[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":352},["ShallowReactive",2],{"header":3,"footer":26,"footer-cities":54,"content-\u002Fnews\u002Fdyer-backs-10-year-fresno-ban-on-ai-data-centers-council-takes-up-plan":235},{"id":4,"title":5,"body":6,"description":10,"extension":13,"links":14,"meta":20,"navigation":21,"path":22,"seo":23,"stem":24,"__hash__":25},"header\u002Fheader.md","Central Valley AI",{"type":7,"value":8,"toc":9},"minimark",[],{"title":10,"searchDepth":11,"depth":11,"links":12},"",2,[],"md",[15],{"label":16,"to":17,"icon":19},"News",{"path":18},"\u002Fnews\u002F","mdi-newspaper-variant-outline",{},true,"\u002Fheader",{"title":5,"description":10},"header","ceT4J-WxxOBdbhRC-UD3fo0Npu7vWt2o2B9b_LURPmE",{"id":27,"title":28,"body":29,"copyright":33,"description":10,"developedBy":34,"extension":13,"links":41,"meta":49,"navigation":21,"path":50,"seo":51,"stem":52,"__hash__":53},"footer\u002Ffooter.md","Footer",{"type":7,"value":30,"toc":31},[],{"title":10,"searchDepth":11,"depth":11,"links":32},[],"© {year} All rights reserved.",{"label":35,"link":36},"Developed by",{"label":37,"to":38,"target":39,"logo":40},"Kaweah Tech","https:\u002F\u002Fkaweah.tech","_blank","https:\u002F\u002Fassets.kaweah.tech\u002Flogo-black-on-transparent-tight.svg",[42,43,46],{"label":16,"to":18},{"label":44,"to":45},"About","\u002Fabout\u002F",{"label":47,"to":48},"Privacy Policy","\u002Fprivacy-policy\u002F",{},"\u002Ffooter",{"description":10},"footer","Ras2AGS8Wuda4aBPrbAbOivaxIsAoDbo9SNCA0w554g",[55,85,123,154,181,208],{"id":56,"title":57,"body":58,"county":77,"description":10,"extension":13,"intro":78,"meta":79,"navigation":21,"path":80,"seo":81,"stem":82,"tag":83,"__hash__":84},"cities\u002Fcities\u002Fbakersfield.md","Bakersfield",{"type":7,"value":59,"toc":74},[60,65],[61,62,64],"h2",{"id":63},"ai-in-bakersfield","AI in Bakersfield",[66,67,68,69,73],"p",{},"Bakersfield's AI conversation sits at the intersection of municipal government, the ",[70,71,72],"strong",{},"California State University Bakersfield"," community, and the energy and ag operators that drive Kern County's economy. The city was an early mover on AI-assisted permitting and has been a recurring backdrop for parent- and teacher-led debates about classroom AI use. Articles below follow specific Bakersfield initiatives, public-meeting decisions, and Kern County workforce stories — and how they reflect national AI trends from a regional vantage point.",{"title":10,"searchDepth":11,"depth":11,"links":75},[76],{"id":63,"depth":11,"text":64},"Kern County","Bakersfield and the surrounding Kern County are home to some of the most concrete AI-in-government experiments in the Central Valley, from instant municipal permitting to school-district debates about classroom AI. Coverage on this page tracks how AI is reshaping public services, education, and the energy and agriculture economies that dominate the region.",{},"\u002Fcities\u002Fbakersfield",{"title":57,"description":10},"cities\u002Fbakersfield","bakersfield","ozFL4HvDA_g7UrRE1mHbKqcS-vDLwbiH9JWVh3rB2Ac",{"id":86,"title":87,"body":88,"county":115,"description":10,"extension":13,"intro":116,"meta":117,"navigation":21,"path":118,"seo":119,"stem":120,"tag":121,"__hash__":122},"cities\u002Fcities\u002Ffresno.md","Fresno",{"type":7,"value":89,"toc":112},[90,94,109],[61,91,93],{"id":92},"ai-in-fresno","AI in Fresno",[66,95,96,97,100,101,104,105,108],{},"Fresno's AI story spans several distinct ecosystems. ",[70,98,99],{},"Fresno State"," and the ",[70,102,103],{},"California State University"," system anchor a workforce-readiness push, while local ",[70,106,107],{},"Fresno Unified School District"," debates around responsible use have made the city a recurring reference point in California's K-12 AI conversation. The city's economic base in agriculture, healthcare, and public services means most AI adoption stories here are about applied uses rather than model