San Francisco Land Use and Transportation Committee Meeting: Easement Grant and Waymo Power Outage Hearing - March 2, 2026
San Francisco Land Use and Transportation Committee Meeting: Easement Grant and Waymo Power Outage Hearing - March 2, 2026
The Land Use and Transportation Committee of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors met on March 2, 2026, to consider two items. The first was a resolution granting a permanent easement to Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) on San Francisco Public Utilities Commission property for a natural gas meter station at the Southeast Water Pollution Control Plant. The second was a hearing, sponsored by Supervisor Bilal Mahmud, to discuss the impact of the December 20, 2025 power outage on the transportation network and Waymo autonomous vehicles. The hearing included presentations and questions from city departments (Department of Emergency Management, Fire Department, SFMTA, SFCTA) and Waymo, followed by public comment.
Consent Calendar
- Resolution – Grant of Easement to PG&E (Item 1): The committee unanimously voted to send the resolution to the full Board with a positive recommendation. The resolution approves a grant of a permanent easement of approximately 2,094 square feet on SFPUC property at no cost to PG&E for a natural gas meter station to serve the new Biosolids Digesters Facilities. The easement is required because no public right-of-way is available. The committee found that the grant serves a public purpose by delivering increased natural gas supply to the treatment plant. No public comment was offered.
Public Comments & Testimony
Numerous members of the public, including rideshare drivers, union representatives, and community members, provided testimony on Item 2. Key themes included:
- Safety concerns: Speakers described Waymo vehicles blocking emergency vehicles, running red lights, and failing to respond appropriately during the outage. One speaker recounted a near-collision with a Waymo. Another reported that a Waymo struck and killed their dog in November 2025.
- Economic impact: Many drivers stated that Waymo is reducing their income and that they cannot compete with subsidized autonomous vehicles. They urged the committee to limit Waymo’s expansion.
- Human judgment vs. AI: Speakers argued that human drivers are essential for adapting to emergencies and assisting passengers with disabilities, and that Waymo’s technology is not ready for real-world conditions.
- Accountability: Several speakers criticized Waymo for not providing clear answers and for outsourcing remote operators to the Philippines, away from the incident location.
- Support for regulation: Union representatives from SEIU and the Teamsters called for stronger oversight and for local governments to have more authority to regulate AVs.
Discussion Items
Hearing on December 2025 Power Outage and Waymo (Item 2)
- Opening statements: Supervisor Mahmud stated three goals: understand what happened, push Waymo to work with emergency responders, and strengthen regulations. Supervisors Chen and Wong echoed concerns about AVs blocking first responders and the need for accountability.
- Department of Emergency Management (Director Mary Ellen Carroll): Reported that between 3 p.m. and 8 p.m. on December 20, 2025, the dispatch center made 31 calls to Waymo’s hotline, with one dispatcher on hold for 53 minutes. The mayor eventually contacted Waymo’s executive. During the outage, 63 calls referencing Waymo were received by 911. The director stated that first responders should not be “roadside assistance” for AVs.
- Fire Department (Deputy Chief Patrick Rabbit): Described an incident where a firefighter spent 5-6 minutes removing a Waymo that encroached on a fire scene. Another incident involved an ambulance delayed 40 minutes by a disabled AV. Chief Rabbit requested integration of the fire department’s computer-aided dispatch (CAD) system with Waymo’s geofencing to allow real-time alerts.
- SFMTA (Julia Friedlander): Noted that the city lacks comprehensive data on AV incidents because operators focus on service delivery. Underreporting is inevitable. Stressed the need for emergency operations plans from AV companies.
- SFCTA (Director Tilly Chang): Discussed a federal grant with Contra Costa to develop protocols for emergency scene coordination, and expressed willingness to include resilience events. Recommended that regulators require AV companies to have resilience action plans.
- Waymo (Michael McGee, Chin May Jane, Sam Cooper): Waymo acknowledged communication failures and apologized for the hold times. They reported 1,593 stoppages of over two minutes during the outage, with 64 requiring manual retrieval (first responders moved vehicles in 2-3 cases). Waymo stated that the outage caused a backlog of remote assistance requests due to fleet-wide dark traffic lights. They have since implemented software updates to allow vehicles to navigate darkened intersections without remote assistance, improved alerting systems, and revised escalation protocols. Waymo committed to having a liaison available within one hour of a major incident. However, they could not commit to interlinking CAD systems or provide specific staffing numbers to meet the AB 1777 requirement (30-second response time). They noted that they have trained 1,000 San Francisco first responders.
