California Bill Allowing Local Regulation of Driverless Cars Is Amended, Then Shelved

Local governments in California would lose their chance to have a say in how autonomous vehicle (AV) companies operate in their communities after recent amendments to a bill by the Assembly Transportation Committee. Senate Bill 915, authored by Sen. Dave Cortese, a San Jose-based Democrat, would have allowed such governments to regulate how, when, or where AVs can operate to address public safety concerns that have arisen since their recent launch. But June 14 amendments by the Transportation Committee struck down much of the bill’s language empowering local governments, so Mr. Cortese shelved the bill three days later. The Autonomous Vehicle Industry Association celebrated the move in a June 18 statement....