AB 93

Existing law authorizes the legislative body of an incorporated city and the county board of supervisors to license businesses carried on within their respective jurisdictions and to set license fees, as specified. This bill would require a person who owns or operates a data center, prior to applying to a city or a county for an initial business license, equivalent instrument, or permit, to provide its water supplier, under penalty of perjury, an estimate of the expected water use. When applying to a city or county for an initial business license, the bill would require a person who owns or operates a data center to self-certify, under penalty of perjury, on the application that the person has provided its water supplier an estimate of the expected water use. When applying to a city or county for a renewal of a business license, equivalent instrument, or permit, the bill would require a person who owns or operates a data center to self-certify, under penalty of perjury, on the application, that they have provided the data center’s water supplier with a report of the annual water use. By expanding the crime of perjury, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The bill would authorize the Department of Water Resources, as part of any efficiency standard adopted under a specified provision of law, to identify different tiers of data centers, based on factors affecting water consumption, and appropriate standards for each data tier. The bill would define terms for purposes of these provisions. The bill would include findings that changes proposed by this bill address a matter of statewide concern rather than a municipal affair and, therefore, apply to all cities, including charter cities. The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.