development — a different posture than coastal tech hubs but arguably more consequential for the people living here.",[66,110,111],{},"Use the articles below to follow how AI is showing up in Fresno-area institutions and businesses.",{"title":10,"searchDepth":11,"depth":11,"links":113},[114],{"id":92,"depth":11,"text":93},"Fresno County","Fresno is the largest city in California's Central Valley and the regional center for AI adoption across agriculture, healthcare, higher education, and small business. Coverage on this page tracks how AI is being applied — and contested — in and around the city of Fresno and Fresno County.",{},"\u002Fcities\u002Ffresno",{"title":87,"description":10},"cities\u002Ffresno","fresno","gOL2xk8y9t9OV6PPxP02OjYhZFHC_Cg-VGijh_V93dI",{"id":124,"title":125,"body":126,"county":146,"description":10,"extension":13,"intro":147,"meta":148,"navigation":21,"path":149,"seo":150,"stem":151,"tag":152,"__hash__":153},"cities\u002Fcities\u002Fmerced.md","Merced",{"type":7,"value":127,"toc":143},[128,132],[61,129,131],{"id":130},"ai-in-merced","AI in Merced",[66,133,134,135,138,139,142],{},"Merced is a research-heavy node in the Central Valley AI ecosystem. ",[70,136,137],{},"UC Merced"," faculty appear in national conversations about AI safety, autonomous vehicles, climate modeling, and pediatric health applications, while the ",[70,140,141],{},"Merced Unified School District"," and surrounding county institutions navigate the same K-12 and workforce questions the rest of the Valley faces. The articles below cover both the campus research story and the broader applied uses around the city and county.",{"title":10,"searchDepth":11,"depth":11,"links":144},[145],{"id":130,"depth":11,"text":131},"Merced County","Merced punches above its weight in AI research, anchored by UC Merced — a leading West Coast hub for AI in agriculture, climate, autonomous systems, and health. Coverage on this page tracks both academic research coming out of the campus and how AI is showing up across Merced's schools, businesses, and county institutions.",{},"\u002Fcities\u002Fmerced",{"title":125,"description":10},"cities\u002Fmerced","merced","pSWWlEzMdcv2_RZrUKdkEHU3bixNboePGdHbSdd1m34",{"id":155,"title":156,"body":157,"county":173,"description":10,"extension":13,"intro":174,"meta":175,"navigation":21,"path":176,"seo":177,"stem":178,"tag":179,"__hash__":180},"cities\u002Fcities\u002Fmodesto.md","Modesto",{"type":7,"value":158,"toc":170},[159,163],[61,160,162],{"id":161},"ai-in-modesto","AI in Modesto",[66,164,165,166,169],{},"Modesto's AI conversation tends to combine ag-tech adoption stories with workforce-readiness questions for the city's small and mid-sized employers. ",[70,167,168],{},"CSU Stanislaus"," and the regional community college network shape the higher-ed angle. Coverage below follows Modesto-area AI announcements and the wider Stanislaus County context.",{"title":10,"searchDepth":11,"depth":11,"links":171},[172],{"id":161,"depth":11,"text":162},"Stanislaus County","Modesto and Stanislaus County sit between the Bay Area and the southern Valley, and their AI story reflects that bridging role — from agriculture and food processing to the **California State University Stanislaus** community to small businesses adapting to AI-driven changes in marketing, hiring, and operations.",{},"\u002Fcities\u002Fmodesto",{"title":156,"description":10},"cities\u002Fmodesto","modesto","l75Dc40MX8wTb4lD088Yx9we4ypuDwmcvE-uEdqqREc",{"id":182,"title":183,"body":184,"county":200,"description":10,"extension":13,"intro":201,"meta":202,"navigation":21,"path":203,"seo":204,"stem":205,"tag":206,"__hash__":207},"cities\u002Fcities\u002Fstockton.md","Stockton",{"type":7,"value":185,"toc":197},[186,190],[61,187,189],{"id":188},"ai-in-stockton","AI in Stockton",[66,191,192,193,196],{},"Stockton's economic base in logistics, healthcare, and higher education gives the city a different AI profile