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LA mayor wants the city, not a state agency, to regulate commercial AVs operations
Mayor Karen Bass says Los Angeles — not a commonwealth agency — should have the power to decide how robotaxi companies expand in the city .
As Waymoexpands its operationsin the urban center , Basssent an open letterto the Public Utilities Commission , which regulates commercial-grade robotaxi operations in California , fence that Los Angeles should hold that ultimate confidence . In the varsity letter , Bass said the city is “ equip with the tools to effectively regulate AV service within its legal power ” and that LA “ should determine the requirements for future deployment . ”
The mayor is n’t precisely in whole tone with certainLA councilmembers , who recite robotaxi ship’s company last week to take a hike over safety and job - loss concern . Instead , Bass say she aims to both “ maximise the benefit ” of go forth tech and “ mitigate trauma across our divers communities . ” And she wants the metropolis to make that call .
The letter is more than a local politician flex against a state agency . Bass is using her platform as mayor of the second - big U.S. city to highlight how little ascendence local lawgiver have over technology that will affect their own citizens . Other mayors , who grappled with the consequences of drive - hailing apps and partake micromobility , may also take up Bass ’ fighting . That could handicap the commercial-grade inhalation of autonomous - vehicle company like Waymo that are just start out to scale .
The letter of the alphabet also reads as if Bass is contract the chance to get forward of a political crisis .
“ Local jurisdictions like Los Angeles have had little to no stimulant in AV deployment and are already seeing significant trauma and disruption , ” the mayor wrote . The phrase “ jurisdictions like ” is doing a whole lot of employment here . The mayor cited one LA - specific example , in which she said a robotaxi “ could not properly identify or obey an officer who was guide dealings . ” ( The letter did n’t name the ship’s company responsible for , but it apparently was n’t a Cruise vehicle . The fellowship haspaused its operation everywhere , and before doing so , it did not function vehicles in LA without a human being behind the rack , a Cruise representative told TechCrunch . )
Still , the city manager argues that Los Angeles faces an “ exponentially greater ” risk from “ unrestricted Ab deployment , ” by nature of the urban center ’s large population and size .
What can LA even do?
Bass say LA is “ equipped with the putz ” to manage AVs , yet someLA city councilmembers are n’t clear on how to do so . Transportation Committee official promise for more transparence around Ab data on Wednesday , to inform next actions by councilmembers . During the session , the committee advanced two AV motions , one of which asked for a report on the city ’s “ existing bureau to regulate such employment ” of AVs . The other motion requestedLA ’s urban center lawyer to joinSan Francisco ’s postulation for a rehearingwith the Public Utilities Commission to reassess the regulator ’s late robotaxi elaboration rulings .
luckily , or perhaps to get out forrader of the mayor ’s letter , a Waymo voice called on the LA city council earlier in the day to consider its track record singly from its competitors . LA lawmaker have mostly focused on reports involving Cruise Ab in their public statements to engagement .
Reached for gossip , Cruise spokesperson Navideh Forghani point TechCrunch to asafety studycommissioned by the company . Forghani also take down that Cruise recently update how its AVsrespond to emergency fomite .
Waymo spokesperson Christopher Bonelli order the caller is “ disappointed in the mayor ’s decisiveness to oppose the deployment of autonomous vehicle in Los Angeles . ” Bonelli added that Waymo does not “ trust the alphabetic character is an accurate histrionics of Waymo and our experience . ” While expressing disappointment , the spokesperson show that Waymo would still continue expanding in LA .
It ’s worth noting that Waymo might also be mother in front of itself here ; the LA mayor ’s letter did not qualify the point to which she would care to see robotaxis prevail in .
Mayor Bass did not mention thelabor concernslinked to driverless technical school , but they ’re a key gadget driver behind recent anti - robotaxi rally . The Teamsters union in finical is in direct talks with lawmakers , includingCouncilmember Hugo Soto - Martinez , about regulating robotaxi elaboration .
rectification : Waymo did not boom its LA operation on November 1 . It started its LA county expansion on October 12 , in Santa Monica .
