On Wednesday, the California Senate Committee on Local Government passed autonomous vehicle legislation (SB 915) allowing local municipalities to ban and tax AV deployment. Last year was one of California’s deadliest for roadway fatalities, largely because of human behaviors including distracted driving, drunk driving, and speeding. The legislation by Sen. Cortese takes control away from state-level agencies like the DMV and California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) which have approved the rollout of safe autonomous vehicles.

“We heard lawmakers acknowledge grave concerns with SB 915 at today’s hearing, but instead of fixing the bill, the Committee passed the buck,” said Chamber of Progress CEO Adam Kovacevich. “By taking a NIMBY approach to autonomous vehicle regulation, this legislation would kill AV deployment, sending California backward in the fight against roadway fatalities and dangerous driving. Instead of maintaining the deadly status quo on our roads with a bill like SB 915, lawmakers should be working to support safe autonomous vehicle deployment.”

Earlier this month, Chamber of Progress released new research showing that, if California were to allow the full statewide deployment of autonomous vehicles, AVs could prevent thousands of local traffic fatalities and injuries. 

In another recent study on job growth and AVs, Chamber of Progress found that, with the right regulatory framework, California could be a leader in job creation in the AV industry, which is projected to create over 110,000 jobs in the next 15 years.

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Chamber of Progress (progresschamber.org) is a center-left tech industry policy coalition promoting technology’s progressive future.  We work to ensure that all Americans benefit from technological leaps, and that the tech industry operates responsibly and fairly.  

Our corporate partners do not have a vote on or veto over our positions. We do not speak for individual partner companies and remain true to our stated principles even when our partners disagree.