Hayward City Council Meeting September 15, 2026

The Hayward City Council held a meeting on September 15, 2026, primarily focused on the community's concerns regarding data center development in the city, particularly the recently approved STACK data center. The council heard extensive public testimony expressing environmental, health, and social concerns about data centers, including their water and energy consumption, noise pollution, and potential impacts related to AI technology. Several speakers called for a moratorium or outright ban on future data center projects. The council discussed three options: maintaining current regulations with enhancements, adopting an urgency moratorium to pause approvals, or a permanent ban on data centers. After deliberation, the council unanimously directed staff to prepare an urgency moratorium to pause new data center approvals while staff reviews and strengthens regulations focusing on transparency, accountability, and community benefits. The council also committed to further community engagement and monitoring of existing data centers. No immediate contract awards or budget allocations were made, but the meeting set a clear policy direction that will affect future procurement and development activities related to data centers in Hayward.