The Data Center Pollution Problem Nobody Sees Every Day
Data centers are often described as relatively clean industrial facilities. But behind many of these buildings is a substantial amount of equipment that deserves closer attention: emergency backup generators.
Data Centers Promise Tax Revenue. What Do They Cost Fire Departments?
When a city considers a major data center development, public discussion often focuses on construction investment, property taxes, and other anticipated revenues. But there is another side to the fiscal equation that deserves attention: What will the development require from local emergency services?
Data Centers Are Coming. Let’s Get the Rules Right.
Why The Synergy Report is launching a national best practices series on data center development.
San José Knows Better. So Why Are Its Data Center Standards So Weak?
San José can tell you exactly how close one smoke shop can be to another. It can tell you where cannabis dispensaries can operate, how far they must be from neighborhoods and how much their owners must pay annually for regulatory oversight. But ask how close a massive data center should be allowed to operate […]
What Was the City Council Told About 650 Harry Road?
Months before San José approved the former IBM site’s rezoning, Blackstart and its partners were already talking publicly about AI and data centers at the property. The City’s own permit record also connected Blackstart Digital directly to the rezoning. The Big Picture On August 18, the San José City Council considered what was described as […]
California’s Largest Landowner-in-the-Making
The Stealthy Pivot For nearly two decades, Californians have debated High-Speed Rail as a transportation project. The public discussion has focused on construction costs, ridership forecasts, travel times, funding gaps, environmental impacts, and whether the system will ever connect San Francisco and Los Angeles as originally promised. The newly released 2026 Business Plan suggests that […]
The Housing Debate Has Taken a Strange Turn:
Now We’re Afraid of Maps California’s housing crisis has produced some strange policy debates over the years. We’ve argued about CEQA, parking requirements, density bonuses, impact fees, design review, and almost every other obstacle to building homes. Now, we’ve apparently reached a new low. Some of the state’s most powerful housing industry groups are arguing […]
How AI Data Centers Could Be Driving Up California Electric Rates Before They’re Even Built
https://vimeo.com/share/6b64233d-9b4f-4b14-a94a-ca7e72b1d50e How AI Data Centers Could Be Driving Up California Electric Rates Before They’re Even Built Buried in next week’s San José City Council agenda are two items that, at first glance, appear unrelated. The first would authorize San José Clean Energy (SJCE) to enter into a 15-year agreement worth up to $124.5 million for […]
San José’s Affordable Housing Audit Reveals the Real Test for GovAI
How Artificial Intelligence Could Strengthen Affordable Housing Oversight and Protect Taxpayer Investments San José has spent years positioning itself as one of the nation’s leaders in government artificial intelligence. City leaders have promoted GovAI as a tool that can modernize government, improve public services, and help employees work more efficiently. The initiative has generated national […]
Will San José Cut Services Too Soon as Its Reserve Falls to $12.5M?
San José’s reserve has dropped to $12.5 million while financial discipline and new revenue proposals move forward at the same time. San José’s Budget Stabilization Reserve has fallen from $63 million to just $12.5 million in roughly 18 months. At the same time, the City is projecting a $55–$65 million General Fund shortfall and signaling […]