Santa Monica Residents Clash with Waymo Robotaxis: Beeping, Backlash, and the Battle for Peaceful Coexistence
As midnight approaches in Santa Monica, a young man moves quietly through a dim alley. Wearing a mask and overalls and carrying a roll of duct tape, he approaches his target: a driverless Waymo robotaxi. He peels off a strip of tape and places it strategically on the vehicle to disable its sensors.
“We just want the Waymos to stop beeping at night,” he says. “They’re really disturbing us. They’re disturbing our neighbors.”
The man is part of a growing group of local activists who call themselves “stackers.” Each night, they mask their faces to avoid detection by security cameras and position themselves in alleys to obstruct Waymo robotaxis. The result: the cars are forced to idle in a line—“stacked”—unable to reach nearby charging lots that the company opened in January. The group describes their actions as an ongoing series of “experiments” to disrupt the autonomous taxi network.
While popular with many riders, the cars have sparked fierce opposition from some residents, particularly in Santa Monica. Locals complain that the robotaxis beep, flash lights, and make backup noises at all hours, disturbing sleep and shattering the neighborhood’s peace. The human attendants who maintain and charge the cars only add to the nighttime chaos.
According to one protest leader, known only as “Stacker One,” the problems began shortly after Waymo began using the charging lots without prior community notice. It’s like they’ve infected my brain.”
Waymo has tried—unsuccessfully so far—to obtain a restraining order against Stacker One. The nightly disruptions continue.
City officials acknowledge the issue but say their hands are tied. While Santa Monica’s noise ordinance does not consider the beeping loud enough to violate regulations, another local rule bans business operations within 100 feet of residences. “There’s no exception that says if it’s a robot yelling, it’s allowed at night,” he argues.
The company has bought quieter vacuums, reduced robotaxi speeds in alleys to 10 mph, limited nighttime lot usage, and even planted bamboo as a sound buffer. “We strive to be good neighbors,” a company spokesperson told CNN, adding that they are working with the city’s Department of Transportation to address concerns.
Longtime resident Nancy Taylor isn’t impressed. “Last night was worse than ever,” she says. “It’s like a Las Vegas light show outside my window.” She’s resorted to blackout curtains and a white noise machine to get through the night.
Who Regulates the Robots?
The dispute highlights broader legal and ethical questions about the governance of AI technologies. Specifically: who regulates self-driving vehicles? Santa Monica city officials say they don’t have authority over autonomous vehicles, which fall under the jurisdiction of the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) and the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV).
The backup beeping is at the center of the controversy. Federal law requires electric autonomous vehicles, like delivery trucks, to emit warning sounds while reversing to protect pedestrians. But frustrated residents question whether this is necessary for AI-driven cars that can detect objects in all directions and don’t rely on mirrors or turning heads like human drivers.
As driverless technology expands nationwide, some laws will need to catch up. In New York, for example, a current law states a driver must keep at least one hand on the wheel at all times—clearly incompatible with autonomous systems.
Parking Tickets and Policy Loopholes
On a recent sunny afternoon, as Stacker One gave an interview, several Waymos gathered near an overflowing charging lot. A Santa Monica parking officer was frantically issuing tickets—one after another—for illegally parked vehicles in alleys. Since the robotaxis have no drivers inside, they technically violate parking rules that require attended vehicles.
Some state lawmakers are considering a bill that would impose penalties—including fines and license points—on autonomous vehicles for infractions just as if they were human drivers. But critics wonder whether a $300 ticket would affect a corporation the same way it would impact an individual driver.
“The solution is to treat these cars like cars,” says Grayson Small, a musician who lives near one of the Waymo lots. While he isn’t bothered by the noise himself, he worries about pedestrian safety. “Look—this one just rolled right through a stop sign,” he says, pointing to a robotaxi slowly creeping into a crosswalk.
AI Expansion Without Community Input
Hamid Ekbia, director of the Autonomous Systems Policy Institute at Syracuse University, believes this conflict is a preview of larger issues to come. “People should be involved in conversations before these technologies are deployed,” he says. “All AI technologies should be subject to this kind of public scrutiny.”
Residents argue that no such dialogue happened before Waymo began operations in their neighborhood. Taylor recalls trying to attend a city council meeting to voice her concerns, only to be told there wouldn’t be one because Waymo had a waiver.
Stacker One adds that residents reached out to every relevant city department before turning to protest. “We didn’t start with stacking,” he says. “That wasn’t our first step.”
Ekbia points out that many future AI technologies will be invisible—unlike robotaxis, which are tangible and disruptive. “This is just the tip of the iceberg,” he warns. “What happens when the impacts of AI are hidden? What’s the rush? Why not slow down and ensure these tools serve people, not just corporations?”
What’s the Point If We’re Not Happy?
Even those not directly impacted by the noise question whether the pursuit of innovation is coming at too high a cost. “Doing things we’ve never done before is exciting,” says Small. “But if it makes people miserable, if it takes away our sleep, our safety, our ability to live normally—then what’s the point?”
For now, the Waymo fleet continues to grow, and so do the protests. In Santa Monica, the battle between peaceful sleep and technological progress rages on—one beep at a time.