childcare. Thank you. And this is the age group of 0 to 5, correct? Thank you. On I make a motion to approve the item. Thank you. Councilmember want. Thank to the chair. Thank you. First of all, for ensuring that we have that funding to provide a stipend, albeit it is not enough. My mom was actually a childcare worker. So this is also personal for me as well. I think what? While this has a short term remedy. Don't know if call it remedy for the pay. I'm wondering, are we seeking sort of more partnerships or integration with the Alameda County Board of Education. So we have more about a long-term plan for sustained pay you know what? What is the plan? I would say just to reach. Pay. That is a living wage for for instructors here. Were on that. Yes, thank you. Threw the chair. So Alameda County Board of Education does not impact pay of our teachers per se. So sat through city policy. We do seek to partner with Council on moving forward with increasing the salary of our educators so that we can attract and retain quality educators here in Oakland and have good living wage jobs for teachers here at club. So I I point that out because actually, when you look at the federal website of Grant, he's who get head start funding, you'll see that actually the city of Oakland is an anomaly. It's actually very common place for county board of education to receive that funding. And so I think there's actually some opportunities that we are not currently seeking. So that is the point of my comment there. This head start in itself is anomaly in that it's a grant that comes directly from the federal government to a grantee most of your grant programs you'll find come state agency. And this was historically done to overcome barriers during the inception of the program where it was. Determined that some states would withhold funds from disadvantaged groups that needed the funds the most. And so that was the historic reason why this grant comes from pets to gurantee. Often it is held by nonprofits sometimes by counties. It is an anomaly to have it in the city and I would say a strength because our ability to Courtney, our services across departments issue unique and it is. And incredible opportunity that we have here in Oakland. In addition to the history of the program. Okay. Thank you for sharing that history. I would love to dig more into whether those various currently exist today and whether some of that as those inequities have been resolved. So we can seek those partnerships where we need to hold the county countable also supporting the city of Oakland and some of many social services that we need here. I believe we I'm sorry, councilmember. He you have another comment. Year. I sat down with the young lady yesterday and she called it new World Divergent. How are we helping those type children? We have more money because population is growing are being recognized. So share that with through the chair. Our grant requires a minimum of 10 of our head slot. 10% of our head start slots are held for children with disabilities. So that's diagnosed disabilities. Those children which made it all the way through the process of diagnosis. We have many more who we are helping through that process. Our program, the state's typically runs over 13%. Children with diagnosed disabilities. Again, not counting the children. We are helping through that process. Many of them. Our neurodivergent and that is one of the strengths of Head start is that we are here to provide wrap-around services for the child and for the entire family to ensure that transitions from early Head start to head start in kindergarten support that whole child and family to receive all of the services that they need for success. So to the chair. So that's 10% use it minimum Councilmember Houston and then we'll go to our public speakers. I mean, I'm sorry, Gallo for the public, home many children in open you have that number. This afternoon, we have we are funded through office of Head. Start for 622, we're funded for another 50 through Open Children's initiative. How many children that we serve? No punches information. 10,020 1000. Know we are funded for 6.72 For 6, 7672 children a year. Ok? Thank you. Okay. If they're know for the question to go to our public speakers. Thank you so much. As I call your name, please approach the podium and please your name before you begin. The of Allen and Rose more. Measure a allows for salaries to be provided for. Head. Start. Programs and structures. So if you identify net. People are not getting sufficient salaries. Can be recognized for that purpose. The other thing is, is this inclusive of private child care? Business is always the public into the way you have child care. To shake yes or no. Because that element it's being challenge. People who have private child care facilities. Are finding it very difficult to maintain salaries on a stay in business because we now ust providing. Btk programs where you to pay anything and people are taking advantage of. That means a hardship. It goes back on these private businesses. That's what it is. Private businesses. But I hope that we can look into the 14 sites that are city start programs and look if to salaries can be adjusted based on using funds. Thank you for your comments next. Speaker. Hello and thank you. Jessi Rose more speaking. I notice that and I councilmember Wong's questioning on item and she's pretending to be progressive in pertain to care about the people who really need funds in the city of Oakland. And I know that this isn't the first item that we're going to see do this soapbox. Pretending to be progressive thing tonight. And this afternoon, this committee, she also does this whole play out in the field in her district, which is really a shame because we see what she's actually doing. She also questioned about pushing his heart of the county. This is part of a trend of hers. And I just wonder, you know, maybe she getting hit with her right-wing buddies. I David Haubert Lena Tam and and Nate Miley on our County Board of Supervisors. And you know, maybe you get the money that way. What I'd really like to know, though, you know, Councilmember Wang didn't give this many questions. I don't believe when ramming pio a contract through that bankrupt our city that and the outgoing years of that contract compounds overtime costs, these veterans, they're gonna get this longevity pay longevity, pay when they take over time, it's going to be even compounded because of all of the money that they're raking in through that contract. And within me, too clause. How's the city negotiate with their city workers and he's going to process grants like this one are city workers all go on strike. Thank you. Thank you for your comments. That concludes our speaker spent item. Okay. We will call the I don't believe we have a second. So I'll second that item. We had a motion but not a second. Thank you so much that we have a motion by Councilmember Gallo, seconded by Councilmember fight to approve item for to be forwarded to the OCTOBER 6 City Council agenda on role Councilmember Gallo. I Houston. Long. I and chair I item number 4 is approved with 4 eyes to be 40 to the OCTOBER 6 City Council agenda on consent. That now takes us to item 5. Our last item of discussion. And that adopt an interim ordinance adopted as a urgency measure pursuant to the California Government Code Section 6, 5, 8, 5, 8, establishing a temporary moratorium on the approval of any land use entitlements and or agreements to allow the development of operations of data centers in the city of Oakland, too. Take effect immediately upon adoption. And I have about 60 speakers for item. As I stated at the top of this meeting, we are limiting public comment to a minute and 30 seconds because at 2 minutes we will be here for another hour and 20 minutes alone. Trying to manage the agenda I want I do want to say something that I wasn't allowed to say at the last meeting when the chair disallowed me from speaking to you all. I want to appreciate every single person who has taking their time to organize and come out for this issue. It's not always easy to come after work or school or wherever you are to come to the city of Oakland and have the courage to speak on issues that are controversial or that you care about. So for everyone that's taking the time and took the time last week. Thank you. We'll start there. I wanted to tell you last week, but it's okay. I chair this meeting. So all. Oh, I'll adjourn all requests a motion to adjourn into a special meeting with the presence of council member Brown. That was a motion by Councilmember Wang seconded by COUNCILMAN The Houston to approve the meeting to adjourned to a special meeting at the presence of council member Brown, Councilmember Gallo. Houston, I long I chaired by. I this meeting has adjourned into a special city council at the presence of Councilmember Brown. Thank you. Okay. So I'll continue because my comments are I want to be brief so I can hear more conversation. I also want to give a shout out to the folks who participated and my community meeting at first person Presbyterian this past Sunday. Amazing attendants I see and do here. Thank you for speaking as one of the panelists, we will have ongoing community engagement opportunities. And I'm looking to formalize that into an actual process of participatory civic engagement with my office to make sure that your voices are heard incorporated into this moving forward because things are changing rapidly and the developments that are proposed that are not formal are coming to district 3. So I think that puts me in a very, you know. Interesting position when it comes to ensuring that we are balancing the needs of the community with the protections that are needed by the community. That said, I'll go into some of the things I wanted to inform folks about about this particular piece of legislation. It is a temporary moratorium. There are several people that were like we need a straight out band. There are some people are saying we don't need any regulations on potential data center. So I just want to be clear that person perspective of what we should do about these particular formations is is broad, but I'm trying to narrow the scope of what we're discussing today and with the state of California allows to begin this process for regulations as a 45 day moratorium. That is why you're seeing in the city of Gilroy. Richmond, Hayworth, a places all Pittsburgh, all over the state of California. Why we're starting with 45 days. That is the state maximum. So I want to make the Apple absolutely clear. It's not something that I came up with. The city came up with. It is state law data centers and Oakland have existed for a long time and throughout the country they've existed. But with the proliferation of artificial intelligence, there been an increase in data centers that are more resource intensive than they've ever been in the past facilities consume significant amounts of electrical power and water. They rely on diesel or other fossil fuel backup generators, batteries, battery energy storage systems, transformers, fuel storage. They generate persistent noise and heat and vibration and a host of other environmental impacts. And they've generated immense pushback in the places that I just said and other places throughout the country, there has been misinformation about the press conference that I hosted with Colin bearing of of bearing companies. And people are like look at the council member standing with this developer who wants to bring data center to downtown Oakland. And I want to be clear. Once and for all that the reason I hosted that press conference was so that the developer could talk to the public through the media because at the time that that occurred, there had been no conversation and what media was asking me was what's going on with this development. The development did not go before the planning Commission, nor did it come from City Council. The city council was on break when the planning department got an informal request for review what I was attempting to do and what I pushed the developer to do was to articulate what he told the Planning Department take articulate to the public. That is not me taking a position. That is me saying we need more transparency and the residents of Oakland need more transparency about what is being proposed. What I was saying is that as as the representative of Oakland's district 3, I want to see responsible development. I'm not just responsible tech responsible housing responsible, everything it again. It's not about a position. It's about having transparency. So the public is aware of that were shared with our planning department and questions could come up from there. I hope that clarifies. And if it doesn't, I'm willing to stay after to have more conversations with folks. But I need us to have conversations about fact, because there are provoking 2 wars in our communities that are trying to keep us at odds and trying to generate more fear and antagonism amongst us so that we don't do what's in the best interest of the city. And I'm not down for that. That said, I want to continue what Oakland's existing planning code in development standers currently state. And right now we don't have the current rental regulations that outline what is acceptable and what is not acceptable in the city of Oakland. Pursuant to California government code 6, 5, 8, 5, 8, this urgency ordinance places a 45 day moratorium on the approval of any land and use entitlements and are agreements to allow the development and operation of data centers in the city of Oakland. And this would apply to data centers of any size any size as defined in the legislation and the agenda report. And as noted by the 70 plus members of the public who came to speak at the council meeting last last week and the California cities who've passed similar legislation, the number of bills just recently signed by the governor yesterday and the bipartisan concerns that are being lifted up all across the country. How as Texas and California on the same page. What it's like, what universe are we living in right now? But most of all, by the residents of Oakland and another thing that I wanted to clear up that has been misreported is that, you know, I'm just trying to assure these things and really, really quickly and create loopholes. But I have to say, again, on the record that when I first started working on the Costco legislation. Initial developer that I was speaking to. Brought to me that they were trying to get a data center built in Jack London Square at Howard Terminal. That data center proposal failed. The port commissioners did not approve it, but that's when I started thinking about it. Now was a minute ago. That's when I started some more intensive research and then not one of the city attorneys for the city of Oakland texted me early JULY and sent me some articles and said I've been researching this. Are you interested in bringing something forward? And I was like, I've been researching it too early, JULY. And I said that I don't know what might come to