SF mayor presses for tougher AV rules after July 4 Waymo gridlock

San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie on July 16 urged California state regulators to establish tougher statewide standards for autonomous vehicles, nearly two weeks after a cluster of Waymo robotaxis ran out of charge and stalled in heavy July 4 traffic, blocking key streets and worsening gridlock. The appeal adds to mounting scrutiny of the sector, coming days after federal safety regulators demanded AV developers fix a pattern of driverless cars interfering with first responders. Waymo, which operates the largest U.S. robotaxi fleet, is expanding into several new cities.