San Francisco Supervisor Calls for Robotaxi Reform After Waymo Kills Neighborhood Cat

After a Waymo in San Francisco’s Mission District struck and killed a beloved local bodega cat called KitKat, a supervisor is calling for legislation to allow voters to decide whether robotaxis can operate locally. The move echoes concerns raised by other Bay Area officials about where and how autonomous vehicles drive.

State lawmakers put forward legislation in 2024 that would have let cities regulate autonomous vehicles like Waymo, which have proliferated in San Francisco in recent years and are now expanding to cities across the Bay Area and the country. But lawmakers pulled the bill, SB 915, after the Assembly transportation committee attempted to gut and amend the proposal.

Supervisor Jackie Fielder is now urging the California State Legislature and Gov. Gavin Newsom to revive a similar type of legislation to give counties the ability to vote on robotaxi regulations.

“While Waymo and its parent company, Alphabet, also known as Google, may treat our communities as laboratories and human beings and our animals as data points, we in the Mission do not,” Fielder said at a press conference on Tuesday outside Randa’s Market, near where KitKat lived and was struck. “The fate of autonomous vehicles has been decided behind closed doors in Sacramento, largely by politicians in the pocket of big tech and tech billionaires.”

Currently, autonomous vehicle companies must obtain permits from the Department of Motor Vehicles and the California Public Utilities Commission before they can solicit passengers, but they do not need to get city or county approval.

Fielder was set to introduce a resolution at the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday calling on state lawmakers to allow counties to decide whether autonomous vehicles should be allowed to operate on the road.

She acknowledged some of the challenges with SB 915, the brainchild of South Bay state Sen. Dave Cortese, which would have allowed cities to vote on robotaxi rules. Critics said the plan would create a patchwork of conflicting local regulations for robotaxi operators. Fielder said she hopes the state will come back to the table with a new proposal.

“California has hundreds of cities, but it only has dozens of counties, so the concerns are hopefully alleviated by that,” Fielder said.

Waymo declined to comment on the resolution. Last week, Mission Local reported that the company confirmed one of its vehicles struck and killed the cat.

While autonomous vehicle companies have repeatedly insisted that they can operate safely, some have struggled. The DMV told Cruise, then a General Motors subsidiary, to stop operating in San Francisco two years ago after its cars caused traffic jams, blocked emergency vehicles, and, in one incident, dragged a pedestrian along the street after a car accident, causing what the department said was a “risk to the public.” Cruise has since suspended its driverless vehicles nationwide.

Fielder said she hopes the resolution will put more attention and pressure on corporate control not only of traffic safety, but also vehicle dependency and diverting resources and riders away from public transportation.

The resolution comes as broader pushback to ride-hailing companies is mounting and amid funding challenges for public transit.

A 2018 study from the San Francisco County Transportation Authority found that transportation network companies, including Uber and Lyft, accounted for nearly 50% of the increase in traffic congestion between 2010 and 2016.

“I’m very heartened to see everyone out here today in solidarity, not just with those who loved KitKat, but for the people whose livelihood Waymo is trying to replace,” said Chris Arvin, vice chair of the SFMTA Citizens Advisory Council. “For all the people who ride the bus, and whose bus is delayed because of Waymos in front of it. And for people whose bus rides will be undermined by corporations trying to take people away from public transit.”

SFMTA is currently facing a $300 million budget deficit. City leaders are already proposing ways to close the funding gap, with eyes on the November 2026 election.

Supervisor Connie Chan recently announced a ballot measure initiative that would tax corporate executives in the city as well as ride-hailing companies like Uber, Lyft and Waymo, with funds going to a variety of city services that have suffered cuts under the Trump administration. Mayor Daniel Lurie is meanwhile pursuing a parcel tax measure to fund local transit.

The death of KitKat, who was affectionately known by locals as the “Mayor of 16th Street,” was a loss to many people in the Mission’s historic 16th Street corridor and has become a catalyzing force for some public transit advocates.

Margarita Lara lives around the corner from Randa’s Market and works at a nearby bar. She and other members of the community have erected a memorial altar with photos, candles and flowers outside the bodega.

“KitKat is irreplaceable to all of us,” she said. When asked if she would vote, if given the chance, to allow robotaxis to operate in the neighborhood, Lara said, “Absolutely not.”

Mike Zeidan, who owns Randa’s and took care of KitKat, said the community response was “remarkable and amazing.”

“I’m not a politician. I just hope they can make these cars safer for animals and for humans,” he said. “If I had to vote, I would vote for more censors underneath the car. That could have been a child in front.”