District 7 Council Candidates Agree: Keep Data Centers Out of Fresno

Whoever wins Fresno’s District 7 City Council seat on Nov. 3 will keep the door shut on data centers — both candidates running to replace termed-out Councilmember Nelson Esparza say they’re against letting the facilities into town.

Nav Gurm and Ariana Martinez Lott are competing for the east-central Fresno seat, and while they differ on tactics, they agree on the outcome: no AI or cloud data centers in Fresno.

The City Council voted 7-0 on Sept. 3 to begin a process that could ban data centers for 10 years. Martinez Lott showed up to that meeting to praise the effort — then urged the council to go further, faster.

“I urge the City Council to make an amendment to this resolution, making it an immediate temporary ban while this lengthy text amendment process takes place,” she said at the meeting.

Gurm laid out his position in a video posted to his campaign Facebook page, framing the issue as a fight against Silicon Valley draining Fresno’s water.

“We are not going to let Silicon Valley drain Fresno’s water just so a few more tech giants can make more money,” he said in the video.

Gurm said he supports a moratorium and wants to bring tech jobs to Fresno — just not AI data centers, which he says consume too much water and create too few jobs.

The material reviewed did not document any actual data center projects proposed or pending in Fresno.

The Breakdown

• The Sept. 3 City Council vote started a process that could lead to a 10-year ban on AI and cloud data centers in Fresno.
• Nav Gurm and Ariana Martinez Lott are both running for District 7 and both oppose data centers, though Martinez Lott pushed for an immediate temporary ban while the formal process plays out.
• Gurm’s stated concerns center on water consumption and job creation — he says data centers use too much water and don’t create enough jobs to justify it.

What This Means for You

This race won’t change the City Council’s direction on data centers — both candidates agree with the Sept. 3 vote. What you’re voting on is how aggressively your District 7 representative will push that position: whether you want someone willing to wait out the formal ban process the council started, or someone who thinks the city should lock the door immediately while that process runs. Your vote determines who speaks for east-central Fresno on this and every other council decision for the next term.

What You Can Do

The District 7 election is Nov. 3. If you live in east-central Fresno and are registered to vote, this is your race — make sure you’re registered and know where your polling location is.

What to Watch

Both candidates are echoing the unanimous Sept. 3 council vote, which means this issue isn’t going to be decided by who wins District 7 — the council already moved in one direction together. The real question is what happens after the election: whether the formal 10-year ban process the council started actually completes, or whether a new council majority pushes for Martinez Lott’s faster temporary-ban approach instead. Watch whether the winning candidate treats this campaign position as a floor or a ceiling once they’re seated — whether they’ll vote for the process already underway, or whether they’ll try to accelerate it.