California cities remain unable to regulate autonomous vehicles after lawmaker pulls bill

Andrew Sheeler
·3 min read
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Good morning and welcome to the A.M. Alert!

LAWMAKER PULLS SB 915 FROM CONSIDERATION

The tech sector has declared victory after Sen. Dave Cortese, D-San Jose, withdrew SB915, which would change how self-driving cars are regulated, from consideration this week.

SB 915 would have given local municipalities the ability to regulate, though not ban, autonomous vehicles, also known as self-driving cars, within their jurisdictions.

Currently, the vehicles are regulated by the California Public Utilities Commission and the California Department of Motor Vehicles.

“It’s good to see California lawmakers going back to the drawing board on autonomous vehicle policy,” said Ruth Whittaker of the Chamber of Progress, which advocates on behalf of the tech industry.

“Autonomous vehicles have the power to save thousands of lives in California by eliminating drunk, distracted, and unsafe human driving. Over the past month, we’ve heard leaders from across the state raise concerns that this bill could derail progress on California’s roads,” she said.

Critics of the bill had argued that it would create a patchwork of regulations that would make it very difficult for AV companies to operate in the state.

Jeff Farrah of the Autonomous Vehicle Industry Association, a trade group that opposed the bill, said in a statement, “Cities are critical partners for AV companies, and the AV industry remains committed to fostering close and collaborative relationships with city officials and local law enforcement to ensure the technology’s benefits become a reality.”

Cortese told The Bee that he pulled the bill because the Assembly Transportation Committee was looking to gut it with what he called hostile amendments.

“So basically, we had nothing left to move forward,” he said.

Cortese said he’s not done yet. He plans to introduce new legislation next year on this topic. He said that the need for that legislation will only become more apparent as AVs see wider use and lead to greater “local community damages.”

“The increased propensity for tragedy and more human carnage like they had in San Francisco is predictive,” he said, referring to a number of accidents in the Bay Area that have resulted in human injury. “...The problems that are out there are just going to persist.”

ROADKILL REPORT

California drivers kill more than 48,000 deer every year — more than twice the amount of deer killed by hunting, according to a new report out this week.

The report, titled “Roadkill: A Preventable Disaster,” comes via UC Davis, and reveals that in addition to deer, California drivers also hit and kill thousands of Pacific newts, nearly 100 mountain lions and thousands of other creatures annually.

Roadkill may be a major reason for the decline in deer population, according to the report.

“Anytime you get a reduction in roadkill, people think it’s a good thing,” said Fraser Shilling, director of the UC Davis Road Ecology Center, a program of the Institute of Transportation Studies. “But it’s often not. In this case, it’s because there are fewer deer and other animals to hit.”

So where are these animals being hit the most?

The state’s “hot spots” for roadkill include Interstate 680 in Contra Costa and Alameda counties, Interstate 280 on the San Francisco Peninsula, Highway 101 in Marin County, Highway 50 in El Dorado County, State Route 17 in Santa Cruz County and State Route 49 in Placer and Nevada counties.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“Donald Trump thinks he is above the law, and this should be disqualifying for anyone who wants to be president of the United States.”

- Vice President Kamala Harris, via X.

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