Waymo Sues Santa Monica to Block Overnight Charging Ban

Overview

• Waymo filed suit in Los Angeles County Superior Court seeking to enjoin Santa Monica’s order halting overnight charging at two Euclid Street and Broadway facilities.
• Santa Monica issued the Nov. 19 order after neighbors complained of late-night lights, beeping and activity that the city deemed a public nuisance.
• Waymo contends its operations are not a nuisance and says complying would cause imminent, irreparable harm to its service, employees and customers.
• The lawsuit asserts the city approved permits for round-the-clock use, and Waymo highlights more than one million local trips and over 50,000 rides in November.
• Talks over mitigations, including software rerouting to change vehicle paths, failed after a Dec. 15 meeting, as resident protests and police calls continued without arrests.