than the southern Valley. ",[70,194,195],{},"University of the Pacific"," anchors the academic conversation, while San Joaquin County government, hospitals, and warehouse operators are navigating practical adoption questions: cost, training, security, workforce impact. The articles below track Stockton-area AI announcements and the broader San Joaquin County context.",{"title":10,"searchDepth":11,"depth":11,"links":198},[199],{"id":188,"depth":11,"text":189},"San Joaquin County","Stockton and San Joaquin County sit at the northern edge of the Central Valley, where logistics, healthcare, and the University of the Pacific shape the local AI adoption story. Coverage on this page follows how AI is being put to work — and questioned — across San Joaquin County's institutions, employers, and public services.",{},"\u002Fcities\u002Fstockton",{"title":183,"description":10},"cities\u002Fstockton","stockton","TYEBK9akp2HbpAFmYY67FeKt7Rs7L8tvtYeQBtgJAHw",{"id":209,"title":210,"body":211,"county":227,"description":10,"extension":13,"intro":228,"meta":229,"navigation":21,"path":230,"seo":231,"stem":232,"tag":233,"__hash__":234},"cities\u002Fcities\u002Fvisalia.md","Visalia",{"type":7,"value":212,"toc":224},[213,217],[61,214,216],{"id":215},"ai-in-visalia","AI in Visalia",[66,218,219,220,223],{},"Visalia's AI footprint is grounded in the practical adoption stories that come with a Tulare County economy built around agriculture, food processing, and rural healthcare. ",[70,221,222],{},"College of the Sequoias"," and the surrounding K-12 districts anchor the education conversation. The articles below cover Visalia-area AI developments and the Tulare County context, with a focus on applied uses rather than research or model development.",{"title":10,"searchDepth":11,"depth":11,"links":225},[226],{"id":215,"depth":11,"text":216},"Tulare County","Visalia is the largest city in Tulare County and a center for agriculture, healthcare, and county-government services in the southern Central Valley. Coverage on this page tracks how AI is being adopted across Tulare County's schools, hospitals, ag operations, and small business community.",{},"\u002Fcities\u002Fvisalia",{"title":210,"description":10},"cities\u002Fvisalia","visalia","gN4g7aAl-cqD4FfSTgtTAarltUoKLh8NFlPzCbZngqU",{"id":236,"title":237,"archived":238,"author":239,"body":240,"date":340,"dateModified":340,"description":341,"extension":13,"meta":342,"navigation":21,"path":343,"rawbody":344,"seo":345,"sitemap":346,"stem":347,"tags":348,"__hash__":351},"news\u002Fnews\u002Fdyer-backs-10-year-fresno-ban-on-ai-data-centers-council-takes-up-plan.md","Dyer backs 10-year Fresno ban on AI data centers; council takes up plan",false,"CVAI Newsdesk",{"type":7,"value":241,"toc":333},[242,246,250,263,267,270,273,276,279,283,286,289,292,296,299,302,305,320,323,327],[243,244,237],"h1",{"id":245},"dyer-backs-10-year-fresno-ban-on-ai-data-centers-council-takes-up-plan",[61,247,249],{"id":248},"key-takeaways","Key Takeaways",[251,252,253,257,260],"ol",{},[254,255,256],"li",{},"Fresno Mayor Jerry Dyer backed a 10-year citywide ban on data centers on Sept. 2.",[254,258,259],{},"Councilmember Nick Richardson’s resolution directs staff to write the prohibition into Fresno’s Development Code.",[254,261,262],{},"The council took up the item Thursday; any ban would still face commission reviews.",[61,264,266],{"id":265},"what-the-proposal-would-do","What the proposal would do",[66,268,269],{},"Ten years. That is the length of the prohibition Fresno would put on new data centers under a resolution from Councilmember Nick Richardson, taken up by the City Council on Thursday. Mayor Jerry Dyer announced a day earlier that he is co-sponsoring the push. He said data centers, including facilities tied to artificial intelligence, don’t fit Fresno right now.",[66,271,272],{},"Richardson’s resolution directs staff to draft a Development Code amendment that defines data