The San Diego City Council today is expected to approve Mayor Todd Gloria’s proposed temporary ban on large data centers Tuesday, but it likely would do almost nothing to stop a potential data center near the Midway District that developers have been exploring.
Our MacKenzie Elmer recently broke the news about a 400-megawatt data center that Manchester Financial Group has considered building on U.S Navy land. If built, it could possibly be the largest data center in all of California.
Because it’s federal land, the Council is essentially powerless. But it’s not just that. President Trump is encouraging data centers. He has ordered the Secretary of War to identify military sites that could house large-scale data centers, like the one proposed.
At today’s meeting, councilmembers will vote on whether to put an emergency ordinance in place that would pause all pending applications for data centers for 45 days. The Council can keep renewing the ban for a total of 20 months. The goal is to use that time to come up with regulations for how data centers might fit within city zoning.
Gloria said at an event last week that without new regulations, it would be almost as easy to permit a data center as a warehouse.
Supe Candidate Clarifies Where He Stands on County Sales Tax
District 5 Supervisor candidate Kyle Krahel is trying to set the record straight about his stance on Measure B, a proposed countywide half-cent sales tax increase on this year’s ballot.
At our Politifest North County even this month he took a bold and very clear position in support of it, but the Union-Tribune reports that he said he was opposed to the measure six months ago. Krahel told our Tigist Layne it was all a misunderstanding.
Krahel is a Democrat running against Republican Rebecca Jones, who is the mayor of San Marcos, to serve on the county Board of Supervisors.
Krahel didn’t stutter at Politifest when he said “people are going to die on our streets” if Measure B fails, explaining that it will be difficult to provide essential services to the region’s most vulnerable people without that extra revenue. That’s because the federal government has been rolling out massive cuts to food benefits, health care coverage and many safety-net programs as part of its “Big Beautiful Bill.”
During an online candidate forum in April, Krahel said he was opposed to Measure B. But he told Voice that wasn’t the case. He thought the moderator had asked each candidate if they generally support sales tax increases, and his answer was no. But when it comes to Measure B, he said, he was in support of it then and still is today.
“I am generally skeptical of any tax increase, especially regressive taxes like sales taxes, partly because it hurts working families,” Krahel said. “I didn’t realize that it was that specific question. I supported Measure B before that actually, but yes, I support the need for us to backfill fiscally the cuts that are coming.”
Save the Date: Brews and News
Our Brews and News Live Podcast is happening in two weeks on Tuesday, Nov. 10, and you don’t want to miss it!
It’s all going down at 6 p.m. at Soda Bar. Whether you’re an avid listener of San Diego’s most popular public affairs podcast, or you’re hoping to come meet our team of journalists over a beer, Brews & News will be an awesome opportunity to get all the inside scoop on current San Diego happenings. Join the pod team with special guests Julie Roland and Mason Herron for this live recording at Soda Bar.
Spots are limited. Grab your ticket now to be part of the celebration!
This is a public 21+ event. Valid ID is required at the door. Reporter’s Circle and Editor’s Circle members (annual giving $500+) receive two free tickets. Please email membership@voiceofsandiego.org to redeem your tickets or for any questions.
In Other News
- A new audit revealed that San Diego’s backlog of 7,000 streetlight repairs, and the long waits to get them fixed, can be attributed to questionable management and weak oversight of electricians. (Union-Tribune)
- Record-breaking high tides that could cause coastal flooding will continue through Thursday morning. Many streets near the water in Mission Beach and Pacific Beach got swamped Monday. (KPBS)
- Tens of thousands of San Diegans are expected to lose their Medi-Cal healthcare coverage after new federal work requirements go into place. The county Board of Supervisors will consider setting up a 12-month bridge program to help residents pay for medical expenses. (CBS 8)
The Morning Report was written by Tigist Layne. It was edited by Will Huntsberry.