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Waymo is in trouble in Santa Monica, where city officials are demanding the autonomous car company halt overnight operations immediately.
The issue, however, is not related to the cars' driving skills, but rather the noise they make while charging their batteries and pulling into overnight parking lots, including loud backup alarms.
Residents who live nearby are suffering sleep interruption and stress, the Santa Monica Daily Press reports. Some say they have started hearing "phantom beeping" after being exposed to it around the clock, the noise echoing throughout the neighborhood. Sometimes, the cars trigger other cars' alarms as they maneuver around the lot.
"I live within a block of this charging station and am distressed by the incessant beeping, 24 hours a day," one resident commented on a petition that began circulating in April 2025, demanding Waymo address the noise issues. "Additionally, all the charging cars have ALL their headlights on at all times!...It’s an illustration of Waymo’s flagrant disregard for the community...Please pull the plug, put me out of my agony!"
"[Waymo parent company] Google could easily remedy this problem. Period," another adds. "The company's indifference amounts to tech arrogance. Shame on that company."
Other issues include bright floodlights at the facilities, which opened in 2024, and a constant hum of charging equipment. The two lots are also near an elementary school, which residents say has heightened congestion around pickup times. In addition to parents' vehicles, there are now Waymos running in and out of the lots, adding to the stream of traffic.
Residents have at times taken matters into their own hands, obstructing the Waymos' paths with orange traffic cones to confuse and stop them, the Los Angeles Times reports. In July, Waymo took the suggestion in the petition to limit or reduce the backup alarms when in their own lots (as opposed to on the road). It worked with regulators to do exactly that, and said the company strives "to be good neighbors," according to Spectrum News.
It was not enough, apparently, and now the city is threatening legal action against Waymo if it does not halt overnight operations at 1222 Broadway and 1310 Broadway.
Waymo faced similar complaints last year in San Francisco, where residents complained of late night honking in an overnight lot. Waymo eventually issued a fix. More recently, a Waymo accidentally killed a beloved cat in San Francisco, leading to widespread community backlash.
"In response to neighbors’ feedback, we adjusted our operations at the site, and we’ll continue to seek community input," a Waymo spokesperson tells us in a statement. The company provides "tens of thousands of rides each week in Santa Monica," and is "committed to working with [the city] to be responsive to our neighbors."
While we're generally fans of Waymo's tech, having their operations facilities in your backyard is not ideal. Yet the company continues to expand to more cities at a rapid pace; in California, Sacramento and San Diego are up next.