Palo Alto mayor pushes for ban on large tech companies taking over downtown

Patrick Burt want to use local zoning laws to restrict major technology companies from occupying space in the city, which is home to Palantir and Amazon

The mayor of Palo Alto is pushing for a ban on large technology companies downtown, making him the latest local politician to go after the powerful firms driving the booming economy in Silicon Valley.

Patrick Burt said he and other city council members in Palo Alto - which is home to corporations Palantir and Amazon, and is at the center of California's regional hub for technology - want to use local zoning laws to restrict major tech companies from occupying space in the city's downtown area.