City Halts Data Centers; County Builds a Health-Care Bridge
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The San Diego City Council voted nine to zero on October 27th to adopt a 45-day emergency moratorium on data-center permitting, approvals, and new development within city limits, following Mayor Todd Gloria's October 22nd executive order directing staff to bring forward a temporary pause. The moratorium explicitly carves out ordinary internal computing equipment and accessory server rooms serving otherwise-permitted uses, targeting instead larger facilities whose electricity demand, water consumption, and neighborhood proximity have raised planning concerns.
Councilmember Sean Elo-Rivera added several policy directions to shape whatever permanent framework emerges from the pause: mandatory council notification within seven days of any proposed facility, a prohibition on passing utility costs to residents, renewable-energy requirements, and minimum separation distances from schools, parks, and child-care facilities. Those remain directions to staff, not enacted rules. Staff now has 45 days to draft a permanent regulatory framework, and the urgency ordinance can be extended after additional hearings and council votes. A carve-out for public safety and emergency operations ensures the moratorium cannot interrupt life-safety infrastructure.
The backdrop is the explosion of AI-driven computing demand that has pushed data-center proposals into cities across the country, with concerns in several metros that large facilities drove up electricity rates for surrounding neighborhoods. The central question the 45-day period is meant to answer is what permanent standards San Diego will adopt for energy consumption, water use, and community impact.
On the same day, the County Board of Supervisors approved a $20.4 million Safety Net Bridge program for residents who will lose Medi-Cal coverage as state eligibility rules tighten. The total includes $17.6 million drawn from county reserves. The program provides up to 180 days of primary care — including prescription drugs, telehealth, and mobile medical services — with approximately $12 million allocated directly to medical services and the remainder supporting enrollment retention, health fairs, and administration. The board simultaneously reformed the County Medical Services program, eliminating a property-lien requirement that had discouraged homeowners from applying, streamlining the application process, aligning eligibility rules with Medi-Cal, and adding coverage for emergency-room follow-up care. The bridge funding direction passed unanimously.
Also in the pipeline: Vintage Housing plans to convert the 19-story office tower at 610 West Ash Street in Little Italy into 184 income-restricted apartments. An affiliated entity purchased the property September 28th for $26 million following foreclosure. These represent project and financing plans, not completed construction, and subsidy awards are not guaranteed — but the proposal involves a building that has sat largely unused, distinct from the city-owned 101 Ash Street controversy.