San Francisco to Become Novva’s Fifth Data Center Location

SAN FRANCISCO, Nov. 29, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — Novva Data Centers, a state-of-the-art data center company providing purpose-built data center facilities, announced today the acquisition of a 7.5-acre campus comprised of several buildings located in South San Francisco. The newest data center location will include an investment of over $500 million and provide a 28MW critical load. The first phase of 9MW will launch in the summer of 2026, guided by an avante-garde vision that is poised to make the new location one of the most innovative and sustainable data centers in the United States.

A rendering of Novva’s newest data center in San Francisco.

The data center will host numerous advancements in data center design:

• 28MW N+1 critical compute load via Novva’s proprietary electrical delivery system which boasts no centralized infrastructure and is designed for the ultimate in resiliency, concurrent maintenance, and distributed redundancy.
• Novva’s innovative water-free air-cooling system
• All generators will operate using HVO, which stands for hydro-treated vegetable oil (biodiesel)
• Sodium Ion UPS batteries with no thermal runaway risk or rare earth materials
• Recyclable polypropylene employed for the chilled water loop air supply
• Direct-to-chip cooling loop

The data center facility will represent 182,000 square feet on two floors, and a 56,000 square foot state-of-the-art office and operations support center.

Novva’s San Francisco operation will be one of a handful of such facilities in the northern bay region. According to Novva’s CEO Wes Swenson, “This will be one of the greenest data centers ever created in the area and represents a very rare opportunity for clients to locate intelligent computing in one of the most important cities for software and hardware development in the world.”

The topology, density, and ability to provision power and operate data centers in areas of critical mass is becoming more challenging every day.

The fifth location announced by Novva in less than three years, the San Francisco data center complements the company’s ever-growing footprint in the Western United States. Novva has campuses in West Jordan, Utah; Colorado Springs, Colorado; Reno, Nevada; and Las Vegas.

About Novva Data Centers

Novva Data Centers creates purpose-built data centers for the future across the Western United States, providing scalable wholesale infrastructure services for local, national, and international clients. Novva’s human-centric, sustainable data center solutions are married with an extensive portfolio of high capacity, scalable data center amenities to provide turnkey, client-designed solutions. Novva’s data center campuses in Utah, Colorado, Nevada and California stand out for their forward-thinking features such as state-of-the-art water-free cooling systems, renewable energy usage, drone and robot dog facility monitoring and thoughtful design approaches that provide a one-of-a-kind, modern day data center experience. Learn more at www.novva.com.

Novva Media Contact

Jaymie Scotto & Associates (JSA)
+1 866.695.3629 ext. 11
[email protected]

SOURCE Novva Data Centers

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Under the law, the state would require all facilities whose water exceeds the 5 ppb limit to reduce lead to as close to zero as possible.

Daycare standards are higher than those in elementary, middle, and high schools, where not every faucet needs to be tested, faucets replaced, or parents notified unless lead levels exceed 15 ppb.

Rep. Chris Holden, the author of AB 2370, introduced legislation this year that would require schools to meet the same standards as day care centers.

“By aligning lead testing standards in childcare and schools, we can protect children from the toxic effects of lead,” Holden said in a statement.

Day care centers had a two-year window to have their drinking water tested for lead contamination. But so far, months after the deadline, only about half of the 14,500 tests required have been reported, according to EWG’s analysis. It’s unclear how many daycares haven’t yet tested their water for lead, or if their results haven’t been reported by labs.

Little said she expects the number of facilities with harmful lead exposure to increase as more testing results become available.

“It seems like this is just the tip of the iceberg,” she said, pointing out that licensed family child care homes in California, which have more day care centers, aren’t even required to test their water for lead.

Little advises parents sending their children to family children’s homes to encourage their providers to install newer faucets and lead-removing filters.

Parents sending their children to a center can search the EWG’s database for lead level results (PDF) and urge them to test their water if results from that facility are missing.

If the facility is found to have an unsafe level of lead in water, Little recommends parents check with providers for details on what they have done to lower that level.

Kumiko Inui, principal at San Francisco’s ABC preschool, whose lead levels scored the fourth-highest in the study, said the result was due to an outdoor sink that hadn’t been used in years and has since been turned off. However, she said other facilities at the bilingual Japanese-English preschool were below 5 ppb and that the school uses a filter in its kitchen sink and provides bottled water for students.

