Patterson and Riverbank pause data centers; Modesto weighs next steps

Key Takeaways

A report carried by the Merced Sun-Star says voters will see more than 30 data center measures on November ballots nationwide.
Patterson approved a 45‑day pause in July and extended it to July 2027 in August.
Riverbank adopted a 45‑day moratorium on Sept. 8 and set an Oct. 13 hearing to extend it 10 months and 15 days.
Modesto posted a city FAQ on Aug. 11 and residents pressed the council to add a pause.
Modesto Irrigation District told its board large power users must fund studies and protections before any hookup.

The Riverbank council’s vote took five minutes on Sept. 8. A 45‑day pause, unanimous, and staff told to bring back stricter rules.

Two towns over, Patterson moved first. The council imposed a 45‑day moratorium on July 16, then extended it on Aug. 18 through July 2027 to give staff time to map water and power needs and write conditions. The same week, Modesto’s chambers filled with residents urging their council to hit the brakes too.

Why it matters here lands fast. A national report carried by the Merced Sun-Star says voters will face more than 30 ballot questions tied to data centers this November. That’s the backdrop for Central Valley readers because the next class of facilities uses far more electricity than current builds, and it’s the same grid that runs packing houses and cold storage in Merced County.

What the report says

The pieces circulating nationally point to fast‑rising opposition, from California to the Midwest, and tally three dozen or so local measures asking voters to slow, ban, or condition large data center projects. The debate has bled into campaign season. The report the Sun‑Star carried puts the number at more than 30, with decisions spread across multiple states in November.

Where Valley councils landed

Patterson’s initial 45‑day moratorium in July bought time. In August the council extended the pause out to next summer, citing open questions on infrastructure and ratepayer risk. Riverbank followed with its own 45‑day urgency ordinance on Sept. 8, and it noticed an Oct. 13 hearing to add 10 months and 15 days, a standard step under state law when cities keep a temporary ban in place. One sentence here covers it.

Modesto hasn’t voted on a moratorium. It did publish a plain‑English FAQ on Aug. 11, and the council heard repeated calls from residents to codify a pause while staff sorts zoning, water, and power.

What the utilities said

The Modesto Irrigation District briefed its board on Sept. 8. Staff walked through the process a big prospective customer would face: an initial inquiry, then a large‑load study, followed by system‑impact and facilities studies, all paid by the applicant. MID said safeguards exist to keep existing customers from picking up costs tied to new mega‑users. That’s the lever local boards look for before they talk jobs or tax revenue.

What this means for Merced County

If one of these projects lands in commuting range of Merced, the main tests are the same ones councils from Patterson to Riverbank are asking now: how much power, how much water, how many jobs, and who pays if upgrades are needed. Analysts say the next crop of facilities can pull about two‑and‑a‑half times the electricity of those opening this year, which is why boards that also serve farms and processors want costs pinned to the applicant up front.

A half‑empty paper cup sat by the clerk’s monitor at a recent meeting.

"We don’t want a data center here," Modesto resident Kayla Delgadillo told a TV crew after that packed August session.

Central Valley AI is produced by the CVAI Newsdesk team and developed by Kaweah Tech, a regional firm that builds, deploys, and integrates AI solutions for businesses across California's Central Valley.

Source

https://www.mercedsunstar.com/news/business/article317459405.html