On Sept 14, 2026, at a public hearing at the City Council meeting Pierre Chako, Planning Manager, spoke for the Planning and Development Department, giving a presentation on the proposed ordinance in regard to AV Fleet services.
Things have been moving fast; it was only 2024 when Autonomous Vehicle Fleets expanded to the Los Angeles area, with 24 hour driverless car services becoming available to the public.
The city of Santa Monica’s difficulties with getting a company to abide by the city’s standards had to go to court before their law was put into effect; the Culver City council looked to be pro-active on the matter, but the lack of unanimity put the brakes on.
The council’s refusal to put a moratorium on the process so that the city could have time to create legal standards set by just one vote; Council member Albert Vera, Jr. held that a moratorium was ‘unfriendly to business’ and so the vote was against giving the city staff the time they had requested.
At the September meeting, City Manager Odis Jones made a point to thank the department for getting the work done so quickly.
Chako noted that “Culver City is very centrally located,” a desirable location for many logistical reasons, and this has been “borne out by the number of applications and inquires we have received.”
“Encouraging new and sustainable transportation options,” is part of the General Plan Update, but it was passed before this kind of AV Fleet service was a reality, and so specifics must be legislated.
Among the potential concerns are proximity to residences, limited overnight staffing, and 24 hour operations with light and noise impacts on the area.
The proposed ordinance will not allow AV Fleets to have service operations in residential zones, or parcels abutting hospitals, police or fire stations. Services would be permitted within 100 feet of residential zones only if they are within an enclosed structure.
Almost 15% of the city meets the standard for AV Fleet services within these guidelines; the purple areas in the map illustration above.
“Towing, loading and delivery would be limited to the hours of 7 am to 10 pm.” Proposed performance standards would address both outdoor lighting and noise.
While parking and EV charging are already permitted in all proposed zones, staff recommended an urgency ordinance, so that standards could be put in place as quickly as possible. The urgency ordinance would go into effect immediately.
As with any urgency ordinance, four votes were needed. Council passed the ordinance with four ayes, with Council member Dan O’Brien recused for a conflict of interest due to his position as the President of the Culver City Chamber of Commerce.
Judith Martin-Straw