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Positive customer interactions helped keep morale up, despite the company’s various media and market snafus. Peloton warehouse workers could sense the writing on the wall. The company froze hiring in November and considered laying off 41% of its sales and marketing staff in January. Demand had fallen far below early pandemic levels, and the stock price was sinking. But field operation specialists still felt busy in the small but mighty St. Louis warehouse, Carroll said. “Pretty consistently we were one of the top-rated warehouses in the company,” he said.

So when Peloton laid off 2,800 people a few weeks ago, it wasn’t totally unexpected. But it hurts. The shakeup affected everyone, from recruiters to marketers to former CEO John Foley himself. The company laid off everyone at the St. Louis and Seattle warehouses and significantly cut down the Denver warehouse. Peloton declined to break down the demographics of the 2,800 people laid off, but Protocol told 20% were corporate employees. Peloton instructors — who rose to influencer status in the early pandemic — were not affected.

Protocol spoke to a handful of laid-off employees who were a part of Peloton’s delivery and manufacturing operations. The general consensus mirrored some of the gratitude reflected in ex-Pelotoners’ parting LinkedIn posts. The company offered satisfactory pay and benefits, as well as mentorship opportunities. They’re frustrated that bad business decisions put them in this spot (a sentiment reflected in recent Glassdoor posts). But mostly, they’re sad to lose a solid gig.

A day at a Peloton warehouse

The St Louis warehouse was tight knit. Demand ballooned in the early days of the pandemic, when everyone wanted Peloton equipment. Peloton needed more bikes, treadmills and workers, stat. It bought exercise equipment manufacturer Precor, and it even made plans to build its first US factory in Ohio. It had to hire to keep up.

“There were all different kinds of people,” Carroll said about the approximately 34 workers in St. Louis. People trying to pay for school, people who had been affected by early COVID layoffs. Many came to Peloton after being referred by friends who already worked there, creating a workplace with personal connections. In St Louis and other warehouses, many came from companies like Target or Amazon. “That was a network of people that were separated by one or two degrees because they already knew someone who worked there,” Carroll said.

A standard day at a Peloton warehouse involved morning meetings about warehouse reviews, checking inventory and going out for deliveries. The Peloton delivery process requires some showmanship. A van with a prominent Peloton logo pulled into the driveway, in view of jealous neighbors. It always came within the two- or four-hour delivery window and always with notice. Masked workers decked in Peloton gear hopped out, promptly asking if they should wear disposable boot covers on their shoes before entering the home. After bringing the equipment in, the worker explained how to use it, ideally “with a certain charisma” Carroll said.

Workers felt Peloton’s allure; they believed in the product. Former Denver field specialist Skylar Stetler lost his job as a gymnastics coach in April 2020. He started at Peloton in November of that year, and it felt promising. “[Peloton] came in like ‘the sky’s the limit,’” Stetler said. “There are going to be new roles opening up. Imagine it, it will happen. They set themselves up with visions of grandeur.”

Wages were high compared to standard warehouse work. The base pay average for a Peloton field specialist is $22/hour, according to Glassdoor. The starting salary for North American and European-based hourly workers is $19/hour, according to Peloton. Laid-off Pelotoners told Protocol the COVID protocols were stringent, and the benefits were standard with 80 hours PTO per year. Before the layoffs, Stetler was aiming for mentorship for a supply chain analytics role.

But in the months leading up to the layoffs, their prospects felt shaky. Stetler noticed a lack of urgency to fill positions when people left. The company couldn’t offer temporary workers full-time positions. Carroll felt that with each passing day, his bosses had less information. Morale plummeted.

“Things just weren’t really adding up, and so you felt a bit lost,” Stetler said.

‘An amicable breakup’

When former St. Louis field specialist Daniel Murphy got the layoff call, his first thought was “empty hole in my wallet.” Murphy was about to hand over his credit card to get his car fixed.

The St. Louis workers took a day to decompress, coming together that night for drinks. But the next day, it was hustle time. Carroll said he applied to 22 different jobs that morning. Some people had just had their first kid or gotten engaged or, in Carroll’s case, bought a house.

There were mixed feelings. “A lot of people might compare it to an amicable breakup of some kind. Things had kind of not been going great for a while,” Carroll said. The warehouse workers had grown accustomed to the fair pay and benefits. If they wanted to do a similar job elsewhere, they would likely get paid less.