Oakland, but we do need to have some guardrails in place and we need to create a language in our general plan and with our planning Department staff that articulate. Legislation look like what should regulations look like? I'm not saying, you know what it should or shouldn't be. We just don't have anything. So I wanted to be clear that we need to have something on the books and that is why I wanted to move with urgency around this issue and then. It feels like all h# # # broke loose in the media. Then we people saying that Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos, we're trying to buy up my district and so then rumor start flying about what was really happening. I will be in conversation. I just found out today with the folks at Project for Me, the U.S. And I will let you all know everything that I find out. I think transparency is so key to rebuilding the trust that residents have lost when it comes to their city. Government. And I'm making a commitment today to work towards rebuilding that trust through communication and engagement. Lastly, I just wanted to say that. The staff of the city of Oakland has so much to do so many of our departments are understaffed. Are working without a contract right now. And it is imperative that they have the time that they need in Order Creek to create the guidelines to protect Oakland residents. And also look at all of the legislation that was just passed at the state level and figure out what needs to be in place for the city of Oakland. And I need time to continue the community engagement in the district. And I know my council colleagues want to do the same, but it's critical to adopt this urgency measure and pass it to the full City council, which if passed, if it passes out of committee today, which is what I'm asking to do with no amendments, quite frankly, because I've been doing this work for the last 2 months. And I my district is going to be directly immediately impacted to give our city staff the time that they need 2 do their due diligence to figure out what needs to be in place in the municipal code and the planning code because approval of entitlements before. This work occurs could result in new and exacerbated threats to public health safety and or the well for the city. I've always stood for development without displacement. I still do to this day and we are going to work in our best interest to do what our city deserves at this time. And I will ask my council colleagues if they have questions, but that is the intro to legislation. I look forward to hearing your public comment. Councilmember Houston and then Councilmember To chair Councilmember chair. I don't have an amendment, but I was wanted to share with you and the public. That'll SEPTEMBER Friday, SEPTEMBER, the 18th, I said to email to Planning City administrator and city attorney, my had to blow up my. Because I can't see is too small, said that a bigger print. So let me read this to to whom it MAY concern I sent I'm sending this email regarding the moratorium on data centers. I would like to request a preliminary of environmental report specifically on the data center that is set to be built at 4, 1, 5, 20th Street. Which was once a supercomputer ring. Complex for Lawrence Berkeley, national that Tory I would like to request information regarding a preliminary. Environmental report. I would like to know the pros. And the kinds of the development that data center. Can we please have an environmental report within 45 days? Moratorium and I support moratorium councilmember Fife. I just want to share that. And if you guys should have this and if the public wants Trinity could set some of the deaths and this e-mail went out September Friday to 18 said the city Attorney City administrator. Thank you for For for reading your inquiry. I have to say Councilmember Houston, I respect your desire to find out more about developments in my district. That particular project is not a formal proposal to the city of Oakland. So I will ask staff to to give more details about your particular request. But it would have to come as a request as a member of the public. That is not something within our jurisdiction or as as this body as a life enrichment committee or the city of Oakland has council to request towards city staff. The Bering Project that you're speaking of has not officially applied, are put in an application to the city of Oakland for a project that makes your request. Put it this way. Your request would have to be made as you yourself as an individual talking spit specifically our city staff. I'll ask our city attorney are planning director to give more information on that. It's thank you. And we go, Chris director of planning and building City Oakland and MAY please chair and the committee welcome everyone. I what's been submitted was a determination request for the termination. It's not an application for a project and then nature of council members are members the request. I had also suggested Bible so with the city attorney office as well. Graham, it is. How are have with me also deputy city attorney. I'm always you can speak a little bit more to the specifics of how that would apply. But I do appreciate the poor. Making the request. Yes. To the chair, I just wanted to be proactive because I heard about it. And don't understand. Councilmember Gallo than councilmember long. And then Councilmember, thank you thank you for the information. I'm in full support of the moratorium. Thank you for bringing that forward. And clearly it's an opportunity for the city of Oakland to clearly define with the open space to open land that we do have. What is our priority to invest in? And and so I think this is opportunity as we went through the trying to define our economic development plan is to clearly be specific. This within district, there is property available that belongs to the city that belongs to the public, that we are to be more specific and what are our goals for the future? What development are we looking for to develop and the sites that are open so and at the same time, Chairperson Fife, it's a it gave me an opportunity to look at what other cities have dent within California within United States of America. And certainly I appreciate that. The resolution of bringing forward and I support for thank you. And that support your recommendation. Thank you. Thank you. Yeah. Thank you so much. Chair Fife, initiating this and putting forward this emergency moratorium. I did want to just clarify when it comes to the amendment that's published in the packet. I do have a new version director Gil Kristen, I actually worked over the weekend to work out a version of the amendment works for the staff timelines Ri think there's a question in terms of what happens after the 45 days. I just want to remind this group that I come from an environmental Protection Agency background. I spoke with him are meant to partake action agency, former colleagues of mine and so. This amendment is really about after the 45 days or once we get to the 45 day period. What comes next? What's the approach that the city is going to take in terms developing a regulatory framework? And the other thing that I think is incredibly important to study is what are the local impacts here in the city of Oakland? Because there's lots of information out there in terms of data centers, the impact in rural communities, the impact that a national level. I think we need to have more information here in the city of Oakland in terms of what's our energy load capacity, what is our water? Our water resources look like constrains on the What's What does it look like in terms of our impacts to rate payers. All of this is information and data that I want specific to the city of Oakland as we move forward in terms of making just informed decisions a body. And so that is why those amendments are being added and director Gil. Chris, I don't know if you want to add any commentary here, but we've worked out language that is amenable to the staff and he's not going to push any timelines that they're not able to work with. Just respond in direct Gilchrist. If if you need to respond, that's fine. But I want to be clear that I've been working on this legislation and it's the strongest form of legislation that we can push right now. Councilmember Wang, I believe that your additions are redundant to say you want to study the impacts of energy uses consumption or all of those things are in this legislation. So to say that you want it reported out is what this moratorium is about. And I don't understand why we need to restate. The amendments that you made. And so I want to be clear that I don't support making those amendments at this time. It's short notice. I've been working on this for over a month and I think it's important to understand that staff have to move based on what we're asking them. And that's what I did with this legislation. And so asking them to come back with a report that state law already requires us to do in 35 days is again redundant and it it forces them to stop what they're doing in order to go through the rules process and to do all of the different what we can go straight to council. But the point is, I believe that this is redundant and achieve the outcomes that your stating that you want to achieve in the existing legislation. So I want to be clear to the rest of the body that what council member wants amendments do are already stated in the legislation. So they don't need to be restated through amendments. It's there currently I'm not sure if you knew about the state law that requires us because of urgency finding. But they have to come back sooner. So I don't rush legislation. I don't do last-minute amendments unless it's absolutely critical. As it's stated, these are not. 2 new educator us what is stated in that state law the the days and what's embedded in that doesn't include a community engagement plan, a community outreach plan. I think councilmember long, my activity shows that I've been engaged in community outreach. I've been to other community meetings and the public can share that with you. But I'm going to continue that process. I just had a community engagement meeting, a town hall this past this past Sunday. I'm going to continue that. It's I've stated that on my social media pages that this is something that's in conversation with the mayor's office about how to do that work and how to make it more inclusive of more community voices. I've been asked to make sure that the business community and folks that were there at the town hall this Sunday, heard 2 different speakers. Ask to ensure that the business community was a part of these conversations as well. If you know me at that is what I do. That as a community. I come from is around engage in community voice in the legislation that I bring forward. So I'm not new to to to this. So if there's something that that is not happening in the legislation that you can point out that is not already happening and not already in here. Clarify that. But how your amendments are drafted right now. They're just restating what is already in the legislation. So I understand it looked this, my amendment is not a critique of your legislation. Thank you for putting it forward. I thank you for putting this before. This body. I don't want you to see. My amendment says any is criticism of your legislation. However, when we reviewed the state legislation, it does not require that we need to include any sort of local reporter around again, localized impacts to public health noise, pollution, air pollution, water supply, residential commercial water rates. And as well as our local energy system. And as you spoke about as well as backup generators and supplemental energy sources. So I. I don't believe that this is redundant. I don't see the harm in terms of asking that 45 days from now that we as a body mean and we have a work plan presented to us by the city administration. But I'll leave it to d. Thank you. Appreciate your statement asked me to read the state law. So I want to if k top could put, I said, I didn't want to accept amendment. I meant from anybody else. I have amendments because I want to clarify what the city charter says what we are supposed to do as a as a body. So if t up the red line amendments that I am making to my own legislation. I would appreciate that. So you can see here with one to 3, the 4th, whereas clause is we state that pursuant to the city Charter Section 2, 1, 3, an ordinance declared by the city Council to be necessary for preserving the public peace health or safety in an emergency and containing a statement of the reasons constituting such a necessity, maybe introduce an adopted at the same meeting of past by the affirmative vote of at least 6 members. And I want to differentiate that because with state law with the urgency motion that I'm asking for today. We need this to pass the full City council with 7 votes. But in terms of the city charter for this emergency member motion, we need a super majority of 60 votes we can scroll down to Page 4 that states that the city has received inquiries. Preliminary proposals and application information regarding the potential establishment of data center uses within existing and new buildings in the city. But the in the new language includes preliminary proposals and application information. Again, no formal application has been made to the city of Oakland. We can scroll down to the further edition that I have. And I'm stating these before public comments. So you all know the amendments that I'm I'm making to my legislation pursuant to government code 6, 5, 8, 5, 8, And city, city charter section 2, 1, 3, the city sees immediate need on an emergency basis, too. We can scroll down because that's just adding more about Section 2.13, of the city charter and Section one. And the following statement says the urgency finding an emergency necessity which just re states the need for this being an urgency in the moment right now. And the addition and this section is in accordance with government code 6, 5, 8, 5, 8, and section 2.13, of the Oakland City charter we're adding and the definition section uses strike through and adding existing when it comes water heating ventilation, hvac electrical supply section 5. We're adding information to the exemptions. So we're striking throughout. Okay. Didn't adding existing section 8. We're adding a new section that requires the written report. So this gets more too. What you were mentioning councilmember want pursuant to California Code Section 6, 5, 8, 5, 8, subdivision to be the city administrator or designee is authorized and directed to prepare a written report describing the measures taken to alleviate the conditions which led to the adoption of this urgency, interim ordinance for presentation to the city Council. No later than 10 days prior to the expiration of this ordinance or any extension thereof. That is a requirement by this urgency measure today. We'll scroll down to the effective date. And so it goes on to restate the charter section to 13 inclusive of an affirmative vote of 6 members of the full