Major data center bills advance in California despite industry pushback. As the legislative session nears an end, lawmakers push ahead bills that aim to stop AI centers from raising utility costs and spur builders to opt for clean energy. 18 August 2026 California, with its sky-high electricity prices, isn't facing the same influx of data centers that many other states are. But the massive facilities are still being built and proposed in California - and legislators are racing to stop them from pushing up utility rates and pollution. Two major data center bills passed a key committee last week as California's legislative session nears its close at the end of this month. Senate Bill 886 aims to prevent data centers from raising utility costs for other consumers, while SB 887 would incentivize developers to invest in clean energy and nearby communities. Data centers have lawmakers nationwide walking a fine line. Voters are increasingly worried about the facilities' impacts on energy affordability and the environment, but the industry also promises jobs and economic benefits. State Sen. Steve Padilla, the Democrat who penned both California bills, says his proposals would rein in the sector without stifling it completely. "People are asserting that it's a binary choice" on data centers - "you can either ban them all, which is some communities' reaction, or you can have zero regulation," said Padilla, whose bills were inspired by a high-profile conflict between a data center developer and residents in a county he represents. "I think we can walk and chew gum at the same time," he said. "We can protect consumers and communities, and support infrastructure that supports tech companies and jobs." SB 886 takes on the first part of that equation. It would require the California Public Utilities Commission to set rules for data centers of at least 25 megawatts to fully cover the costs they impose on customers of the state's three major utilities. Data centers would pay for the new power generation and grid upgrades they need, along with a "reasonable share" of the fees utilities collect for wildfire mitigation, environmental programs, and other social initiatives. This is not a new approach, with many states already enacting similar "large load tariffs." Along with these requirements, SB 886 would create a mandatory demand-response program that forces data centers to stop pulling power from the grid during supply-demand emergencies. Similar mandates are under consideration in places like Texas and the 13-state region served by grid operator PJM Interconnection. SB 887, meanwhile, would offer expedited state environmental review for data centers "if they commit to high standards and serving communities," Padilla said. Data centers seeking this special treatment must get 100% of their hourly electricity consumption from carbon-free resources within five years, 75% of it newly built. And they'll need to draw from zero-carbon backup power - most likely batteries - when the grid is under stress, rather than using diesel generators, which are installed by almost all data centers. Developers would also have to pay for grid interconnection costs in advance and commit to a community benefits plan. Although California has yet to see the massive, gigawatt-scale data centers being built in some states, several larger-scale projects are in the works near Silicon Valley. Those include Microsoft's 48-megawatt data center in San Jose, developer Stack Infrastructure's 77-megawatt data center in Hayward, and, most recently, Google's 250-megawatt research and development center in San Jose.

Early-morning data center construction fuels tensions in rural Caddo. August 13, 2026 (The Center Square) - Caddo Parish Commissioner Chris Kracman said he is growing increasingly concerned about the tension between parish residents and contractors at the Stateline Road Data Center construction site. That concern was significant enough to warrant law enforcement attention. "The sheriff's department contacted me and wanted to know how to mitigate the tension between contractors and citizens," Kracman told The Center Square. "I told him to talk with the contractors about starting at a reasonable hour." Amazon Web Services and developer STACK Infrastructure are constructing multi-building tech campuses in rural Caddo and Bossier parishes. Construction is expected to span more than five years. Kracman spoke about the issue with fellow commissioners last week, when he submitted a request to commission administration for construction schedules, permits authorizing after-hours work and noise mitigation plans. - Advertisement - Kracman said he has not received the requested documents. Parish residents near the site are upset with construction crews who start operating their backhoes and other heavy machinery just before 4 a.m., Kracman said, adding that a reasonable start time is around 7 a.m. The Center Square reviewed a handful of those complaints obtained through a public records request. They range from excessive construction noise and damage along road easements, to construction equipment blocking driveways and disruption of residents' access to their property. "They have a bad attitude, and I think anybody else would too," he said. "They have to accept this coming but it's hard to do when the construction is interrupting their sleep and their commute to work." Kracman said those citizens were unable, until this week, to reach William Bradford, a community liaison, or any other STACK or Amazon representative to work out a solution. When asked for additional details about the complaints, Bradford directed all media inquiries to STACK's press email. - Advertisement - Property owners whose homes neighbor the site have taken the step of getting in the roadway to film construction activity and expressing their frustration verbally. "Contractors are calling the police on the people who are calling the police on them," Kracman said. "What Black Chronicle Inc. is having over there is an old fashioned standoff and the tensions are going up and up. "I believe that it is liable to get worse. Somebody needs to find a way to chill before somebody gets violent," he said. "They are fed up with the inconvenience they are experiencing." Hot this week

PNC lends $84.5Mln for construction of miami-dade Apartments. South Florida Business Journal Coastland Residential has lined up $84.5 million of construction financing for Vybe 75, a 366-unit apartment project in Miami. PNC Bank provided the loan. The August 12, 2026 Sixteenth Floor Residential has paid $644 million, or $221,306/unit, for Crest at Brier Creek, a 291-unit apartment property in Raleigh, NC The El Paso, Texas, nonprofit acquired the property, on 1448 acres at 6450 Viewpointe Circle, from Millburn... August 12, 2026 Bedford Affordable Housing Foundation has purchased the 416-unit Anthem Clearwater apartment complex in Clearwater, Fla, for $70 million, or $168,269/unit The Beverly Hills, Calif, nonprofit acquired the property, at 2770 Roosevelt Blvd, from... August 12, 2026 Atlanta Business Chronicle An affiliate of RangeWater Residential has paid $549 million, or $196,071/unit, for the Blaine at Buckhead West, a 280-unit apartment community in Atlanta The local real estate developer bought the property from Bell... August 11, 2026 Atlanta Business Chronicle A venture of Portman Holdings and Perform Properties, a unit of Blackstone, has lined up $278 million of financing against Ten Twenty Spring, a 525,000-square-foot office building in Atlanta's Midtown area Eldridge... August 11, 2026 Atlanta Business Chronicle Home Invest has bought East Ponce Village, a 977-unit apartment community in Stone Mountain, Ga, for $707 million, or $72,364/unit The Palm Beach Gardens, Fla, investment firm purchased the garden-style property from Adams... August 10, 2026 Foreign investors pursuing permanent residency in the United States through the EB-5 visa program have until September 30 to take advantage of existing minimum investment... August 10, 2026 South Florida Business Journal El-Ad National Properties has purchased the 99-room Sea Club Ocean Resort Hotel in Fort Lauderdale, Fla, for $5995 million, or $605,556/room The Boca Raton, Fla, developer acquired the property from Sea Club Ocean... August 10, 2026 South Florida Business Journal American Landmark Apartments has paid $648 million, or $302,804/unit, for the 214-unit Savona Grand apartment complex in Lake Worth Beach, Fla The Tampa, Fla, multifamily investor bought the property from affiliates of... August 7, 2026 Commercial Property Executive Stack Infrastructure, Blue Owl Capital's data-center development arm, has paid $664 million for a 71-acre development site at 15140 Keyser Road in Culpeper, Va The Denver company acquired the property from RACM,... Recent. August 12, 2026 * Transactions * CMBS * Exec Changes August 12, 2026