The San Diego City Council unanimously passed a resolution Monday urging state leaders to let cities decide if and how Waymo — and driverless cars in general — can operate on local streets.
For the moment: City leaders don’t actually have a say.
Under California law, local jurisdictions have zero legal authority over autonomous vehicles. That power belongs entirely to the state, specifically the California Public Utilities Commission and the DMV. Until state lawmakers change that, San Diego is essentially powerless to control the robotaxis roaming its streets.
Waymo officially launched service in San Diego on Sept. 1. You may have seen one pull up next to you at a traffic light recently and felt a sudden rush of existential dread.
The resolution, introduced by Councilmember Sean Elo-Rivera, demands Sacramento hand back local control. It also calls for police and fire departments to be able to track, stop, or move empty vehicles during emergencies. And it calls on the regional Airport Authority to ban driverless cars from operating at the airport both for safety reasons and to protect the jobs of taxi and rideshare drivers.
Council to Consider Islamophobia Definition
It’s been nearly four months since three men were killed in a hate attack on the Islamic Center of San Diego.
Today, the San Diego City Council will consider adopting a definition of Islamophobia developed by the Human Relations Commission and a coalition of various community members.
The definition, though largely symbolic, has already ruffled some feathers. That won’t surprise you if read our story about the city’s adoption of a definition of antisemitism.
TLDR: Reporter Bella Ross found the city’s Human Relations Commission failed to consult Muslim community members while pushing for a definition of antisemitism that some feared would be weaponized against critics of Israel. It also misled the public about how much community engagement actually occurred.
Raising the Bar? Commissioner Nicole Murray-Ramirez — who was previously criticized over ignoring the Muslim community — said he supports adopting an Islamophobia definition but says the current version’s authors didn’t do enough to engage LGBTQ and Jewish community members.
In a letter, Murray-Ramirez referred to the recent killing of two gay men by a Muslim man in Arizona, and questions whether the Council on American-Islamic Relations, which worked on the definition, holds homophobic and antisemitic beliefs.
“We cannot demand that one community be consulted and heard while failing to provide the same opportunity to another,” Murray-Ramirez wrote.
County Adds Dozens of Treatment Beds in South Bay
The county will soon reopen a former Volunteers of America Southwest substance use treatment facility four years after acquiring it in a settlement deal.
In 2022, the county took over the 120-bed facility in National City after Voice of San Diego exposed financial misconduct at the nonprofit. Voice’s reporting led to the CEO’s ouster and the resignation of the entire board of directors. County investigators determined the nonprofit owed the county millions of dollars, ultimately leading the charity to turn over the facility.
On Monday, county officials celebrated the upcoming reopening of the facility, which will have 73 residential addiction treatment beds and 16 recuperative care beds. Both services have long been in short supply, especially in South Bay which has long been considered a service desert.
The opening follows $29 million in upgrades backed by state grant and opioid settlement funds to transform the building that General Services Director Marko Medved said Monday turned out to be “a lemon” when the county first acquired it.
Ontario, Calif.-based contractor New Creation Behavioral Healthcare Foundation will operate the facility.
Desmond Still A ‘No’ on County Sales Tax, Despite Supporting TJ River Study
Earlier this month, the county Board of Supervisors voted to study what it would take to capture and clean the entire Tijuana River as it flows out of Mexico.
Supervisor Jim Desmond, who is running for the 48th Congressional District, voted in favor of spending $1.8 million to conduct a feasibility study. But he says he’s still opposed to a proposed countywide sales tax measure that would fund the potential solution.
Our MacKenzie Elmer reached out to Desmond’s team to ask how he would suggest the county pay for the project. A spokesperson didn’t respond to that question, but he did say that Desmond still firmly believes that Mexico should ultimately be on the hook for the sewage crisis, not San Diego.
Read the Environment Report here.
In Other News
- San Diego’s pension board rejected a proposed policy change that would have helped San Diego shrink its annual pension payment by more than $30 million and avoid budget cuts. (Union-Tribune)
- A new report by the San Diego Coastkeeper revealed that E. Coli levels in the Tijuana River watershed are often 30,000 times higher than the federal standard for freshwater bodies. (KPBS)
- Ridership on the San Diego trolley set a new monthly record in July, surpassing 4 million rides for the first time. (Union-Tribune)
The Morning Report was written by Tigist Layne, Bella Ross and Lisa Halverstadt. It was edited by Will Huntsberry.