City Council, which will be on OCTOBER 6. Pursuant to city Charter section to 13. So what I will do at this time. I'm sorry. There's a few more. We're just adding articles. This is an interim ordinance. We reference section to 13 of the city charter we also reference supported by the necessary findings. We re reference existing electrical supply and strike threw a couple words at that at that. The lack the 3rd. Sentence of the last paragraph. So those are the amendments and I will for this to all of the members of the committee. But according to the urgency measure for state law, this body is required to bring back a written report about why this urgency measure was needed in the first place. And so I'm not asking for our planning department to do an urgency measure for Emeryville or Berkeley. It's about the impacts to the city of Oakland. That is the redundancy that I'm talking about. This is required by state law and we can continue to deliberate this conversation. But I want to take other folks. I want to give you the opportunity to read that particular section. I want to ask our city attorney to come to the microphone to clarify what I just stated and take a council member Brown's comments before we come back to you. Councilmember long. Yes, It's also invited to the Oakland Police Department management community meeting. Someone have to leave. You have a quorum and fight. You have my full support and the item. But do you have a quorum to? And what times you have to leave Oakland Police Department. They're having a management meeting at their head with time community. You have 5 o'clock. Ok? Let's go ahead and hear from Councilmember Brown. And then I want to hear from the public and thank you for your support. Councilmember guy. Perfect. Well, first off, thank chair and to members of the public. I'm I'm not on the life enrichment committee, but it was important for me to be here, too. One, of course, continue let hear your feedback. But I think first off, I just want thank you, Councilmember 5 for your leadership in bringing this moratorium. I want to start by saying that, of course, I fully support support because when all of us, you know, found through the article that what was What was going to be proposed? I think it was a shock to all of us in from what we all the city of Oakland at this time does not have specific regulations about this. And some fully in support. Now, I to the Chair Council or 5. I did have some questions because what we i don't know if we if you would be interested in because I am interested in report of existing infrastructure within the city of Oakland because as you know, the location, the prior use of the 20th Street location was a form of data center and like online, it shows that it was using like 4.5 kilowatts of energy. And so I've like I think I have this this question and I would love for our departments to come back when they do and provide within the city of Oakland. What types of data centers are currently we do. We currently have because I guess I I as I was fairly further researching it. The you know, as you mentioned, it's not really an application, but this proposal that is in question with bearing its proposed to use about 20 kilowatts, right. And so I guess I have this question of can we get a lay of all of within the city of Oakland? How many existing data centers are can't do we currently have? What was that approval process, right? Because the prior one do the Sciences was in awe variation from 2000 to 2025. So for 15 years. And so I I feel like and as we begin to, as you mention, there will be various regulations that we will need to move forward with and really create parameters. So I am curious how we negotiated that in the past. Attorney Mo director Gilchrist, if you could respond to these questions, those are also questions that. I've discussed in community and with. The developer around this particular project. But yes, it that could be stated publicly appreciate it. All right. Appreciate that. And again, to the chair to council member Brown on the nature of the request, I guess if you can, to strike the hearing it, we'd certainly would need to get sense just into record. What the capacity is that there's some time frame that you have in mind in particular how far back we might go to to investigate this? I do know that there centers as with one center Second Avenue that has. Computers and servers been around for a while. I we can do some investigation again the top of my head with the scope of that would be or how long it would entail. But it's something that we could certainly review as part of our largest study. There's window during the 45 days that we're looking at putting together the work plan that will include a very robust engagement. Program, scheduled out a very robust scientific investigation. As well. Looking both currently in forensically in terms of but the Conditions are in terms of facilities and capacity. And that will ensue in in studies to move forward. You have to go through the moratorium. To pull that the regulations together and some of that would entail looking at current conditions as well. But how comprehensive study be looking for. That's something that we would probably need to talk about to get an idea of what the scale is. I agree and i think it's just a part of the community education, right? Because as I was, you know, since since, you know, last year, maybe a few of you remember, I had brought some legislation establishing very, very eyes economic activation zone and want an end. 3 of those are responsible ai activation zones in or out our educational institutions. But the goal in focus there around community education, right? And so there's a whole infrastructure with community-based organizations that for the last over 6 months that I've been working on. And so I just I feel I just want to make sure that we are educating the public based on like, hey, what is currently existing in our city. So as we begin to have this conversation around, what is allowable? We need to know like where we're starting now. Appreciate that point. Again to the chair to the council member. And one of the that you mention in terms of the outreach, we also will be engaging. All of you see courses and resources you have. Chair Fife mention the meeting that she's had. Refer to the group associated with the zones that have been established. I know many of you on this ties to a very well connected in terms of your community organizations. And we will be meeting when you also to get this information out ideas. Whatever we bring forward is for the purpose of the community to be able to respond to and also give us feedback on. But we do want to do a good baseline research moving out to community organizations to the neighborhood associations and neighborhood groups to make sure we have robust engagement process as possible. Director Gilchrist. One last question that came to my mind was around like staffing expert, right? This is Hammond looking at this. This is now the topic of conversation not just in the state of California, but nationwide. Yes. And so how we begin within the city of Oakland really have an expert in this as we begin to establish regulations. No, absolutely. This because this is true that she conversations unpacking what steps will be bringing forward. We're going to be looking at the 45 day moratorium period to really make sure that the work plans online for all these very serious. But the outreach, the research related regulatory review, dovetailing with what has been passed by the state of California now to make sure that there's a that we also leverage with. They've gone to the best advantage for Oakland and very much with an Oakland perspective as you say, this is going on nationally. But the relative impact, it's specific to the place where it's happening. And we're going to be very, grounded in terms of the work there, specifically a question about expertise. One of the things because this is area also that it's emerged believable level of robust focus. We want to make sure that we do have the expertise to address the questions that's always been understood. Part of the exercise also during the more 20 period will be to identify what those areas that discipline are that we need to bring in and not just in this one, the scientific or engineering. And but we also want to make sure with our outreach engagement so forth that we really are staffed up to do. Is important work and some of that will probably entail looking at consultants and supplemental working on the outside. Obviously, once adopt these regulations, it's going to be critical. Also for us to have staff on board who can make sure that they're properly implemented and monitored. So where we have thresholds that facilities have to meet. We look forward also with collaboration and engagement with pg e with at mud with other the other major utilities in the city. To having to face that, we have people on board who wants to have expertise to interpret those rules and regulations and see how they apply to individual projects that are coming through for a review. Excellent, that make sense. And then also remember Eva Community energy. I'm on that Ward is with now. Yes. All right. Okay. Well, thank you so much for the time in answering that questions. Thank you. Chair Fife and in the community engagement, peace. There are several environmental organizations that need to be a part of the continued outreach and engagement around this. This issue. And I want us to remember that this moment, this urgency and this moratorium, it's very straight forward. Attorney Maria asked you to come up. I'm sorry. You have to do this. Stand up. Sit down thing. But if you could clarify. The amendments, I kind of just ran through them about why we had to add the additional charter section to 13 and how there's a requirement for staff to come back with the report prior to the ending 10 days prior to the ending of the moratorium. Yes, there is Brian Murray from the city attorney's office through the chair, those amendments that were added to councilmember Fife's legislation are required by charter. This is an emergency ordinance. So we want to make sure that this ordinance being passed potentially in one reading at council complies with the city charter. So that's the reason for that amendment. And then the other as well. There's a state law, a requirement that the legislative body produce a report within 10 days before the 45 day moratorium is up. So we wanted to make sure that was clear. That report doesn't really specify what. Specifically as needed, except that it needs show that we've analyzed why the 45 day moratorium was needed. Also like to keep in mind, too, that typically this is an emergency. 45 day moratorium moratoriums can go up to 2 years. So what would happen then leading up to the 45 day? Is there be a return 2 council to see if we want to extend the moratorium? That would also require affirmative vote of 7 council members. And so the moratorium can last for up to 2 years. As for a lot of the questions that have been raised I'm sure will be raised during public comment as well. Those really provide evidence of potentially the need for a moratorium. We MAY not have all the answers to those questions tonight, but that's that 2 a shows justification of the need to hit pause so we can come back with further studies to analyze data centers in Oakland and their impacts. You want to ask you councilmember Houston it to the chair. And that's exactly what I was going ask. Is that on the 45 days? Can we extend it again? Another 45 days? Because sometimes you can extend things answered my question council member Brown brought something that was really interesting because this is all new to. To all of us, especially me. That the facilities that are current. This currently operating. West, highs of mw that their facilities are working things to Gilchrist could answer that question. If you know, what are they out that the current was because I'm going to take the prerogative as the chair to say we have a very limited scope and I also want I limited the amount of of speaker time because of our limited time is 5.15, now and councilmember Houston. What you're asking is outside of the scope of this moratorium and it's something that you can have a conversation with staff about. But asking this, this is about do we want to pass a moratorium or not? It's it's it's really simple. Is there enough information that we know to hit the pause button? Asked for the council to consider. Pumping the brakes. All of that extra information. This is the same thing I was trying to share with Councilmember Wang is putting the cart before the horse and we need to give the staff the opportunity to tell us what is out there. What is needed by Oakland, what is their work plan for even coming to us with all of this information? All we're considering today is do we want to start with the state maximum of a 45 day urgency finding for a moratorium? That is the confines of this agenda item today. So while I believe your question is valid. We got to get to our public speakers and that is a question that should be asked to our staff outside of this agenda item. COUNCILMAN, 5 respect what you stand. But I do been it's What I want to ask. Yes, sir. You do. And it should be about the agenda item that we're discussing and is what councilmember and it mentioned something about some current facilities. And I just want to know since he was appearing, others ask questions and I have 8 minutes just like everybody else. I wanted to ask him just that one question because it piqued my curiosity about the mwc of what is currently being ran. The city and the same. Same for Councilmember Brown. That is information that will come after we get through answering. Do we want a moratorium? Do we want a moratorium? That whole journey support it? You already said that I mentioned okay. So we're going to put a pin in that will come back to that. And right now, I want to move to a public speakers. Councilmember Wang. We will come back to your comments after we hear from our public speakers because we have about an hour of public speakers. All right. I will call your name. And as I call your name, please approach the podium. I'm going to read the name in patches. So unless I call your name and that that you don't need to stand, please state your name before you begin. If your name is not listed in this batch, I will not. You will not be allowed to speak. You have to wait until your name is called. And as stated by the chair, the time of the one minute and 30nd seconds. I have Kevin Dally Mississauga ohl of Allah time. Khan I how's mission? Name Prescott chair Eric. No nowhere near Jesse Rose. More than s Emily when it Nicole go go. Angela at locks, Nicole Deen Solis said today. Cynthia Hoffman, Marc Schober, esa, Sharma met on the Stacy Gerald put pitch Nick and Mindy Petchenik and Deborah Gilbert in any water by called Your name. Please approach the podium in lineup and then again, state. Your name before you begin. And if you're participating via zoom, please raise