Senator Dave Cortese’s SB 1246 Strengthening Oversight and Public Safety Standards for Autonomous Vehicles Advances to the Assembly

SACRAMENTO, CA — California State Senator Dave Cortese (D-San Jose) announced that his Senate Bill 1246 (SB 1246), legislation aimed at strengthening oversight, transparency, emergency response, and public safety standards for autonomous vehicles operating on California roads, has successfully passed the California State Senate and will now move to the Assembly for further review and consideration.

SB 1246 establishes a comprehensive framework to ensure that as autonomous vehicle (AV) technology continues to expand throughout California, public safety and accountability remain the top priority.

“California can continue leading the nation in innovation while also protecting the safety of our communities, first responders, transit operators, pedestrians, and drivers,” said Senator Cortese. “SB 1246 is about accountability, transparency, and making sure autonomous vehicles have clear standards and responsibilities in place when emergencies, accidents, or roadway obstructions occur.”

The bill would require remote assistants, remote drivers, and local incident technicians supporting commercial autonomous vehicles to be located within the United States and hold a California driver’s licenses. It also establishes remote staffing standards for autonomous passenger service vehicles and improves rapid response protocols when incidents or emergencies occur.

Among its key provisions, SB 1246:

  • Requires autonomous vehicle operators to maintain emergency response and immobilization procedures

  • Establishes in-person rapid response requirements for incidents involving property damage, roadway obstructions, or emergency requests from first responders

  • Requires commercial AVs to be equipped with manual override systems accessible to trained personnel during emergencies

  • Directs the California Highway Patrol and Office of the State Fire Marshal to develop uniform emergency training and operational guidelines

  • Requires AV operators to maintain and report operational and emergency response data to state regulators, and 

  • Increases transparency by requiring summary statistics related to AV interventions and emergency incidents to be publicly posted by the DMV and CPUC.

“The dangerous gaps in state law are creating real risks to public safety and leaving communities without the accountability they deserve,” said Theresa Rutherford, President of SEIU 1021, which represents over 60,000 city and county workers across Northern California. “Too many city and county workers, including the first responders our communities rely on in moments of crisis, are already stretched to their limits, pushed to do more with fewer resources while facing chronic understaffing. SB 1246 would help ensure that autonomous vehicle corporations can’t shift the costs of malfunctioning technology onto local governments and the frontline workers who are left to respond when something goes wrong.”

“As autonomous vehicle deployment grows, Californians deserve confidence that these systems are operating safely and responsibly,” Cortese added. “This bill ensures there are safeguards in place for emergency response, operational transparency, and human oversight when critical situations arise.”

SB 1246 now heads to the California State Assembly for policy committee hearings and additional consideration.

Senator Dave Cortese represents Senate District 15, which encompasses San Jose and much of Santa Clara County in the heart of Silicon Valley. Visit Senator Cortese’s website: https://sd15.senate.ca.gov

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