California: San Francisco Suing California to Limit AVs

San Francisco City Attorney David Chiu has brought an action in the California 1st District Court of Appeal to prevent the California Public Utilities Commission from acting “unlawfully” by permitting Cruise and Waymo to fully expand their fleets and paid-passenger service in San Francisco. Chiu argues the commission ignored evidence of unsafe AV driving behavior and failed to meet its legal obligation “to promote public safety,” citing “hundreds” of incidents, some of which involve “interference with first responders.” In a separate petition with the California Supreme Court filed earlier this month, Chiu also alleged the CPUC refused to review the environmental effects of the ruling as required by state law. These cases will provide important guidance for the respective authorities of state and local government units to regulate assisted and automated vehicles.