Sacramento Bee: Should local governments get to regulate self-driving vehicles? California bill gets hearing

Should local governments be allowed to pass their own regulations around autonomous vehicles (also known as robotaxis, self-driving vehicles or AVs)?

A bill that would do just that moved one step closer to becoming law on Wednesday, when the Senate Local Government Committee appeared to give its approval to SB 915, by Sen. Dave Cortese, D-San Jose.

In remarks supporting his bill, Cortese said that local governments are more “nimble” that the State Legislature, and are able to act quickly to concerns within their jurisdiction in a fraction of the time that state lawmakers can.

“SB 915 returns control to the local communities who know their streets best. The emergence of autonomous vehicles is an exciting technological development with massive potential upsides for safety and convenience. We must ensure this innovative technology rolls out safely,” Cortese said in comments included in a committee analysis of the bill.

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