Pittsburg Council Votes Unanimously for 45-Day Data Center Pause

The Pittsburg City Council voted unanimously to enact an immediate 45-day moratorium on new data center development after a contentious council meeting that drew roughly two dozen demonstrators outside City Hall, according to NBC Bay Area.

The temporary pause applies to the next two phases of the Avaio data center project proposed at the former Delta View Golf Course. It does not affect the first phase of the Avaio development, which the city approved in 2024.

Resident Protests Over Proximity to Homes, Schools, and Churches

Demonstrators rallied outside Pittsburg City Hall before the meeting and briefly interrupted the start of the council session, prompting a temporary recess while police escorted protesters from the chambers before public comment resumed. Residents voiced frustration that the 45-day moratorium leaves the project’s first phase untouched and raised concerns about potential health impacts and proximity to residential neighborhoods.

“It’s right by a church, it’s right by a school, I live in close proximity, I’m worried about the illnesses,” Pittsburg resident Marta Rodrigues told NBC Bay Area.

Councilmember Jelani Killings said councilmembers heard the community’s concerns clearly. “We hear that there’s a lot of concern… a lot of fear of what it could mean… for city of Pittsburg,” Killings said.

Proposition 45 Debate and Next Steps

The Pittsburg vote comes days before the Nov. 3 election, where statewide Proposition 45 has sparked debate over whether its broadband provisions could affect environmental reviews for data centers. Woody Little of Clean and Healthy California argued that the measure contains a “very broad definition of broadband internet projects,” whereas a legal analysis by the California Chamber of Commerce concluded that conventional data centers would not qualify because they do not provide mass-market retail internet access directly to consumers.

The 45-day moratorium took effect immediately, and the City Council may consider extending the pause before it expires.