Key Outcomes
- Item 1: The resolution granting the easement to PG&E was recommended to the full Board of Supervisors by a unanimous vote (3-0).
- Item 2: The hearing was heard and filed by unanimous vote (3-0). Supervisor Mahmud closed by expressing concern about Waymo’s ability to meet AB 1777 requirements by July 1, 2026, and urged Waymo to expand staffing and integrate with city emergency systems.
- Next steps: The committee expects Waymo to follow through on commitments to improve communication, staffing, and technical integration. The SFCTA will pursue federal grant work to develop multi-site emergency protocols. The city will continue to advocate for stronger state regulations.
Meeting Transcript
Okay, good afternoon, everyone. This meeting will come to order. Welcome to the March 2nd, 2026 regular meeting of the Land Use and Transportation Committee of the Board of Supervisors of San Francisco. I am Supervisor Mirna Melgar, Chair of the Committee, joined by Vice Chair Supervisor Cheyenne Chen and Supervisor Bilal Mahmud. The committee clerk today is John Carroll. I would also like to thank James Kawana from SFGov TV for supporting us during this meeting. Mr. Clerk, would do you have any announcements? Yes, thank you, Madam Chair. Please ensure that you've silenced your cell phones and other electronic devices you've brought with you into the chamber today. If you have any documents to be included as part of any of today's files, you can submit them to me. Public comment will be taken on each of the two items on today's agenda. When your item of interest comes up and public comment is called for that item, please line up to speak along your right-hand side of this room. Alternatively, you may submit public comment and writing in either of the following ways. First, you may send your comments to me via email at J-O-H-N period C-A-R-R-O-L-L at SFGOV.org. Or you may send your written comments via U.S. Postal Service to our office in City Hall. The address is 1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlit Place, Room 244, San Francisco, California, 94102. If you submit public comment in writing, I will forward your comments to the members of this committee, and I'll also include your comments as part of the official file on which you are speaking. By special arrangement, we have David Cruz here from Intergraphics to provide interpretive services for members of the public who want to give public comment in Spanish. I'd like to briefly open the floor to David Cruz so he can give a bit of instruction about how to utilize his services. Thank you. If you need interpret I will be giving this in English and Spanish, if you need interpretation from English and Spanish, given that we don't have equipment available, please sit at the back corner on the left. That way I can whisper interpretation, do whisper interpretation during the session. Thank you so much, Mr. Cruz. And finally, Madam Chair, items acted upon today are expected to appear on the March 10th, 2026 agenda unless otherwise stated. Thank you, Mr. Clerk. Let's start by calling item number one. Agenda item number one is a resolution approving and authorizing a grant for a permanent easement on San Francisco Public Utilities Commission's property located at 1800 Gerald Avenue, consisting of an easement of approximately 2,944 square feet of land within SFPUC's Southeast Water Pollution Control Plant between the city and the Pacific Gas and Electric Company for the purpose of replacing and relocating SFPUC's existing solids treatment facilities at its Southeast water pollution control plant with more reliable, efficient and modern technologies and facilities at no cost for a term effective upon approval of this resolution and recognition recordation of the agreement by the city's Office of the Assessor Recorder pursuant to Charter Section 9.118 and until PGE serve surrenders or abandons the easement area or the agreement is terminated. Determining that the grant of the easement at no cost will serve a public U purpose by delivering an increased natural gas supply to SFPUC's existing Southeast Water Pollution Control Plant and its new Biosolids Digesters facilities. In accordance with Administrative Code 23.30, adopting findings of consistency with the general plan and the A party policies of Planning Code Section 101.1 and directing the Director of Property to execute documents, make certain modifications, and take certain actions in furtherance of the resolution as defined within the resolution text. Madam Chair. Thank you so much, Mr. Clerk. We are joined uh today by uh Dina Brazil uh from the SFPUC who will make a presentation. Welcome. Thank you. Thank you, Supervisors. Good afternoon. The item before you today is a grant of easement to PG ⁇ E for a natural gas meter station that will serve the SFPUC exclusively. The SFPUC is in construction on its Biosolids Digestors Facilities project, which replaces and relocates the existing solids treatment facilities at the Southeast plant. The new biosolids facilities require an increased supply of natural gas, which requires a new connection. The new connection needs a new gas meter station, which consists of above ground piping enclosed by a perimeter fence. There is no public utility easement or any area within the public right-of-way where this meter station could be sighted. So we agreed to locate it near the existing meter station that will be replaced through this process. Because the Southeast plant is a secure facility, it's important that it be located somewhere with direct access from the street.
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