your hand. So I think identify you. Good morning. Afternoon is a gap. Doubt. Thank you, Kevin DeLeon, thanks. Especially to Councilmember Pfeiffer bringing up this topic and having a press conference. Let's pass the resolution with this suggested amendments don't change anything more. I really appreciate all the comments from all of the council members that have spoken of course, I said don't change anything but mention some things I'm hoping to see during the moratorium, but don't change the resolution. Our electric prices shouldn't get any higher. We should have even energy involved in doing the plan. Councilmember Brown is on the eve aboard. She should lead the effort that Ava to what get things. Lawrence, Berkeley, National Labs has a data center group. They can work with communities. We shouldn't use drinking water for data centers, East Bay Mud produces lots of recycled water, not on 20th Street, but in West Oakland. Indeed 3, there's a big stretch of recycled water available in the Southern. The 2. We have a stretch recycled water available. If we go ahead with data centers, let's use recycled water. No gas or diesel generators data center. They just quality. Don't drop powers during power during peak periods doubt will raise electric prices. Thanks. Thank you, MR. Dalli next speaker. Please. If I called your name, please approach the podium. Yes. That's Tom Kuhn resident of Oakland since 2012 resident of Bay area since 1977. Re 2 daughters here. What could have 4 grandkids on the Bay area. So this issues important to me. I really appreciate you fight for bringing this up, suggest the moratorium and everybody support for it. I think that's the right decision. And as it's written, let's do it. Pass it. You've mentioned, you know, all the things that all of us are here to talk about right? And so we don't want to end rates to go up anymore. Anybody that's building these should be supplying their own power, their own water. Recycled water is a good suggestion, but it shouldn't be put on a rate payers to have to. For these. Prof for-profit corporations that want to build these these ai deficit or so, yes, do the if you need to extend it, please do because there's a lot to learn here. And as we've seen it, it's less popular look. Nuclear power now in this country. So thank you very much. Thank Thank you for your comments next. Speaker. My name is Emily. I live and work Oakland and I strongly urge this committee to pass Councilmember Fife's emergency moratorium community members. Unions and nonprofits are all united against the tech billionaire takeover. Not just of Oakland, but the entire country. We know what's at stake under cap was control development will never benefit the people of Oakland. Any short-term benefits that open seas will disappear once replaces all of our chops, consumes all of our water and electricity industries. Our planet. Oakland has a powerful legacy of radical people's movements with the founding of the Black Panther Party to the 1946 general strike. I urge you to continue this legacy by leading the struggle against billionaire-backed ai development and banning our data centers in the city so we can move to statewide ban and fanned across the entire country because the people of Oakland and the people across the country are united in our vision for the future. We don't want money and jobs for building data centers. We want money and jobs for education, health care and public transportation. 580 billion dollars is being invested this year to build data centers at the same same time we are facing cuts to ac transit. Public services Ust. Please stand with us challenging this corrupt profit driven system that will ultimately destroy us. All. If I called post think you. Then yes, district 5. I really appreciate the proposed data center moratorium and I'd like to see it strengthened by adding provisions for enforcement back when for 15, 23 was a national lab supercomputing facility. The scientists using it at least had some kind of commitment to the truth. But I can't say the same for those cashing in on the ai gold rush of today. The open side this time, lots of clues that barring companies is planning a data center for 15 20th Street. But burning has not been forthright with the public about their plans. Not before that press conference and not after and I don't expect them to be forthright on their permit applications either. When a company like burying it applies to build an innovation campus with a little old moratorium exempt server and then actually builds miscellaneous buildings next to a data center. What happens? When a company powers that so-called server room with unpermitted gas generators. Look at the data. One data center in New Jersey or the Colossus Data Center in Memphis. What happens? This moratorium needs to have teeth with that because data center developers have gotten used to saying Bologna doing whatever they want and then facing no meaningful consequences. Thank you your comments next. Speaker. My name is the cloak earmine Oakland resident. I'm also the California director of food and Water. Watch. We have over 200,000 members and supporters across the state of California and we have been organizing to stop data centers across the country, including in places like New York, which recently passed a the moratorium on a statewide moratorium on data centers. And then the governor actually instituted by executive order, a moratorium on data centers. So this is a movement across the state. I encourage you to look to the city of Monterey Park in California, which followed the same path instituted a 45 day moratorium, which was then extended by the city council. And in this case, they actually put a measure on the ballot in the voters in Monterey Park voted to institute the first ban on data centers in the United States. So there is a road map for us. It is very clear from the people in this room that the people in Oakland want projects that support people that don't support billionaires, that support clean water, clean environment, build housing, the things that we actually in which we desperately need in the city of Oakland. So I encourage you to look to that model. And I also want to thank the members of the committee for their support of words. Thank you. Thank you for your comment. Highmark Slosberg also with food and water. Watch data centers have been shown across the country have significant impacts on our water, water usage and water pollution on our energy consumption, fossil fuel, energy consumption with poisons our climate increasing the energy demand, which leads to higher electricity rates, noise pollution among other many, many harms. And what are communities being asked to sacrifice for the leaders of these ai companies have made it very clear that their ultimate job, the their ultimate goal, the vision for all this is to replace people's jobs. So communities are being asked to sacrifice so their jobs can be eliminated. This is unfair and something that we shouldn't doing going. I'm here to fully support your motion for 45 day moratorium. And I hope that this will be used to develop a very robust study plan to determine not how, but data center should be deployed at all in the city of Oakland and how communities and the environment can be fully protected. Across the country. Communities have been standing up to big tech saying no to data centers in terms of protecting their community, stopping high electricity rates topping high water rates and stopping destruction of communities. This has happened in New York and Pennsylvania communities across the state have done this. Indiana, North Carolina. Yesterday, Texas, the governor announced that they're going to have a pause on permits for data centers. Surely if the state of Texas can do that, the city of Oakland can do that. Thank you very much. Thank you for your comments. Good afternoon, everyone. My name is a south Schama and a resident district. One, a member of the party for Socialism and Liberation. And I'm here today to urge the council members to vote in favor of Councilmember Fife's moratorium and move towards a permanent ban of ai data centers in our city. In one week at the start of AUGUST, real estate billionaire tech billionaire and the world's first truly an air announced plans to develop various projects relating to ai in Oakland. What do we know about these billionaires and millionaires and their projects? We know that none of them live in Oakland. We know very little about the circumstances of the ai data centers and manufacturing businesses. They proposed this alone is reason enough for us to stop them dead in their tracks. But even if we don't get all the specifics, we know how billionaires move. Billionaires are willing to kill for capital. They will displace are people poison our planet and star of us to meet their bottom line. That is what the billionaires will do. They are bringing investment to our city not to make us rich but too much themselves are laboring resources. It doesn't matter the size of the data center. And MAY also add that a 20 megawatt data center downtown is not small, but the equivalent of 20,000 homes worth of energy. It doesn't matter the size of the data center. It's about whether or not we're going to allow our city to become a playground for the ultra-rich 7,000 of us have signed a petition asking you to stand on the side of the people and stop the capitalist. This advancement of ai in our city, not all 7,000 of us can attend a meeting mid-afternoon on a Tuesday. So I am bringing those voices into the room. I'm So your time ended. Thank you so much. Madeline. Stacey, everyone saying everything the war. Already thinking and know something right to the point. This is low hanging fruit. This is super easy are really hope and pray that full city council something if you will vote for this because this is just a pause. And nothing more for some more information to be obtained and researched. It's really, really easy. So I hope that we can do this. This is the horse and the next is the cart in the cart is a permanent ban on all data centers. Oaklanders don't want it to center. Saif. I don't care. But when even watch, we know that it's not the mega data centers that we're talking about. Other areas. We don't want one of any size and then also we need to address the land, use entitlements separately from this moratorium. 4 other physical robotics ai robotics autonomous development. We don't want. Development at the cost displacement and I think 5 set something to that. We don't want the billionaire's here. We need to address after this land entitlements of that project meet the We don't know exactly what's going to be and project optimist again, we don't have transparency there can't come in and bulldoze over. Our workers. Our land, our rights and our clean air and energy and water. Uk's Monday, pitching candidate for Oakland mayor. And I don't think we need a moratorium and I know that's not very popular in this room, but we do not need a moratorium. I want to give you an example that nobody has brought up yet. The state of Virginia the state of Virginia has been treating data centers is an engineering problem rather than just a proof that the industry cannot be. But host it talk about jobs. With gin you did. The industry now supports 74,000 jobs across the Commonwealth directly and indirectly. It generates about 5.5 billion in annual labor income. And 9.1 billion to the Virginia gdp and in Loudoun County, the data centers 16 billion to the real property portfolio in a single year bringing the assessed value of 41 billion producing almost half of the county property tax revenue and allowing the county to cut real property tax rates. Now I could go on, but that is the fact of the matter what Oakland needs is not more taxes. We need industry. We need manufacturing. We need works in the 21st century. Not which should changed to the name is smart intelligence with physical ai, we can be have new breakthroughs in industry, manufacturing, medicine, mining. And this is Oakland. Talk about the environment go outlook in the streets, the drugs, the dumping, the garbage. That's what's hurting the environment and what's hurting Oakland is not is having so many taxes. We've driven our revenue base out. We need to bring it. Thank you for your comments. Your time is up. Order. And the chamber. This is general pension at the other pets, you and if you love Mindy, you really love me. I'm going to use the Edgar Allan Poe a principal of the purloined letter. And that principle is if you want hide something. Like from this body. You put it in a place that it's so obvious. Like if you want to hide a letter, you put it on the front desk right in front of everyone in local look by the couch and looking Under the bed. I'm just great too. Thanks to Darwin Barney Graham of Oakland site, Alex, Montana of Open report and also MISTER Grok. Those are my 3 sources. First thing that hasn't been stated here is there's 260 data centers in California. There's 3 I in data centers in the United States been running since 1946, so Oakland is like it's not even the caboose. It's what can't even see it from the caboose. It's got one. So we need urn moratorium. We need a dry for development. We need industry that we need apprenticeships. We need a future you your time is up MR. Petchenik next speaker, please. Nicole Dean and I have a times he did to me from Celeste just to balance out the pitch next is Celeste in the room. Celeste. Thank you so much. Thanks, Nicole Dheanamh a district 3 resident. I'm here in strong support of the data center moratorium. I'm really glad that everyone on this committee supports this legislation the unanimous support of this committee shows that organizing works and we're going to need to do a lot more of it because this is just the first step to give the city a chance to put protections in place for residents. And I really want to thank my council member Carroll Fife for writing this legislation. I know that it's taken 3 months of work to get to this meeting today. I want to share with you. I saw something that really warmed my heart. I saw this banner from the nose data centers are build and it said what if instead of data centers we could have 0, 0, dot and people wrote affordable housing grocery stores, public libraries. And it made me smile because those are the exact things that my councilmember is working to bring to West Open. So thank you for all the work you do. I also want to shout out Adams and East Bay dsa for running a competitive campaign for the district. 