Unions have made autonomous trucks a litmus test for Democratic contenders in the wide-open California governor’s race. Will anyone in the party have the courage to stand up to one of their biggest sources of campaign cash?
California is a one-party state, and often the governor is most useful when standing up to his own team’s worst ideas. Outgoing Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) deserves credit for vetoing a Teamsters-backed bill in 2024 that would have required a human driver for oversize vehicles.
While California is currently the only state that prohibits the testing of heavy-duty autonomous trucks on public roads, Newsom’s Department of Motor Vehicles is looking to loosen that ban.
Yet most of the Democrats seeking to succeed Newsom sound willing to give the unions what they want. Billionaire Tom Steyer and ex-congresswoman Katie Porter express support for measures to prohibit autonomous delivery without human drivers. So do former state controller Betty Yee and Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond.
“Until we have thoroughly tested all of this, we need a butt in the cab,” former Los Angeles mayor Antonio Villaraigosa told Politico. The president of California’s AFL-CIO said she anticipates Rep. Eric Swalwell and former health secretary Xavier Becerra will support labor’s position on autonomous vehicles.
San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan, Silicon Valley’s favorite, is the Democratic candidate most friendly toward emerging technology, including automated big rigs. He understands that big tech firms will flee the state and simply test and deploy technology in friendlier territory if California continues to deepen its hostility toward innovative companies.
Automated trucks promise to become safer, more efficient and less expensive, helping keep prices down for consumers. This is why companies such as Alphabet, Tesla, FedEx and Amazon, founded by Post owner Jeff Bezos, have invested in the technology.
When Newsom vetoed the 2024 bill, he noted that other states like Arizona, Nevada, Texas and Washington have authorized testing. In the name of trying to protect jobs, California’s unions would run them off.
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