If a car speeds through a school zone or breaks some other traffic law, the driver should get a ticket. But what if there is no driver? That’s the challenge confronting state lawmakers as California’s laws aren’t ready for autonomous vehicles. At least one lawmaker wants to fix it.

After a disastrous year for Cruise, one California lawmaker wants more scrutiny on the robotaxi industry coming into 2024—and is preparing legislation that would treat robotaxis the same as human-operated vehicles when they speed or commit other moving violations. 

Assemblymember Phil Ting, who represents parts of San Francisco and San Mateo County, told The Standard that he’s in the process of rolling out legislation that would further regulate driverless vehicles.

If California wants to build its way out of its long term housing shortage, plenty of things stand in its way in 2024: high interest rates, sluggish local approval processes and a persistent shortage of skilled construction workers, among others.

The New Year is coming, bringing with it new laws in the Golden State.

California lawmakers last year sponsored thousands of bills. More than 1,000 made it to Governor Gavin Newsom’s desk — and of those, almost 900 are set to become law.

A new California law opens the door for homeowners to sell an ADU in their backyard. Supporters said this will create more affordable housing, but not everyone is convinced it will work in San Diego.

Many people build ADUs for family members, including aging parents and older children, who can’t afford our high cost of living. 

With hate crimes on the rise across California, local and state leaders are asking communities to stand up against hate.

United Against Hate Week, which is happening this week, started at Civic Center Park in Berkeley after white supremacy rallies. Years later, local and state leaders say the call to action is only growing with hate crimes mounting.

... "We need to send a message that there are many more of us who have a message of love and of peace than of the fringes who are focused on hate," Assemblymember Phil Ting said.

It was a packed theater at Lincoln high school in the Sunset District Wednesday evening. Parents, students, teachers, and community members came to hear more about some of the pressing issues facing the San Francisco Unified School District.

The public forum was organized by the San Francisco Parent Coalition to discuss the state of the city’s public schools. 

It’s been two years since San Francisco lawmakers sought to block a new development of nearly 500 homes on a valet parking lot in downtown San Francisco, but the blowback from that baffling vote is still being felt — so much so that SF Assemblymember Phil Ting sponsored legislation to prevent that from ever happening again.

It’s the end of the road for one driverless vehicle company in San Francisco. At least for now.

On Tuesday, the California DMV announced that it suspended autonomous vehicle deployment and driverless testing permits for Cruise because of an early October incident in which a pedestrian was seriously injured.

The DMV said it was lifting Cruise’s permits indefinitely due to safety concerns and because the company failed to disclose full details of the Oct. 2 collision at 5th and Market streets.