2 seat. Putting real pressure on the d to councilmember to take more progressive stances. Her amendments on this or performative in redundant. But I'm really glad that she's supporting a strong moratorium. This is someone who went from shutting down respite housing for disabled Unhoused elders to now positioning herself as tough on ai. So that's the name Adams effect. And it's awesome. I appreciate it. It is so important for us as a movement to run and win campaigns so that we don't have to come in here and aggressively begged this council to do bare minimum things like past this moratorium on data centers. That being said, I understand that council members are under a lot of pressure to bring in new revenue because of the structural budget deficit. And I want you to know that in 2024 ai data centers used 4.4% of U.S. Electricity to support less than one percent of jobs. So not all development is good development, right? If it displaces people from their jobs and homes, if it raises their energy costs and poisons their water, that's not good business. We need time to create regulations that protect people. And if the people of Oakland want to ban, I guess we got to do a ban. Please vote yes. On the moratorium to protect open residents from the harmful impacts of unregulated ai infrastructure. Thank you. Hi, my name is Angela Maddox. I live in Oakland, I'm and sub port of them on the Tour. Am. I honestly feel like this is just really common sense thing to do right now. There's a lot of questions about what's going on and these companies trying to go and they're not going go anywhere. If we take 45 days, we take 2 years. They're still going want to come in and invest. So we need to take this time to make the right decisions. If we let in a huge pollution driven data center, we're going to be locked into that type of center and the centers have to be replaced every 5 years or places servers that ships. It creates tremendous amount pollution. And there are more eco friendly data centers being produced out there. They're trying put one into will coal mines in Appalachian. These only use 2000 gallons of water a day and said the 300,000 it's 150 times less. It's insane. And there's another company that's encouraging homeowners to put small data centers in their spare bedrooms or wherever they're not using and paying them to this. There's a many more opportunities out there. If you take the time to look for them and decide what we want to let in. And also speaking in Virginia, they pass on the costs to households. 55% of the costs of upgrading for the tech companies were paid for by just average person. Households with the poor scummy hit the worse, their pain up to 15% of their income just for their electricity just for their heating and the cooling. And they're really having a crisis out there with that. Hi, how are you? Jesse Rose more. I was really happy to see the nonsense amendments Republican Council member Charlene Wang to be fully addressed. We're watching the legislation that she's been putting forward over the last year and a half. It is performative. It is you native and it is half baked and these amendments that she's putting forward where both the former and the latter, all in one, it is obvious that she is worried about being challenged from the left and she is now doing this to vie for 4 more years of selling us out. We've seen what she's done with the flock. I've talked to her office and told her not to do something that sells itself, that our community, the ice, that status in the back so that ice can shoot us in the face. We know where she stands. And so I'm glad to see that these nonsense amendments are out of this legislation. I've talked to hundreds of my neighbors in Oakland about what this city council is doing. And I have never talk to anyone as disingenuous as Charlene Wang. Ever. So she has a right to be worried about a real challenger to the sea that she got. Under GOD knows what circumstances. But you know what? We're going to take this back. You now. Aren't we? Let's take this back. That's right. I want to thank you, Jessi, for your comments overall. But I also want the public to know let's try to not have this personal. I want to stay focused on the facts of the data centers. So I just wanted to share that for the public. But I also thank you about the thank you for the factual statements you made inside of that. Hello, my name is Quinn. I did. And the executive director of Fossil Free, California. And I'm a resident Emeryville. Just 2 houses outside of Oakland, smart money I want to start by thanking you all in the council. Councilmember Fife are introducing the data center moratorium and the other council members here for voicing your support for this data center moratorium and look forward to hearing your support in the vote. I also wanted to turn and thank everyone here who has come out in support of the data center moratorium. I know this is then a time commitment. And and like a moment for us to shop together. And I know there's thousands of others who are sending behind us, although not here in person today fossil Free, California spent the last decade fighting the fossil fuel industry in California. And we've taken on the data center issue because data centers threatened to bring back the polluting fossil fuel industry into our communities. And as someone who struggles with asthma and I'm worried that if we bring more fossil fuel and energy production into our neighborhoods in order to power data centers I and many other of my community members Asma would become worse. There be other health impacts to that as well. And I hope that you hear our concerns and passed the center moratorium and oppose expansion of fossil fuel, infrastructure and of data centers here in California. Thank you. Thank you for your comment. Heights. Cynthia Coffman, a district 3 resident and also a member of Fossil Free, California. We've as queen just said, we've been fighting for many years against the political power, the fossil fuel industry. They're the biggest don't. They were the biggest donor to California politics until this last year. Now they've been eclipsed 10 times over by the tech industry. The Big 10 take industry is just washing over our communities and this country with money. So it's really important that we stand firm on this. Everybody's talked. There's been lots of great points made about data center. Just wanted to also bring into this room, some comments that other folks have made about militarism, surveillance and ice that that, you know, besides ai, perhaps to storing humanity, also destroying jobs. It's also and increase in the need for fossil fuels. It also is in deep alignment with militarism, ice in surveillance. And so it's really important that we get this whole industry out of our community supers, really support the work that the for the ban. Excuse me for the moratorium and most of us are going to be coming back and asking for a ban because really nobody wants a I and we should also Oakland should do at least as well as Texas. Right? Thank you. Thank you so much for your comments. There is the speaker online. Eric. I will call you next. But I'm going to read in the next batch of So please line up after a call your name. I have missed a step aside. Please repeat Going. I could wait. I'm always waiting. So anyway, all. Confuse. Because as I said before long. I brought this issue up in life enrichment on JUNE. The 23rd. Requesting that you schedule. Some form of conversation about data centers and how all through this country issues about use of water, electricity noise, one being considered by communities. And nothing happened. I brought it up again at another Nothing happened. So it makes me think. Is this something you sincerely want to do? Are you being pushed to do it? Are you being pushed to do it? Because you can't say we are responding to the community because I brought it to you in JUNE. I'm concerned now this is not one of my big issues, but I applaud people. And what has to happen community as you have to stay on board and don't wait until it really comes be full on. Don't respond to stuff. We stuff before it happens. Get involved, stay involved. I question. Why we didn't do it. When was brought to you Thank you so much for your comments. Mississauga. So again, I'm going to read the names for those who signed up doing that a The current time. I do have one more speaker. Called who was on lines all call the next. But I'm going to go to the next batch of speakers. So if you're in the room and I call your name, please line up at the podium. Eric, Erica. A death to data Centers. Kai Unit. Marina Muniz in the Cambridge, Cambridge, me chew Diego. A gusto. Some Flores, Martinez. Adele Watts. Jenny Sullivan. In. And percent and Nydia Tisdale. Gustavo Gutierrez, Renee Co Megan Phillips, an id you Jen. Derry, direct sorry, Diana Mesa. Peter Brown, Olivia. Laura. Parker, Brightman and Maria Lovelace. I will call the next speaker online. Eric Yuan media MAY be in your one minute and 30 seconds. All right. Good evening. Chair and council members. I'm Eric now mayor, the Silicon Valley leadership group representing our regional innovation economy. First would like to acknowledge the challenges you face in this time of rapid change in like to thank you for your hard work. As you consider your options know that sb lg and our members are here as a resource for you. Done. Right? Data centers deliver significant tax revenues and infrastructure upgrades without harming local residents. Quality of life. So can valleys. Leading companies are already deployed, real innovative and at scale solutions to drastically reduce water consumption address other key concerns. We asked for your participation in a thoughtful, timely dialog between government and your industry partners so can both support residents and welcome business. Thank you. Thank you for your comments next. Speaker is a proposed 20, please. Hello. My name even Cambridge. Can raise the mic so you can. Hello. My name is even Cambridge of Born and raised in Oakland, Oakland, native. Let me get straight to the point. I im for the moratorium. The 45 day moratorium. However, I am against an outright ban. A lot of you are cheering for Texas that's kind of a low iq take. We shouldn't be cheering for Texas. The fact is bans the outright bans don't generally work. Technology is a tidal wave that is coming. Whether you like it or not. I'm a longtime Uber driver. I was driving lift before Uber even allowed people to drive. And in this very hall, there are people who are against Uber in lifted. Now, some of you take Uber and Lyft to work every day. What we need in what COUNCILMAN Ken Houston was talking about. We need to know information about the usage of the facilities. Also, we need to accept the fact that like Mississauga said where we are right now is a sign of the failure in leadership of the city Council. You've had the opportunity to create guidelines and I will read you some guidelines that easily find the bull on wed that you could have put in the legislation. One of the main ones is mandating a energy substation at all. Dant. I'm sorry, even your time has ended next speaker. Please. Hi, I meet you. I'm a voter in district 5 represen the Gayle Councilmember get. Thank you, Carol Fife introducing proposal for a moratorium I wholeheartedly supported. I also am here on behalf of my many neighbors who could not make it today because of work but are very concerned about data center is the moratorium is really reasonable. We all have seen the threat to the environment and humans that data centers pose. But in addition to that, I'll just say. The industry of ai is out of control. It is reckless, but it is not inevitable. How it is progressing. It is s# # # # # # of so much energy and so many natural resources because frankly, the way ai is being designed to much is inefficient and it's bad. The engineer, it. And what we need to do is regulate this and it's really communities at the front line of setting guard bills putting restrictions on data centers that are going to be the pushback to save it. Water is finite air is fine and we cannot. Just like give it away like this. So there are things like it's Thursday limited and either we reached the limit. Then when these data centers and industry gobble it up, where we put the limits now and protect our communities first, it's not inevitable that the industry has to develop this way. I also hope that we can consider the proposal of the data center in West Oakland is among those understudied. And I also echo of people who said Douglas is a researcher like in terms of Thank you for your comments. Your time is in next speaker. Hello. My name is and present and I'm in favor of this moratorium. I think there's very good reason why half of all proposed data centers in the country have been either. The later stopped by exactly what we're doing. Concerned residents. This obviously a very critical period for Oakland's. I think you can Councilmember Council, you fry putting this forward. We're going to set a precedent for what's acceptable in Oakland was standards are double in Oakland and what we will allow. And already we see with the first I center by varying company that they've tried to get around doing any environmental analysis. Any c e analysis live locally. I roll on the lake. I love our birds and are pelicans. And, you know, there are so many things that we don't know yet because they want tell us about what they're going to do, what the impact will be. And yes, it's about I I if I turn my heater on in my old apartment, my my bills are $600. So I don't turn my future on and I like walk around, pulled my apartment, right? There's like all of these concerns. But also it's unacceptable to not do an environmental assessment. It's unacceptable, especially when we don't really know yet what all of the data is. But we actually have a lot from the last 2 years. And I did honors only been a category for the past 2 years, but we already know that eggs turnout, all funky and birds can be really impacted their migration patterns by the noise, noise, by the way, is usually louder on a data center that's been retrofitted like the. Corner of Franklin and 20th Street would be right there. So many components that we really need to research if we're going to move forward at all. Thank you so much for your comments and first and your time is up. I'm back. Death to data centers. Good Evening City Council and thank you, Carol. Fife for the urgency measure to establish a temporary moratorium and taking the time recently to listen to residents at the community meeting. So thank you. Once again. I am a district 3 resident and public health nurse nurse who does not want to live next to a data Center, aka Surveillance Center, no matter what. What I also have concern who's going to do this environmental report, who's going to be the consultant on this? This is just the beginning to advocate for a demand for a permanent ban to data centers in our city. Elected officials are gambling with our lives foster innovation at the realms of the Techno League arcs and the greedy real estate developers. I think most of us agree. We need transparency and regulations as a public health nurse, I have worked directly with children and adults with respiratory diseases. Related to local pollution emissions implementing asthma care plans, finding creative ways to place an albuterol inhaler because insurance won't pay for it. What's next It's for noise. Pollution, Oakland says for life enrichment, no data centers, no call, no flock. And the spirits have just given me a message in