centers and bans them citywide. It would also end any discretion the planning director currently has to sign off on one. The intent is simple, he told colleagues, to make the city’s position clear while larger land use fights play out.",[66,274,275],{},"The nuts-and-bolts matter to readers for a basic reason by sentence three. If approved, the city would stop processing proposals for large server farms that draw heavy power and, in some designs, cooling water. That changes what can be built on industrial ground that many residents watch closely.",[66,277,278],{},"Outside City Hall at 6 p.m., it was 86 degrees.",[61,280,282],{"id":281},"why-now","Why now",[66,284,285],{},"City Hall has spent months arguing over the Southeast Development Area, or SEDA, a growth plan for the city’s south and southeast side. Supporters pitch SEDA as a jobs engine. Critics say it opens the door to land uses they do not want near homes and schools. During those debates, rumors and flyers about AI data centers spread through council chambers and neighborhood meetings.",[66,287,288],{},"Dyer moved to end the speculation. On Wednesday, he said data centers \"are not an appropriate land use for the City of Fresno under current technologies.\" He added that he wants SEDA land reserved for housing and advanced manufacturing, not for power-hungry server halls. For now, no applications on file.",[66,290,291],{},"Some at City Hall have also noted a gray area. Fresno’s code doesn’t cleanly define data centers today, which leaves room for argument over how to classify a project if one did surface. Richardson’s plan would close that gap.",[61,293,295],{"id":294},"what-happens-next","What happens next",[66,297,298],{},"Thursday’s council discussion was the first step. If a majority votes to initiate the change, the draft ban goes to the Airport Land Use Commission and then the Planning Commission, before coming back to the council for a final decision. That process gives time for formal public comment and for staff to spell out any carve-outs or definitions that matter to local businesses.",[66,300,301],{},"Expect pushback if this advances. Tech firms and some unions argue data centers bring steady construction work and tax revenue, while residents and clean-power advocates warn about grid strain and, in some cases, water use. The city will have to pick a lane in code, not on social media.",[66,303,304],{},"\"We have to be clear with people about what we will and won’t allow,\" Dyer said. \"These facilities are not a fit for Fresno right now.\"",[66,306,307],{},[308,309,310,311,313,314,319],"em",{},"Central Valley AI is produced by the ",[70,312,239],{}," team and developed by ",[315,316,37],"a",{"href":38,"rel":317},[318],"nofollow",", a regional firm that builds, deploys, and integrates AI solutions for businesses across California's Central Valley.",[321,322],"hr",{},[61,324,326],{"id":325},"source","Source",[66,328,329],{},[315,330,331],{"href":331,"rel":332},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.yourcentralvalley.com\u002Fnews\u002Flocal-news\u002Fmayor-richardson-proposes-ai-center-moratorium\u002F",[318],{"title":10,"searchDepth":11,"depth":11,"links":334},[335,336,337,338,339],{"id":248,"depth":11,"text":249},{"id":265,"depth":11,"text":266},{"id":281,"depth":11,"text":282},{"id":294,"depth":11,"text":295},{"id":325,"depth":11,"text":326},"2026-09-04","Fresno Mayor Jerry Dyer is co-sponsoring Councilmember Nick Richardson’s push to write a 10‑year prohibition on data centers into the city’s code.",{},"\u002Fnews\u002Fdyer-backs-10-year-fresno-ban-on-ai-data-centers-council-takes-up-plan","---\nauthor: CVAI Newsdesk\ndate: '2026-09-04'\ndateModified: '2026-09-04'\ndescription: Fresno Mayor Jerry Dyer is co-sponsoring Councilmember Nick Richardson’s\n  push to write a 10‑year prohibition on data centers into the city’s code.