Hundreds show up at Pittsburg City Council meeting opposing data center development
Hundreds of Pittsburg residents attended a City Council meeting to oppose a data center development that the city approved in 2024. Residents raised concerns about lack of public input, environmental impacts, and proposed a two-year moratorium on the project. A petition against the data center has gathered 13,000 signatures.
More than 300 Pittsburg, California residents packed a City Council meeting to voice strong opposition to a data center development previously approved by the city in 2024. The opposition included over 100 public comments from Pittsburg Unified School District teachers and leaders, the activist group Indivisible Resisters Contra Costa, community leaders, and parents.
Lifelong resident Mark Linde, 68, who has been organizing residents, requested that the council implement a two-year moratorium on the development and establish a citizens' oversight committee. The proposed three-story, 300-square-foot data center, planned for the former Delta View Golf Course, is designed to generate 96 megawatts of power, use recycled water for cooling, and include 37 diesel-fueled backup generators. This project is the first phase of the larger "Pittsburg Technology Park."
City Director of Community and Economic Development Jordan Davis defended the project, stating that tax revenue would fund city programs and that the city had gone "above and beyond" to inform residents through public hearings. However, resident Amhari Perkins, who created a Change.org petition garnering 13,000 signatures in one week, criticized the lack of transparency and resident awareness. Concerns were also raised about increased water consumption and the replacement of grasslands. Mayor Dionne Adams stated the council would follow up on residents' concerns without providing a timeline.