Some thought back to the workers from XPO Logistics employees who were brought in during busy seasons. Before the mass layoff, roughly 60% of deliveries were carried out by Peloton workers. Peloton CFO Jill Woodworth said in the company’s earnings call that it will drop to 40%, with the majority of deliveries handled by third parties.

Some workers were concerned about XPO workers replacing them. A handful of workers at the St. Louis warehouse talked about organizing in response to this fear of outsourcing, though nothing came of those conversations. In an email to staff this month, Foley noted that the company has “scaled” partnerships with third-party logistics teams to keep up with demand. Now, Peloton’s significantly reducing “our owned and operated warehousing and delivery footprint.”

Peloton warehouse workers are laser-focused on customer satisfaction. It’s part of their regular assessment. Third-party workers have less financial incentive and training to deliver Peloton equipment with all the added bells and whistles, Carroll said. Some customers have voiced frustrations with XPO’s Peloton delivery process, particularly on Reddit. Peloton tries to address customer delivery issues as quickly as possible, Peloton spokesperson Amelise Lane told Protocol. XPO spokesperson Joe Checkler said scores for Peloton deliveries are between 95 and 100 out of 100. “We immediately act to rectify customer concerns whenever there’s an issue,” Checkler said.

But Carroll is troubled by what Peloton deliveries might look like without his warehouse. “To have this third-party service who is going to make your customers less happy, it just doesn’t add up to any of us,” Carroll. “I think that was what upset a lot of people.”

What’s next for Peloton and its ex-workers?

The ex-Peloton workers have varying hopes for the company. Carroll is concerned about the quality of delivery. Some may question how much delivery matters when it comes to Peloton’s desirability, though. A personalized delivery experience is a plus, but it might not matter as much when it comes to actually buying the Peloton.

Murphy wants to see the company succeed and hire back more people. He hopes the company retains its fair wages and transparent culture. “I really do hope that that continues and that more employees can benefit from that culture that they started with,” Murphy said. Stetler, who says he “drank the Kool-Aid” and became a big Peloton fan, would love to see Peloton bikes and treadmills marketed toward the masses instead of as luxury products.

As for their personal job pursuits, many felt a rush of support after the series of viral posts on LinkedIn. A few said it will likely be easier for those on the corporate side of Peloton to find positions. They’re generally more plugged-in to LinkedIn, and tech workers are entering a candidates’ market. But Stetler said he’s feeling some of the love: He landed some supply-chain-related job interviews in the past week.

Carroll is casting a wide net, applying to Peloton-adjacent jobs as well as jobs in media production. Murphy had been planning on using his Peloton wagers to go back to school in the fall. He’s reevaluating those plans now. The two said the St. Louis warehouse workers are still in touch, helping each other find opportunities.

“We have the same needs because obviously we worked the same job,” Carroll said. “We lived the same sorts of lifestyles for a while so we may as well look out for each other.”

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SAN FRANCISCO (KPIX) – Golden State Warriors fans can return to the Chase Center in San Francisco for a week starting Friday to personally choose the team.

The COVID pandemic has kept fans away from the arena since last March. On Tuesday, team officials demonstrated exactly what steps are required to enter the venue and the entire process to protect all COVID people once in the arena.

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Before fans can enter the Chase Center, they have to jump through the hoops of “Operation Dub Nation,” as the warriors call their security protocol.

After 13 months, it’s a huge win for Chase Center just to get the fans back inside. It will reopen at 35% capacity and have a comprehensive health and safety system.

“This program is the first of its kind for a sports team to offer fans this level of COVID-19 testing at no additional cost,” said Yoyo Chan, vice president of government and community relations at Warriors.

There are two ways fans can get into the Chase Center. The first is to show proof of full vaccination at the door. The other is to get tested.

“Any fan who purchases a ticket to a Warriors home game seven days or more in advance will trigger a molecular COVID test that will be sent to their home approximately four days before the Warriors game,” Chan said.

The test must be taken within 48 hours of being taken off or it will not count, but on-site tests will also be performed.

Once inside, everything from disinfectants to ticketing and eating is touch-free.

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The Chase Center app makes concessions contactless and cashless. The food is delivered individually wrapped. Once the fans get their food, they won’t be returning to their seats with it.

Instead, there are designated dining areas in the halls or outside.

