I spent my morning cycling through downtown, and honestly, the vibe at 20th and Broadway is heavy right now. I passed the site where Behring Companies wants to drop a new data center, and it’s just another example of tech interests trying to colonize our urban landscape.

As a sociologist, I see this through the lens of environmental justice and corporate encroachment. We’re being told these 'innovation hubs' bring jobs, but the reality is they consume massive amounts of energy and water while offering very little to the actual residents of the Town. I was talking to folks at a rally for Haitian TPS rights earlier this week, and the sentiment is the same: our community is tired of being a playground for capital gain while we fight for basic survival and legal status.

Councilmember Fife is calling for 'responsible AI' regulations, but I’m with the PSL on this one—we need a total ban. We don't need more cooling fans and server racks; we need affordable housing and spaces that foster human connection, not data storage. Oakland belongs to the people, not the developers.