San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie is now pushing for federal robotaxi regulation alongside state-level reforms, backing legislation by Rep. Kevin Mullin that would set national standards for how autonomous vehicles interact with first responders3. The move escalates a regulatory campaign that began with Lurie's letter to California's transportation secretary urging stricter state rules after Waymo robotaxis stalled, lost power, and blocked streets during the city's July 4 fireworks celebration1,2[2].
The federal bill — the Autonomous Vehicle Emergency Response Coordination Act — would require AV companies to maintain a 24-hour hotline for officials to communicate with operators during incidents, create emergency response plans, and establish geofencing processes for active emergencies. Lurie's endorsement follows his earlier demand that California require AV companies to demonstrate four core operational capabilities: preventing disabled vehicles from blocking travel lanes, adapting routes in real time during emergencies, sharing live operational data with city agencies, and proving through testing that their fleets can handle large public events5.
More than 100,000 people packed San Francisco's waterfront for the annual fireworks show. Despite a pre-arranged geofence and a Waymo representative stationed at the city's emergency center, dozens of robotaxis became immobile in heavy traffic, with some running out of battery power. Muni shuttle buses were trapped in the resulting congestion, and tow trucks dispatched to clear disabled vehicles could not reach them, with some removals taking three to four hours. Christopher White, executive director of the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition, said robotaxis "struggled to navigate the crowds" and caused significant road obstruction.
Lurie also cited a December power outage that left nearly 130,000 residents without electricity and caused autonomous vehicles to stop in intersections across roughly one-third of the city. Waymo told the California Public Utilities Commission its cars stopped 1,593 times for two minutes or more during that blackout and said it sent staff or tow trucks to retrieve 64 vehicles.
At the state level, a parallel legislative effort is advancing. State Sen. Dave Cortese introduced SB 1246 in February, which would require AV companies to promptly move stalled robotaxis off the road or face fines — $5,000 per failure, escalating to $10,000 if a vehicle blocks first responders for more than 30 minutes. The bill would also mandate that companies dispatch technicians to move cars with steering wheels or remotely put vehicles in neutral for towing when emergency responders request it. SB 1246 is currently in the Assembly Appropriations Committee, and the Legislature has until August 31 to pass it and send it to Gov. Gavin Newsom.
Waymo and the broader AV industry have pushed back. Waymo, the Autonomous Vehicle Industry Association, and 30 other industry groups and companies opposed SB 1246 in a June 26 letter. Waymo said it supports a federal AV framework and is "collaborating with officials on lessons learned from the millions of rides it has provided in San Francisco". The company also said it has successfully supported some of the city's largest events.
San Francisco Fire Department records obtained by The San Francisco Standard show Waymos have blocked firetrucks and paramedics 31 times since April 2025, delaying emergency response. San Francisco Fire Chief Dean Crispen and Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety President Cathy Chase are both backing the federal bill.
Separately, a May 9 incident in which a Waymo rider named Sherman Watson was trapped inside a robotaxi while two assailants smashed the windshield has added to public pressure8,9. Waymo's remote assistant called police after detecting the car was not moving, but the company's support team declined Watson's request to move the vehicle, saying it was obstructed. Police arrived at 3:46 a.m. and identified the self-driving car — not Watson — as the victim of malicious mischief.
ANALYSIS The regulatory pressure on Waymo is now operating on three simultaneous tracks — municipal, state, and federal — creating a layered compliance challenge for the company as it continues expanding service.