Riverside Council Candidates Discuss Street Repairs, Homelessness, AI And More Ahead Of Election
Riverside City Council candidates discussed a potential moratorium or permanent ban on AI data centers during an election questionnaire. Candidates cited concerns about grid capacity, resource costs and impacts on residents, while noting that council committees are studying AI and possible data center restrictions.
Riverside City Council candidates Aram Ayra, Gracie Torres, Chuck Conder and Rich Vandenberg outlined their views on artificial intelligence and data center development ahead of the November election. The council is studying AI through an ad hoc committee, while another committee is considering possible restrictions on data centers.
Candidates expressed varying degrees of opposition to large or AI-focused data centers. One candidate supported a moratorium and permanent ban, citing concerns that Riverside’s electric grid cannot accommodate the projects without consequences for residents. Another said there was no place in Riverside for mega data centers and described efforts to remove a data center item from a council agenda so the city could develop a broader policy. The article does not report that a moratorium or permanent ban has been enacted.