Waymo is taking the city of Santa Monica to court after the city ordered the company to stop charging its autonomous vehicles at two centers overnight, saying the lights and beeps at the centers are annoying to residents.
The two charging stations at the intersection of Euclid Street and Broadway have been a source of irritation for neighbors since they opened nearly a year ago. Some residents told The Times they couldn’t sleep because of the incessant beeping from Waymos coming in and out of charging stations 24 hours a day.
Last month, the city ordered Waymo and the company that operates the charging stations, Voltera, to stop operating at night, arguing that the light, noise and operation there are a public nuisance. Instead of doing that, Waymo has turned around and filed a lawsuit against the city, asking the court to intervene.
“Waymo’s operations at the Broadway Facilities are not a public nuisance,” the company said in its complaint, filed Wednesday in Los Angeles County Superior Court. “Waymo is facing near-irreparable harm to its operations, employees and customers.”
A city spokeswoman did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
According to the lawsuit, the city knew that Voltera charging stations were required to operate and maintain electric vehicles 24 hours a day, and the city authorized their use when approving the stations’ permits.
Tensions between the company and other Santa Monica residents began as soon as cars began using 24-hour charging stations, with night crews, lights and cars beeping as they backed into and out of parking lots. The tension got so bad that some residents began blocking the road to self-driving cars, blocking access roads to charging stations, and placing orange cones in the area to block their lanes and create backups, a practice many have dubbed “packing the Waymos.”
Meanwhile, toll booth workers have called the police several times over this, although no arrests have been made yet. Waymo also tried to get a temporary restraining order against another citizen who allegedly blocked cars repeatedly.
On Nov. 19, the city ordered Waymo to stop tolling self-driving cars at two locations overnight or face legal action. Waymo refused and instead sued the city last week after talks with the city about measures to reduce the lot fell apart.
According to the lawsuit, representatives from Waymo and Voltera reached out to the city after the Nov. 19 order, seeking ways to reduce noise and lights in the lot, including implementing a software update that would change the way cars approach charging stations. But after the December 15 meeting with the city, no agreement was reached, the company said in its complaint.
“We are disappointed that the City has chosen an adversarial approach instead of cooperation,” said a Waymo spokesperson in a statement.
“The City’s opinion was to emphasize that no measures taken or proposed by Waymo can satisfy the complaining neighbors and therefore it must be considered insufficient.”
The company also criticized the city’s handling of the dispute, saying that even though city officials are dealing with a budget crisis, they have used a confrontational strategy against businesses.
“The City of Santa Monica’s recent actions are inconsistent with its stated goal of attracting investors,” the company said in a statement. “At a time when the City is facing a serious financial crisis, officials are choosing to prevent investments that are rightfully permitted instead of promoting a ‘business-friendly’ environment.”
The lawsuit is the latest legal battle for the Alphabet-owned company, which has been expanding rapidly across California, making white, driverless cars more common.
Two years ago, the company was sued by the city of San Francisco, which said the California Public Utilities Commission should not have given Waymo permits to expand and operate in the city, and that the regulatory agency had reneged on its obligations.
California’s 1st District Court of Appeal disagreed, and ruled against the city.
This past June, Waymo announced that it will expand its service area to 120 square miles in Los Angeles County, and Waymos operates in Playa del Rey, Ladera Heights, Echo Park, Silver Lake and Hollywood.
In November the company launched its ride-hailing service to now operate on Los Angeles County freeways, as well as the San Francisco Bay Area and Phoenix.
Since launching in Santa Monica, the company says it has made more than a million trips in the city and in November alone, recorded more than 50,000 rides that start or end there.
“I [charging] “The location has allowed Waymo to provide the city’s residents with a safe, sustainable and accessible way to travel,” Waymo said in a statement.
