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AT YOUR FINGERTIPS Vol. 28, No. 30
YOUR HOMETOWN NEWS SOURCE | WWW.THEPRESS.NET
July 24, 2026
Oakley City Council and planners signal willingness to ban data centers By Connor Robles Correspondent
At a special joint work session, the Oakley City Council (minus Councilmember George Fuller) and Planning Commission directed city staff to prepare a resolution that would ban freestanding data centers from being built in the city, whether they are used for artificial intelligence (A.I.) or not. Smaller facilities that are ancillary to a main building, such as server rooms, will not be affected by the ban. The Council and Commission may reconvene for another work session to work out the exact wording of the ban before the end of the year. This could delay a ban to
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The Bridgehead Industrial Project is a 164-acre project approved by the Oakley City Council in March. An A.I. data center was originally a potential usage for the space, but was withdrawn ahead of the project’s approval. The Council has since pushed to ban data centers outright. early next year, but Council and Commission members said that they wanted to put a ban in place as quickly as pos-
sible to prevent any data center applications from coming in, while also making it as strong as possible.
The proposed ban stems from public concern over the natural resource use and utility costs of large A.I. data centers. City staff cited a study from the University of Michigan that said that data centers can drive up utility costs for nearby residents and consume enough energy to power 16,000 to 22,000 homes (for a data center of 10,000 to 150,000 square feet). A UC Riverside study from 2024, also cited by city staff, said that increased demand for data centers will increase health expenditures because of data centers up to $20 billion by 2028, with the most affected counties having see Data Centers page 15A
Brentwood hotel granted Autopsy results in extension on design plans Brentwood traffic
stop death released
By Jake Menez Staff Writer
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Concept art of the proposed hotel. longer in business,” Associate Planner Sarah Yuwiler explained to the commissioners during her presentation. The applicant added that they are finding a new civil engineer as well as a landscape engi-
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the circumstances. The incident began on Dec. 24, 2025, at 10:54 p.m., when Kephart was driving on Deer Valley Road when he saw a gray Lincoln driving 20-25 miles per hour in a 45 mile an hour zone. The vehicle momentarily crossed over into the opposing lane of traffic, prompting Officer Kephart to follow the vehicle as it turned eastbound onto Balfour Road. Kephart saw the vehicle weave back and forth within its lane of traffic and then swerve erratically to the right. As a result, Kephart initiated a traffic stop of the vehicle under
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neer to work with, but that the economy has made the process more difficult since it has driven many firms out of business. The proposed 69,060
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A new hotel slated to come to Shady Willow Lane in Brentwood is getting a later check-in after the Planning Commission voted 4-0 to allow an 18-month extension on the project’s permits, which would have expired this summer. Commissioner Anita Roberts was absent from the meeting. The reason for the extension, according to city staff, was that the developer had faced challenges related to both the economy and the need to find a new civil engineer for the project. “The engineering firm that they were working with is no
An autopsy conducted last Dec. 26 on Romaine Alexander Morgan by Dr. James Caruso determined that Morgan’s cause of death during a traffic stop two days earlier was listed as, “Gunshot Wounds of the Torso.” In addition, Morgan’s blood tested positive for cannabinoids and methamphetamine, according to a press release. According to state law and the District Attorney’s Uniform Crime Charging Standards, the three Brentwood police officers – Tanner Kephart, Chelsea Valadez and Kimberly Beltran – acted in lawful self-defense/ defense of others and their use of force was reasonable under
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