posted in Technology

Amazon secretly circumvents community vote for massive AI data center using 45-year-old rules

Furious residents packing city-council meetings have become a familiar scene as proposals for data centers spark backlash in towns across America. But in Gilroy, Calif., known as the world’s garlic capital, there’s a twist: The $2 billion facility that residents are railing against is already being built.

“Many if not most residents first learned about this project after construction had already begun,” Coleen Crew, an elementary-school teacher, told the council at a recent meeting.

There were no public meetings or votes before a lone city staffer gave Amazon the green light last July to build a 438,500-square-foot data center on 56 acres of farmland 30 miles south of San Jose.

www.wsj.com/us-news/how-amazon-built-a-data-center-in-a-california-town-without-anyone-noticing-8610bb67?st=tdRRxh&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink
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Replying to @⁨arotrios@lemmy.world⁩

Mayor Greg Bozzo said other big industrial projects have been approved in the same manner over the years, but didn’t cause any uproar.

“It didn’t bother them that a food-distribution center came to Gilroy without their engagement, but now it bothers them that a data center is coming to Gilroy without them having the possibility of engagement,” Bozzo said.

“We…have an opportunity to change the way that we do business in Gilroy,” the mayor said. “We’re adapting to the times.”

Seems like the article accidentally misspelled his name with an extra “z”. What an absolutely shit take. The corruption here is so obvious.

Replying to @⁨Manjushri@piefed.social⁩

It is illegal in California as of 2026-01-01

Senator Rosilicie Ochoa BoghAssembly Bill 1370 to Ban NDAs in the Legislature Signed into LawSenator Rosilicie Ochoa Bogh (R-Yucaipa) has announced that Assembly Bill 1370 has been signed into law. Coauthored by Senator Ochoa Bogh, this bill represents a significant step toward restoring public trust by prohibiting state legislators from signing nondisclosure agreements (NDAs) that conceal legislative decisions and the use of taxpayer dollars.“This bill is about accountability and transparency,” said Senator Ochoa Bogh. “The people of California have a right to know how their government operates, how their money is spent, and who is influencing those decisions. AB 1370 brings us

Replying to @⁨Manjushri@piefed.social⁩

Look at what meta did in Louisiana. The governor called up the Speaker and said they needed to pass a blank bill because a powerful donor wanted it and they all got in line, passed the bill and filled it in at the 11th hour. What was in the bill? Why it was approval of a 6 square mile (3840 acre) data center with no oversight or public comment. Just approved one of the largest data centers in the world in the middle of the night.