ancestors. Please save. Eli thank you. My name Rihanna. And I'm a junior at Oakland High School. And here, too, is that the city Council, Real quick. Are you gonna sign up to speak for this item? Do you have a speeding car that you signed up to speak call your name? Okay. Let I do. Is I'm sorry. Dre on. Okay. Thank you. I'm here urge that the city council bans data centers in Oakland. I am experiencing firsthand. The generation coat depending on ai. Not only have I seen my classmates using for exams and homework. I also see them depend on ai as if it was a human being some days. I feel like I could seriously be losing my mind because no one seems to care that our generation is slowly losing. What makes us human. I can see my peers lose their creativity and originality because of usage. At least once a I have to tell my mom, mommy, it's so nice, man, meaning mom, that's not really in Spanish. The older generation can no longer distinguish what is real or not. So if we build data centers in Oakland, it will push the harmful agenda that our society needs. Generative ai. I hope that you guys take into consideration my point of view as a young person because the truth is that no one. The truth is that no matter what innovations a data center coming to Oakland, it will not be worth the high amounts of energy and water that will be drained. Thank you. My name is Jeanne Sullivan. As a member of the Laney College, Poor People's Campaign. I fully support Councilmember Carroll Fife's proposal for a data center moratorium as is. The proposal presents city with the unique opportunity to conduct a comprehensive study that prioritizes the health safety and needs of oaklanders. There are currently more than the 2 known data centers downtown cloud space can be rented. There are actually hundreds, if not thousands of data centers and data servers and Oakland that are operated by nonprofits, public organizations and the ones that we know of private for-profit exploitative Company of all the data centers varying greatly in size. Oaklanders currently have little to no control over how their data is being stored on these data centers being operated. And nor do open oaklanders receive much community benefits. This moratorium will enable us to review new developments should not displace existing residents and bring community benefits too poor houseless individuals, tenant, seniors and those with health challenges. Please take this first step to bring community benefits talking. Good evening. My name's Ned near Guy. Moved Oakland in 1979. Dimond district been there ever since. He used to spend a lot of time in front of this body in the late 90's. They didn't like my message. Then. Hopefully you listened to my message today. Benjamin Franklin began. What was now turned into data centers. Electricity. Pulled it from the sky. And many people were very scared. We have a lot of those steered people. Here in this office. Hopefully. The city Council. With wisdom. Can see the better future. We can. Be destroyed. Or we can move into the new electric age. Its data centers that run off of electricity. And your cell phone. You don't like the data center. Turn off your cell phone. Let's go back to the cave. It's time for humanity. To near heaven. Thank you so much for your comments next. Speaker. Please. Hello Council. My name is the levels that are that he I was born and raised in East Oakland and now raising my family here and working alongside with communities across Oakland's specifically in the flatlands with the Oakland Freedom Project. I'm asking you to vote yes on the 45 day, pause on the new data centers. Open communities have already faced pollution rising costs in years of being overlooked. The city should not approve projects that could put more pressure on our power grids. Raise utility bills or use a large amounts of water or worsen the air quality. Before we understand the full impact. I like I. I know technology, including ai can be useful, but technology should That technology should serve and benefit. Oakland residents not come at the cost of our health of our resources in our household bills. This pause gives the city some time to listen to residents, study the impacts and create strong protections for all of us. Please vote yes on the moratorium for public health, affordability and include our communities voices. Thank you. Thank you for your comments. Love when a Muslim Martinez de 7 resident born and raised in Deep East Oakland and a member of the Oakland Freedom Project. I want to say thank you to Councilmember 5 for work on the moratorium. I'm urging all of you to vote yes on the moratorium as a first that to ban on ai data centers in Oakland. Listen to your constituents. Don't be the ones to side with tech billionaires and pass entertainers that will further hurt our communities already facing many health and economic troubles. Thank you. Hello. My name is Megan Phillips, Oakland resident and a student at Laney College. I'm against the capitalist led development of ai that the pros as in a downtown represents the data center proposal. Musk and Bezos buying property in West Oakland. These are real estate and tech billionaires trying to buy our city. Not to improve the lives of working class people but to make maximum profit at our expense. I urge council members to pass Councilmember Fife's urgency, moratorium on centers is a critical first step towards a citywide permanent band of ai data centers of all sizes because as long as billionaires are in control, it's working class people who suffer. And I'm grateful to the organizers who rally before this council meeting who tied ai doesn't struggle to Payless genocide to the surveillance state to the attack on black and brown communities and to environmental racism. We see how these struggles are connected and we see that's the billionaires in power who our enemy and every single one of us in this room council members and members of the public alike need to stand together. Against them. We don't need the fate of we don't need the fate of our future energy and our livelihoods decide by big tech. We need to look to Oakland's revolutionary history and see that this mass movement cannot be complete until we have community control community resources. I want to future of liberation for everyone and I can see no better place to start than Oakland. I Peter Brown. 56 year resident of East Oakland raised 2 daughters 20 year professor of manufacturing technology at Laney College. It's vital that we understand that that the concerns about ai and data centers goes so far beyond environmental concerns. It's not even about the technology itself or the data centers themselves. It's about the companies that are driving it. These are not the companies that had to provide things to our community in order to make profit. The factories I worked in and they profit for Caterpillar Tractor our for robots. They're almost empty of workers. So the economy is not the old economy that we used to live in. And many people still think they're voting on. It's the new economy. We're corporations are fully extractive and the sec corporations are in business to extract. Not just 4 million pounds of copper for one medium-sized data center, which will be mind from communities that did not give their consent. They're your to extract data from everyone in this room and everyone in the world with no pay its unpaid labor. They're here to surveil us for their own concerns. So i urge you do not sign a non-disclosure agreement with these companies. That's one of their main tactics. Vote for. Sorry your time is at. Peter, thank you for your comments. Hello. My name is Renee Co. I'm a district to resident and I'm also a nonprofit attorney working in foreclosure defense. And so I work every day with low income 100 homeowners in Oakland who are facing displacement. Many of these people are elders lifelong oaklanders who are living on a fixed income. And these homeowners, even though they are homeowners are really living on a razor's edge changes to small things like their electricity bills, tax assessments and H.O.A. Fees are the difference between them staying in their home or having the bank come in and take it from them? I'm deeply concerned that any data center development in Oakland will increase electricity costs her Oakland residents, health and trigger a new cycle of displacement of black and brown oaklanders. This is a city where people should be able to be born and go to school and grow old near their families. We cannot allow our city to be turned into a battery for tech billionaires. We need to adopt this moratorium to immediately stop the data center projects of any size. I want to thank council member Pfeiffer introducing this legislation and also for hosting a town hall in sat on Sunday. I was there and it was clear from the comments and questions that oaklanders care about this issue. They want to have a say in how Oakland develops and they want this council to step up and protect them from the billionaires trying to pillage our city. This moratorium is the necessary first step. Thank you. I'll be translated. Lot when thought this up. Do those But as Medina Munoz. The come, they're not going need a nice open up the b# # # either. But if it them maybe seat those, see it. They want the con Hello, everybody. My name when Giannis and I'm Oakland resident representing so Brandi Park under can Houston's district. If get people you that they find one Biden is through most impact those the left side Lou. I want this is feat that finished to the other in throw it a bit of them. You want to put this in to fuel this tv. I'm here to ask the city to pass this moratorium because the effects on water have to be studied. And I'm here representing communities for a better environment. Are being released because we're tired of leaving with pollution in me, Yeah, I did. You notice that my community sobriety Park was contaminated with lead in the water and we had students drinking lead in the in the school and who's going to pay for tWe need to do the studies. I myself, you know, I'm doing the studies finding out about fu also signed so I speak. My name is the start with the I'm a resident of Oakland organizer with communities for a better environment in Deep East. Oakland and here in support of the moratorium. I appreciate that. Everybody, you know, has expressed their support for it as well. And, you know, other were unlike early stages, there's, you something being proposed at 20 street. I really want to underscore the fact that this is something that could come for all parts of Oakland, especially West Open east Oakland because those are the parts of the city that have been the most impacted by environmental racism right? And it's a part of the city that zoned industrial and have the most amount of warehouse space. There's a developer all across the world that has a lot of space in east Oakland called just and in 2025. They came out with, you know, a press release saying, hey, we're going invest a billion dollars infrastructure. Now, do they genuinely believe in ai? You know? Technology? Not necessarily right, but they're China cash in on I at the expense of our communities and in Deep East Oakland, we have site that's being developed by pro largest on the former 89 foundry. The closed down after putting the, you know, the city for 100 years and this site right there on their developing as a warehouse. They also have a site on 300, 3, 600 Alameda Avenue, which is an oil guy, district, another large Cal Fire District Council member of isis. Thank you so much for your comments. Time is up. Hello. Council members. My name is Adele Watts. I am the Newark health program, co-director for communities for a better environment. I want to start out by thanking Councilmember 5 for your leadership on this. And and just highlight that, you know, just the mention of data centers in my work and community meetings, community members automatically have a reaction, right? We know what this means for East Oakland and for West Oakland. You know, folks have already talked about the environmental justice impacts and I want to highlight that I am a d resident. I'm I'm I'm I'm concerned about ai data centers coming to Oakland for the eu, for my community and for the future of Oakland. Data centers impact energy costs cause air pollution, water pollution and did not fulfill the promise of bringing jobs. And I think someone else it shared this, but they support less than one percent of jobs in the U.S. I think for me, the only data center that I support our libraries. I strongly encourage council to vote. Yes, I appreciate hearing from from folks here tonight that they support this moratorium and appreciate you standing for environmental justice. And thank you for comments. Good evening. My name is cornered. Parker Bregman executive director of United Native Americans. We as United Native Americans demand that the Oakland City Council votes to ban data centers in. Oakland, California. Multiple Native American tribes haven't implemented bans moratoriums or restrictions on building hyperscale ai or crypto data centers on our sovereign Lance tribes, including the Cherokee Nation in Oklahoma. The Seminole Nation, the Fort Peck tribes and the Chippewa Indians are pushing back to protect local resources, several federal and state legislative proposals focused on data centers primarily targeting these massive energy and water consumption and aiming to shield regulatory rates cost hikes. These major federal proposals include. Re Pair Protection Act. The data center Bill of Rights, artificial Intelligence data center Moratorium Act. No data centers in the a's act. United Native Americans legacy serving all indigenous tribal nations and tribal citizens in California and globally since being formed in 1968 and the San Francisco Greater Bay Area. We hope that the Oakland City Council moves forward to protect its residents, safety and ban data centers. Thank you so much for your comments. If you don't mind, I'm going to the next speaker in line. If I can read that now, the last bastion so then we can move this along with that Toshia Christie, Carla. The cow can Braille Reeva j. You'll be Matthew p p and Morris Vicent de Trujillo toe in morale is I don't know suppose as much that. A keel Howell. So Jan, d# # # . Blair not come nac amido. Keith Brown Andreas Clover. Audrey Luna. And those are the final speakers who signed up for this item. I called your name. Please line up behind the podium. If you're in the queue and signed up online, please raise your hand so I can easily identify you. Thank you so much. MAY begin. State your please. Hello. My name is Nia. I am in East Oakland organizer with communities for a better environment. And I am here in support of councilmember fights moratorium. This is quite simple as my comrades had said before me and I want to highlight that every single month we have community meetings. Not once has someone asked data center. They ask for libraries, community parks, access to community spaces and outdoor areas. Clean air, clean water. And so I just