Newsom Signs SB 1246 Fining California Robotaxis Up to $10,000

California Governor Gavin Newsom signed SB 1246 on September 30, 2026, authorizing fines of up to $10,000 per vehicle when a driverless robotaxi blocks ambulances, fire trucks, or police from reaching an emergency for more than 30 minutes after officials request a technician, TechCrunch reported. Separate lapses carry fines of up to $5,000, and the rules take effect in July 2028.

The bill, authored by State Sen. Dave Cortese, requires autonomous vehicle operators to maintain written emergency response and immobilization procedures, deploy local incident technicians when requested, and restrict direct remote driving to personnel physically located in the United States who hold valid U.S. driver's licenses. Operators must also notify cities and counties about the status and location of vehicles hit by a system failure or outage. Cities and counties may take AV companies to court for violations.

"When an autonomous vehicle crashes, breaks down, blocks a roadway in an emergency, or gets in the way of law enforcement or first responders, there must be clear accountability," Cortese said.

Tesla, Waymo and Zoox are among the operators the rules will reach. The move lands in a run of autonomous-vehicle oversight we have been logging across 53 AV stories in the last 90 days, from NHTSA probes to municipal pushback.