Round two goes to the robots.
Waymo’s driverless-car operation scored a temporary win Friday after a California Court of Appeal hit pause on Santa Monica’s injunction shutting down overnight activity at the company’s Broadway charging lots.
The order allows Waymo to resume 24-hour operations at facilities at 1222 and 1310 Broadway — at least for now — while the court considers Waymo’s request to keep the injunction on hold during its broader appeal.
But City Hall says it is far from a knockout blow.
“It has not reversed or vacated the trial court’s findings,” City Attorney Heidi von Tongeln say. “Temporary orders do not end this dispute for our residents. A final decision does, and we will be urging the court to move quickly toward one.”
Santa Monica won the first round July 27, when a Los Angeles County Superior Court judge found the city was reasonably likely to prevail in its public-nuisance case over claims that Waymo’s nighttime operations brought noise, bright lights and traffic to nearby residents trying to sleep.
The lower court found that the potential harm to residents outweighed the harm to Waymo from halting overnight operations pending trial.
The Court of Appeal’s temporary stay was issued before the city had submitted its opposition, von Tongeln said. Santa Monica’s response is due Aug. 24, and Waymo may reply by Sept. 2. The appellate court also directed both sides to propose an expedited schedule for the appeal.
For residents living beside the two Broadway lots, the legal fight means the late-night robotaxi bustle can return while the courts decide whether the operation can permanently run around the clock.
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