want to highlight that this is not something that the community wants I'd end date. Data centers are extremely hurtful, harmful and it's not about comparing how small this one is in comparison to others because we don't want any in Oakland, big or small. This is way bigger than one moment. If we let data centers, if you let data centers into Oakland, you'll be contributing to the harm onto already overburdened communities now and for years to come. And so this moratorium is a very important first step. And I strongly urge you vote yes, in support of this moratorium. Thank you. Hello. My name is to Shia Crystal. I am an Oakland native and art is a business owner and a teacher here in Oakland. I want to start off by saying it. I didn't even know about this meeting until today. So I'm glad that I was able to make it. And I'm glad that everybody else here in the building was able to make it. And a lot of these meetings are not at convenient times. I want to start off by saying no data centers in Oakland, the people might the council. I do not consent to being poisoned. A data center in Oakland or any other city for that matter is psychological in ecological warfare. We talked earlier about responsible planning. I am tired of sitting at meetings for the city of Oakland and being told that basically there are no requirements for these investors, but the fact that they have money to come and build here. There is no intent to protect, enhance or better the lives of those in the surrounding areas, particularly here in Oakland. None of the reports have showed any signs of responsibility. None of them. What would it take to simply say no. What do we need a moratorium for when we can just say no. The city needs to mandate a requirement or percentage of city improvements for any of these investors who are coming in. We're destroying our water, our land, our our health, our crops, our energy, our sanity, our cost. What do we really need? What do the people need? I personally been looking for a home in Oakland for 2 years and can't even. Apologies. Toshia your time is up. Thank you so much for your comments next. Speaker. I Councilmember Council members. My name is Nathan Morris. And I'm a teacher living in Oakland and I'm here to speak in support of council PRESIDENT Fights 40 day. A 45 day moratorium on data centers in Oakland. Please ensure that the data center moratorium does not accept any data center, including the Bering Project on 20th Street. The rapid development of ai that is data centers will create nationwide 45 gigawatts shortage by 2028. And they're delicious delaying coal plant closures to compensate. Even bearings facility is comparably smaller to other data centers, they still haven't disclosed the actual environmental impacts. It will have on the region. Please pass this legislation without the redundant amendments by my councilmember. Charlene Wang I really would like to see that we are fighting a I in every aspect that comes up in our community when it harms our communities, including flock. I am very concerned about the surveillance and the empowerment surveillance through ai that that is supported through flock as well. While opposing this data center in Oakland would not necessarily end the proliferation of ai. It would show that local government is capable of sending a very powerful message to tech oligarchs, looking to build data centers and communities. We will not allow our children's environment in the future to be sold for profit. Thank you. My name is the center and I'm a lifelong defied PRESIDENT As ai continues to expand from sf the natural interest in Oakland from extremely wealthy outsiders. Well, continue to grow, if not given the required attention. Oakland residents and those most vulnerable will be prime for gentrification displacement and continue to collect. However, this can be presented, prevented with it policy legislation proposed moratorium. It's a step in the direction and I support it. Think thank council member Fry proposing this. I understand of the current proposed data centers, critical, smaller. Well compared to the much larger data center Stone in California. And while this MAY be true, to certain extent, I believe we're going to much more disrespectful aspect of this. Then tension. Bye, bye, bye. Plainly going forward with this proposed data center. We are telling the billionaire class the openness for sale and to be blunt open, deserve so much more than to be seen as r o y metric. I'm speaking to you. I'm speaking to you as people do not Oakland, I want to remind you why you chose to be an elected official. Many of you want to improve the lives of open residents and to champion our culture. I want you I want to remind you, they took an oath to represent, serve and fight our rights and to do what's best for Oakland. This is the birthplace of the Black Panther Party. Use our history as inspiration and defend our values. Don't forget where you are and who you're meant represent and just remember, we elected into office and we can easily elect you out. Thank you. Hello Council members. My name of Alec. I'm a native oaklander and a resident District 6. I am in full support of the moratorium on data front Oakland id defendants push past demand on local power grids and water supply, which raise energy costs and increased noise pollution. And with time pushes people and wildlife at. These are our resources going to billionaires again and again and again. Real estate interest months are only interested in profit, not They already made it clear that they probably won't even be hiring oaklanders. The ring made statement from their community explainers public comment section thing that they will help Oakland attract good corporate tenants and employees who come with them. And they also said we believe the site along with other buildings on the campus will bring more workers and more businesses to the city, which sounds great on paper. But in the end doesn't sound good for oaklanders a lot. A lot of this is talking about bringing employees and employees coming to Oakland, but no indicators hiring local, especially hiring Oaklanders don't fall for short-term profit. That displaces the people who make Oakland Oakland. Let's make this moratorium happen. Thank you. My name is What is U.S.? And I'm born and raised in Oakland. I want my 3 jobs is being a physical education teacher in an elementary school studies have shown critical thinking skills have depleted with the increasing usage of artificial intelligence. Our human critical thinking skills are online when discussing data centers. Secondly, sustainability the water usage to keep these data centers. Funding can feed many plants paid several humans and quench unhoused individuals thirst our housing crisis and food desert cannot afford to throw away valuable resources like water and energy. Thirdly, noise pollution surrounding already existing data centers disturbed not only humans, but animals and nature as well. An already existing data centers, individuals are suing companies and cities for their disturbance. If you don't stop their creation now we will join these holding the abusers accountable. Data centers repetitively target low income communities. That lack basic resources. Where where are the data centers and Piedmont or Alameda where the data centers, in fact, Lee or Moraga? This is a personal issue because this is my city. This is my air that I am breathing. That is going into my lungs. This is my city that I work at. This is my city that my kids are growing up and this is a personal issue. It is not only my future, but all of our futures. Your kids future your grandkids. Future our youth depend on us. My name is uv Monday to you guys. Didn't I support the moratorium? I have expedient a to interests. I want to make 2 points. First is that these ai data centers are fun a different competence and then they have different power cooling a nice considerations than prior data centers. So just because they're used to be a senator. And that's based on that or other data isn't Oakland, you know, that doesn't mean anything at for any new construction that needs to happen. And you don't like the often get washed out. Rightly that. Nicole, you love your phone. Like why do you like a post as these are not the same in any way our farm? Secondly, nothing is inevitable. A lot of hunters have been public aided by people pushing to like cleaning that, you know, that a PRESIDENT Of a diva that billionaires pushing ai is inevitable that it our direct flaw topic. Descendants of whites colonialists pushing manifest destiny. You know, sensitive go. These are south. How he would have as a stunt like learning isn't the 10200 years ago. And you know, do that today. Let's that says that every baby cat thank you. Hello. My name is Matthew Payne, representative from Louisiana, but not live in Oakland. I support the moratorium to postpone the data center because I'm planning on going back to college like sun and the increase. Energy costs from this data center will make it harder for me to achieve my goal, becoming civil rights lawyer. So I can help people who are being taken advantage of by our government. And I feel like the pollution that's caused by this data center will be devastating for the entirety to city, which party has issues with pollution. The firm, Louisiana, I've seen the effects that corporate greed in particular pollution can have on people an entire section of my home state is called Cancer Alley people are dying prematurely from the pollution caused by a lot of the oil and gas industry in our state. The same issues are happening because a data center's. And if you care about the future of this city. Not the interests of corrupt corporations that do not built this data center here. The negative effects of data center far outweigh the benefits and it would just hurt more people than it would help. People like Elon Musk's c. Us is expendable. They don't. Just sees us is like a source of income. The short term serves income. He doesn't care about the future of this country at all. I feel like his influence over this country is a plague. Good evening council members. My name is Andres Kluber executive officer with the Alameda County Building and Construction Trades Council. And are affiliated labor unions actually represent thousands of workers that have a middle-class livelihood, building data centers and other infrastructure projects, many of whom live in Oakland. We're here in support of the moratorium. However, the moratorium should be purposeful. It should really do the research and find out what the impact really is on communities and the environment. You should use the time to create a regulatory framework to ensure your mitigating any potential impacts on water usage rate payers, electrically electrical usage, community participation. And finally, you should have a policy of a community benefits in the community workforce policy that if you do decide to move forward. But the data center that mitigates for all these issues, that there are real benefits going to the city to communities and working people that are building these data centers to create local jobs, local, hiring opportunities for good union jobs that are building the so we urge you to take the time to be thoughtful and deliberative and look at and San Jose, for example, there's a community labor led coalition right now putting together a responsible data center policy. So I urge you to to look at that policy that's being developed and we are more than glad to partner with you on this and move forward in a very thoughtful and proactive way. Thank you. Hi, my name is Blair Nakamoto and I'm a resident of district 2 here in Oakland. If the moratorium passes, I urge the council to consider that lobbyists have been highly opaque about the sheer amount of direct and indirect water use I centers, for example, in Texas, the Texas Water Development Board survey 341 data centers for the amount of water use that they have and only 17% responded. As long as the date or center runs on fossil fuels, no regulation of it are touting of so-called responsible water management will make a data center and that benefit to the local community. There is a difference between a neutral technological development that can be used for good. And this recent ai surge that has shown a negligible return on investment even for the billionaire is going for it. The Bay Area is already one of the highest polluted high-spirited metro areas in the nation. This is not a time to double down on a cold face industry. I urge the council to vote yes. On this moratorium in order to move toward an outright ban and invest in the people who live here, not corporate interests. Readings Chair Fife council members and keep Brown Alameda Labor Council in lifelong open resident. And I'm speaking in support of the moratorium and also calling for our city Council to work on legislation guided by principles to to put community and workers first that any decisions made must be transparent with it. Input from residents, community workers and also that we have a policy that protects our natural resources and our rate payers. Also. And we must developers must contribute to a long-term community controlled benefits fund that invests directly and local priorities such schools, public safety and other public services. And also as a our infrastructure expands, we need strict guardrails oversight in the workplace and we must of ace of surveillance and protect workers from displacement. Technology must benefit everyone. Not just the billionaires. And lastly, there's a dignity and human work. So I am calling for this council to direct administration to settle a contract for city workers. I'm sorry, Keith, your time is up. My name is Audrey Luna. Of District 3 probably represented by Carroll Fife, Councilmember Fife. Thank you for your integrity, your diligence in your Dedication to your values and the values of your constituents. I am here in support this ordinance and thankfully here, the council's unilateral support during the next 45 days and asking the body to consider fully the danger is present around data centers and moved for the band of all data centers in Oakland Tech. Expansion is not inevitable and there's every reason to regulate its expansion in this current moment, the Stennis data centers have unprecedented negative impacts to the communities. They're in and only benefit tech billionaires and real estate developers unregulated expansion of ai in the Davis Center is powering them will lead to elimination of jobs. The displacement of working people and a measurable environmental impacts left unchecked. The people of Oakland will be sacrificing their energy water in financial security for nothing more than to build the architecture from the expanded security state. Supporting development of military tech used overseas. Ultimately for domestic use. Furthermore, data centers to make it easier for anyone to pay their rent, the food on the table or care for their children. I implore you to consider these potential impacts with the highest