Fact check: Where do Turlock mayor and council candidates stand on data centers?
Candidates for mayor and City Council in Turlock expressed differing views on potential data center development, with concerns including electricity, water, infrastructure and neighborhood impacts. Some candidates favor opposing or temporarily pausing development, while others support case-by-case review; Turlock has no active data center applications as of Sept. 30.
Turlock’s mayoral and City Council candidates offered varied positions on data center development as the issue gains attention across California’s Central Valley. Mayor Amy Bublak, candidates including Ryan Reape and administrator Abram opposed or expressed significant concerns about projects affecting local water, electricity and infrastructure, while council candidate Coelho supported evaluating proposals individually. Candidate Rocha favored a temporary moratorium to study potential impacts, and candidate Taylor opposed data centers primarily because of their water demands. Councilmember Kevin Bixel did not respond by the publication deadline.
No complete data center applications were listed by Turlock’s Planning Division as of Sept. 30, making the debate hypothetical in the city. Nearby Patterson approved a 45-day moratorium after a developer expressed interest in a project, while Riverbank moved to pause development as officials considered a proposal involving the former Riverbank Army Ammunition Plant.