“The Warriors left the extra courtyard by a long way to make this as safe as possible for the fans,” said UCSF epidemiologist Dr. George Rutherford.

Other security measures include the most modern HVAC system available, a vaccination-only seating area, and improved cleaning and disinfection protocols.

Until next Friday’s game, 407 days have passed since the team played in front of fans on their home pitch. The warriors say they made the best of the missing dub nation.

“We spent every single hour of each of those 407 days redesigning and redefining the Chase Center experience with the number one goal of making it the safest arena in the country,” said Kim Stone, general manager of the Chase Center.

For more information on the testing protocols and security procedures in the Chase Center, please visit the venue’s website.

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The first time this system has been put to the test with fans is Friday April 23rd when the Warriors play the Denver Nuggets. Tip is at 7 p.m.

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A couple of streetsbloggy messages for your weekend consumption.

Take the vaccine express for your COVID shot:

The transit agencies in the Bay Area have compiled and consolidated information on how to get trains, buses and ferries to vaccination sites.

From the vaccination website “HealthyPlan”:

Public transportation providers in the Bay Area are working hard to ensure coronavirus vaccine (COVID-19) outlets are accessible. Many systems offer free trips to vaccine sales outlets. Some set up shuttle services to the vaccination centers for people without a car or for people who need assistance with mobility.

The website lists vaccination centers that Caltrain, BART, VTA, SFMTA, AC Transit, Golden Gate Transit and Ferry, and SamTrans can access. The trips are free (depending on the operator in one or both directions) with proof of a vaccine appointment. There is also a free shuttle service to the sights. Make sure to check out the page when your appointment comes.

It’s nice to see the Bay Area transit companies working together, if not slightly disappointing that there are still differences in their vaccination pricing policies. Now let’s hope Seamless Bay Area can develop a permanent vaccine to prevent the Bay Area’s 28 independent transit companies from relapsing and doing everything else in their own silos.

Dumbarton rail link finally moving?

A map of the proposed crossing. Note that the rail approaches are already in place, as is a burned-out bridge. Image: SamTrans

It is frankly ridiculous that there is only one level crossing between the entire East Bay and the San Francisco Peninsula, especially when one albeit badly damaged level crossing has been rotting for decades. But there is hope again. A $ 3 billion project under development would rebuild the intersection and provide a transit service in the center of the peninsula. Learn more about the project at a public meeting on Monday March 15th to discuss it.

From a SamTrans press release:

The project is currently in the strategic planning process, with a focus on developing conceptual alternatives to connect Redwood City to Union City via the Dumbarton Rail Corridor. These alternatives are based on the public relations and stakeholder engagement that has taken place over the past two years. SamTrans, which owns the rail corridor, and Facebook are working on developing this alternative analysis to see what a public transportation option using the old rail bridge might look like. This work will be completed by spring 2021. At this point, SamTrans will continue his role as project manager for the region.

The aim is to connect Caltrain, ACE, BART, the Capitol Corridor and California High-Speed ​​Rail. According to SamTrans, they are “working with local and regional funding partners on a funding plan for the future project. Currently, measure W and regional measure 3 contain funds for the project. “

Streetsblog urges proponents to join the virtual community meeting on Monday, March 15th, 6pm to 7.30pm. Link here or use Zoom Webinar ID: 968 8464 7203. Or call (669) 900-6833.

San Francisco Mayor Breed wants to make common spaces permanent.

A “common space” on Taraval. Photo: SFPlanning

Last but not least, Mayor London Breed announced legislation on Friday that would make the “Shared Spaces” program in San Francisco permanent. The program enables companies to set themselves up on sidewalks, curbs or parts of the roadway via a simplified application portal. This has been a lifeline for many restaurants and other small businesses that were otherwise unable to provide food and other goods and services due to the need for social distancing under COVID-19 guidelines.

From the mayor’s statement:

Shared spaces have brought people so much joy and opportunity to safely enjoy their neighborhood and support local businesses in an otherwise incredibly challenging time. They have also been a lifeline for business owners, providing restaurants, cafes, and stores with the space they need to provide outdoor services and keep their businesses going. It was amazing to see people dining and having fun outdoors and I know this program will be an incredible addition to our city as we relax and move forward.

Legislation is supported by supervisors Ahsha Safai, Rafael Mandelman, Catherine Stefani and Matt Haney.

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