caution and care in the next 45 days and work on developing a permanent ban on data centers in Oakland. Because if you don't want to in your backyard, please don't put it in Thank you. Thank you for your comments. All names have been called. If I called your name for it and you signed up for item number 5 in you're participating in person or via zoom or you are in the overflow room. Please approach the podium or raise your hand, be a zoom. And if not that conclusion, public speakers for item 5, thank you for coming out. I apologize for running into public safety, but your comments are are critical. I do want to make a motion to approve and forward this legislation to with my amendments to the OCTOBER 6 full body of the Oakland City Council. That is my motion. Councilmember Houston. To chair I want to just to make a few comments. Every council member that I've worked with, everybody brilliant, brilliant, and I appreciate the work we're all here to make it better. I just wanted to find out a few things that we make things all the time. When I came up with the eap, everybody did a meme, amendment. Some people didn't show up some people abstain. Some people said no. And it was just to make it better. And I understand that. So I did want to find out the research that councilmember long did over the weekend with Chris, I want to find out. Because I was a little confused when they came to that there was duplicate. But is it any way possible that councilmember way? You could tell me he share with me what you thought would make this stronger or was it a duplicate cause? I was confused on that. Thank you for the question. And first of thank you, everyone for coming out for this. This is an incredibly important topic. Yeah. I just wanted to offer again. I have put forward legislation. I welcome amendments. You know, I I just think when we are dealing with something as existential is data centers and ai, it requires our collective intelligence to problem solve this issue. But in terms of the amendments, this is what is included. First of all, I appreciate Chair Fife highlighting the state law that will deliver essentially report after 35 days. However, having done environmental reports myself, having worked at the Environmental Protection Agency, a report, the quality of the report that you can get the 35th 5 day Mark is not going to be adequate if we really want to get. So what I see my amendments is that these are complementary. It's not competitive. It's simply to say that we are going to need really further study that captures the local impacts on Oakland. I would invite director Gilchrist to come up because one of the things that we discussed is that. 45 days is not enough to really produce a quality report. And in fact, to Councilmember Brown's comments, we don't even have the expertise in house. And so we're going to need to bring in a consultant, someone with the expertise to really provide a quality report. To the city. And so at the 35 day, Mark will have something. But really when you look at the state legislation and with the code is it's not going to give us the sort report that can inform decisions going forward. The other thing is when we get back here is 45 days. That council, we need to make a decision on how long to extend that moratorium. And I think having a schedule in front of us, right, in terms of what does that work plan? What are the milestones that can help inform this body in terms of how long we want to extend that moratorium. Okay or that I'm sorry. But to chair. Councilmember Fife's point is that. Is do we have to do it now or could that a man MAY come later at the next reading? Because I did see that. Correct me. If I'm wrong, it's going to be 2 more readings. Councilmember 5 as the 17th in the 20th. Something like that. I wrote it down, I need my glasses. We will. We will need to it. The 45 days allows planning and building to come up with their work plan and there is nothing that we're going to get at the 45 day. Mark, that we can not get at the 35 day. Mark, what they're doing is not figuring out the entire plan. They're figuring out the road map to get us there. And so again, I'm not I didn't make this legislation to create what that plan would be. But just to hit the pause button to give staff the time to figure out what they need. We don't know. They don't know. So they will tell us. In a month what the plan is to get us to the plan. Right? So so chair, thank you for that. I just want to make sure. And it's just it's one. It's an urgency finding. So it's one reading. Well, this one ok? All right. Now, understand it. So go ahead, Councilmember Wing and she had asked a question to you is to go, Chris. Yeah, do want to be very clear about is that just by the nature of the work of the playspace work in Oakland, we did have some a change in this as well. By the very nature of planning. It's going to have to get that. Oakland. We're going to be looking specifically for expertise that can address what the conditions are here. And that is something that we're going to be having to do respective. I mean, that's not going to fall on any particular deadline to which we have that person identified. A person is identified and maybe more than one consultant to more than one area of expertise. We're having to take the time in order to figure that out. That was one of the reasons why I was concerned that we did not get too prescriptive report too early that we would not be able to make that that deadline. The principal thing is to be able to get to work plan that we can then project what the rest of the schedule be without which will be with the technical reviews will be what I would be period for findings will be if we do have to use different instruments, right, community benefits around other on. Arrangements. Innovation mitigation. If we come to some conclusion getting closer to the idea of a van, me, whatever it MAY be, we need to take the time in order to make that happen. The first window that we have, we're going to be able to lean in is to do level of work plan, get a sense of where our deficiencies MAY be and then we'll have that as goals to the actual project to address. We're not going to have a consultant identified ready by 45 days 35 days. We're not going to have the time to have done that. What we are looking at principally is having a work plan and then their to their different levels of document that they do hit the standard around 35 to understand it to the chair councilmember wanting dressing. But again, we would we would be bringing a standard of work irrespective in terms of what that that benchmark needs to be, what we need to hit in terms of the 35 days in order to get the consideration for extension. And we're still going to have that. In addition 35 you're still gonna have 10, the 10 other working days calendar days to even advance the schedule further. So we were going to do that anyway, that that is so sought to chair want to be clear. And I thought I heard it. You and councilmember worked over the weekend. We did was we spread? We did. We spoke back and forth around some of the concerns and and trying to get a line that are getting alignment there between what was originally it suggested what we were going to be able to do. A staff. And that's what we're going to do. A staff and in any case, okay. So what would that hurt to make it stronger? If you guys worked over the weekend, it is just rent than this. 45 day are just 35 day. Does does moratorium what would hurt if we've made a stronger from what you guys worked on? I don't get it. Well, I have to leave that to liberation to you all. So mean, I I do know in in any case what we are going to do, it's what we're going to limited, that what is being stated is what we're going to do any case. We're going to work that way. That was, again, that the suggestion of our work mode in the conversation that we would move that direction. I really have to defer to the got it. So to here. And I do want to say we are 41 minutes into the public Safety Committee meeting. Know there's a motion on the floor. If you all don't have the vote to support it. I made the motion that if there's a friendly amendment or a substitute motion, I should say and then let's say that. But I made the motion. If I don't have a second, then it will fail we need to move on. Not know, we got to move on. Count the number 5 because I said on the public safety with the chair, Wayne So when I wanted to do is in argument. And as the chair of public safety, I'm okay with going into public I know. But we have other. We have people here. I and I understand so will wrap this up soon. To be clear, I'm willing to pass this with and without my amendments. But I just wanted to offer that at least my understanding Chair Fife of what you've presented to us is that the report that would be issued at the 35 day. Mark it states here. I'm reading the law describes the specific conditions that led to the temporary building or business than and it lists the steps that the local government has taken to fix or ease the problem. That's that's the parameters of the report that is required by state law. I think the al all were offering are all at that I'm offering is an amendment is a strengthening of that in order to have a specific work plan delivered to this body at the 45 day sent out. And the other 2 things I just wanted to mention be on the work plan, by the way, is I did also include under Section 5 in this is within the published report that there's a temper. It strikes the language that offers. I don't think this council will do it, but it strikes the language that gives us the ability to shorten the moratorium. 45 days. The other thing is also adds some language that the city would be able to process any pending application. That's it. And this isn't performative. If this was performative, I would have come here with a speech I didn't do that. So saying this is not about that. So CHAIRMAN Said its last and then on the second, I just didn't stand. I don't want you and as to Gilchrist work to go vain. And this is a complex situation. You see everyone is out here. You have doers. Adult a second councilmember Fife's. But I just wanted to understand, right, because I don't want to do something blindly. But in here for a minute ago, Chris, I respect his opinion. We've been working very well together recently. And I respect what you say because you that. You that about I respect brilliant. A second. It and this move on. And I want to say that struck the to say that stronger is subjective. The moratorium is the moratorium. The time that they need is the time that they need. What I'm trying to avoid is rule to 18 violation. We're getting into the territory of telling staff what to do. So we have to be very careful and we have to allow them the time to bring back this work plan. And if there are things that again, you know what I said, what I said. There's a motion a second on the floor. Thank you so much for that. So there was a motion by Councilmember Fife, a Chair seconded by COUNCILMAN To Houston on that Broll Councilmember Gallo is the excuse councilmember Houston. Councilmember Wang. I and care chair by item number 5 was approved as amended amendments that were present on the screen earlier by Councilmember Fife to be. Told her 6 city council agenda in this is going to be on not consider consent. 9 consent on consent. Thank you so much. That now takes us to open forum. We have 8 speakers who signed up for open forum. One moment while I call your name and as you approach the podium, you MAY line up and please state your name before you begin. One moment you get one minute during open forum. Me lower. The time here. Sorry. All right. Kevin Talley. Prescott chair. This is out of biologist e Rose Damian, rainy Incendio Ramsey, even Cambridge in in the. In in any order. Police of. Thank you so much. Even Cambridge once again. So once again, I appreciate you guys for voting for the moratorium. However, the moratorium is a band-aid on a non ending problem. You will not stop technology and frankly, most of the concerns up here are based on fear. You just had a non Oakland resident talk about data center preventing him from going to law school. That's illogical the fact is you're going to need to come up with actual legislation. Ms Olugbala mention that we needed legislation in this chair in JUNE. And you guys have nothing to show for it. What you guys need to be holding accountable. Are these people they're going? You need to be asking yourself. Do we have the government that's going to help us lead into the future or not because data centers aren't going anywhere. Thank you for your comments even next speaker. Please. Open if I called name. Black foundational black people have experiences. No people in this country of hand. Maybe 1985. The city of Philadelphia Police Department dropped a high military explosive bomb. On the roof of the house of what was known as the move people killing 11. Black foundational people. 6 adults and 5 children. The blast triggered a massive fire and was allowed to burn in the black community when 9 for 90 minutes without attempting to put the fire out. They're 4.61 black, neighboring homes leaving to hunt, were destroyed, leaving 250 black people homeless. Thank you for your comments next speaker. Please. If I called it open form. Hi, my name is Jesse Rose. Thing I want address and that last conversation is we do need staff do this report. That is 45 day moratorium. Allow. And I just want to give a shout-out ipt and seiu that are waiting for a contract so they can do the work. We haven't 1000 vacant jobs in the city of Oakland and they want been watching as this city council gave every hand out in the book. All this garbage. This me too clause. The longevity clauses that that. Taking away police accountability, knowing the lawsuits that this city is going to be subject to because of the malfeasance of the city council. So I want to give a shout out to city staff that need the time and need their vacancies filled and Euna fair contracts that they can do the work that our city needs to really thrive. Thank you very much. Thank you for your comments next speaker. If I caught in a and farm, if you're on zoom. Kevin Talley is declining to speak. Thank you so much. I do see one speaker online. You've been a muted income. Please state your name before you begin. Everyone made. Mean, this camp early. Site and you need sweat. And Billy. And you signed up open for him. He said. Yes. Cam. Cam. I don't have us bigger cart for. Open forum for this item. I'm sorry. That we all names have been called. I don't have a speaker card for the person who just raise your hand online and it looks like those are all the speakers who hear signed up open for him. Thank you all. I just wanted to say it's a public speaker came at the end of JUNE and I start this late legislation first week of JULY and then we went on recess in JULY, AUGUST. I don't know how that's not me working on the issue. I just want to say thank you to everyone who came out. Let's get to public safety. This meeting is adjourned. Thank