\ntags:\n- fresno\n- policy\n- business\ntitle: Dyer backs 10-year Fresno ban on AI data centers; council takes up plan\n---\n\n# Dyer backs 10-year Fresno ban on AI data centers; council takes up plan\n\n## Key Takeaways\n\n1. Fresno Mayor Jerry Dyer backed a 10-year citywide ban on data centers on Sept. 2.\n2. Councilmember Nick Richardson’s resolution directs staff to write the prohibition into Fresno’s Development Code.\n3. The council took up the item Thursday; any ban would still face commission reviews.\n\n## What the proposal would do\n\nTen years. That is the length of the prohibition Fresno would put on new data centers under a resolution from Councilmember Nick Richardson, taken up by the City Council on Thursday. Mayor Jerry Dyer announced a day earlier that he is co-sponsoring the push. He said data centers, including facilities tied to artificial intelligence, don’t fit Fresno right now.\n\nRichardson’s resolution directs staff to draft a Development Code amendment that defines data centers and bans them citywide. It would also end any discretion the planning director currently has to sign off on one. The intent is simple, he told colleagues, to make the city’s position clear while larger land use fights play out.\n\nThe nuts-and-bolts matter to readers for a basic reason by sentence three. If approved, the city would stop processing proposals for large server farms that draw heavy power and, in some designs, cooling water. That changes what can be built on industrial ground that many residents watch closely.\n\nOutside City Hall at 6 p.m., it was 86 degrees.\n\n## Why now\n\nCity Hall has spent months arguing over the Southeast Development Area, or SEDA, a growth plan for the city’s south and southeast side. Supporters pitch SEDA as a jobs engine. Critics say it opens the door to land uses they do not want near homes and schools. During those debates, rumors and flyers about AI data centers spread through council chambers and neighborhood meetings.\n\nDyer moved to end the speculation. On Wednesday, he said data centers \"are not an appropriate land use for the City of Fresno under current technologies.\" He added that he wants SEDA land reserved for housing and advanced manufacturing, not for power-hungry server halls. For now, no applications on file.\n\nSome at City Hall have also noted a gray area. Fresno’s code doesn’t cleanly define data centers today, which leaves room for argument over how to classify a project if one did surface. Richardson’s plan would close that gap.\n\n## What happens next\n\nThursday’s council discussion was the first step. If a majority votes to initiate the change, the draft ban goes to the Airport Land Use Commission and then the Planning Commission, before coming back to the council for a final decision. That process gives time for formal public comment and for staff to spell out any carve-outs or definitions that matter to local businesses.\n\nExpect pushback if this advances. Tech firms and some unions argue data centers bring steady construction work and tax revenue, while residents and clean-power advocates warn about grid strain and, in some cases, water use. The city will have to pick a lane in code, not on social media.\n\n\"We have to be clear with people about what we will and won’t allow,\" Dyer said. \"These facilities are not a fit for Fresno right now.\"\n\n*Central Valley AI is produced by the **CVAI Newsdesk** team and developed by [Kaweah Tech](https:\u002F\u002Fkaweah.tech), a regional firm that builds, deploys, and integrates AI solutions for businesses across California's Central Valley.*\n\n---\n\n## Source\n\nhttps:\u002F\u002Fwww.yourcentralvalley.com\u002Fnews\u002Flocal-news\u002Fmayor-richardson-proposes-ai-center-moratorium\u002F\n",{"title":237,"description":341},{"loc":343},"news\u002Fdyer-backs-10-year-fresno-ban-on-ai-data-centers-council-takes-up-plan",[121,349,350],"policy","business","FyhTSrV01QIFuLajceAEbtwlD5m5H92puQiY7ShyyNw",1788481843753]