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San Francisco Supervisor Seeks Local Power to Ban Robotaxis After Beloved Cat’s Death

The plan seeks state approval for county ballot power over driverless services.

Overview

  • Supervisor Jackie Fielder plans to introduce a resolution urging California to let counties put bans on autonomous vehicles to voters, with Teamsters support at a Tuesday announcement outside Randa’s Market.
  • KitKat, a nine-year-old bodega cat known as the “Mayor of 16th Street,” was fatally run over late Oct. 27 outside the Mission District shop where he lived.
  • Waymo says the cat darted under a vehicle as it pulled away from a pickup, while an anonymous 311 complaint alleges the car failed to slow, swerve, or try to avoid the animal.
  • Mourners have built a growing street shrine and posted widespread tributes online as safety concerns resurface with the DMV reporting 884 autonomous-vehicle collisions since 2014.
  • An expert said Waymo cars lack sensors to detect objects directly beneath the vehicle, a legal scholar noted pet deaths usually yield only limited property damages, and Waymo pledged a donation to a local animal-rights group.