At the City Council meeting on the evening of Monday, September 14, an urgency ordinance to establish safety standards for autonomous vehicles failed to pass.
The item, part of Public Hearing Item 1 (PH1), the only major item on the agenda, required a four fifths vote but, with Council Member Dan O’Brien recusing himself out of an abundance of caution due to his work with the Chamber of Commerce, Council Member Albert Vera was the one no vote, effectively causing the item to fail.
The item called for, “Adoption of an Urgency Ordinance Establishing a New Use Classification, Standards and Approval Procedures for Autonomous Vehicle Fleet Services, and Exemption from CEQA; OR (2) Introduction of an Ordinance Establishing a New Use Classification, Standards and Approval Procedures for Autonomous Vehicle Fleet Services and Exemption from CEQA.”
According to a staff note, “Given the operational patterns and technological potential of AV fleets, the absence of applicable regulations presents several concerns with safety and land use compatibility, including but not limited to the following: Excessive queuing and stacking in public rights-of-way, including potential impacts to alleys, loading areas, and emergency access routes; Potential for continuous 24-hour facilities with staging, light cleaning, and associated activities; Noise, lighting, and operational impacts during both daytime and nighttime; Limited on-site staffing or direct operational oversight at fleet staging or dispatch facilities; Potential concerns related to proximity to sensitive receptors and existing residential neighborhoods; and Expansion of vehicle-oriented land uses that may conflict with the goals and policies of the General Plan 2045, including objectives related to active transportation, pedestrian-oriented development, and efficient land utilization.”
In the absence of the urgency ordinance, the second option passed with a unanimous 4-0 vote:
“Alternatively, the City Council can introduce a regular zoning ordinance regulating AV fleet services and site operations. As part of this process, City staff would return to the City Council at a later date for a second hearing on the regular zoning ordinance to consider its adoption. Introduction of a regular zoning ordinance would require a simple majority vote of the City Council for adoption.”
Council Member Yasmin-Imani McMorrin was keen to place on the record the fact that there will now be no safety measures in place should any vehicles roll out in the meantime.
The item is due to return to the chamber in late October.