Home Care In Santa Monica, CA

Waymo must stop charging its autonomous fleet of electric cars overnight at two Santa Monica stations, the City Council decided last week as a way to resolve a months-long dispute between residents and the driverless taxi company.

The council voted unanimously Nov. 18 to direct Waymo, the property owner and its lessees to stop overnight operations at the charging stations.

If the Mountain View-based company does not comply by Wednesday, Santa Monica will move to take legal action, interim City Atty. Heidi von Tongeln said.

The city argued in a letter that the sounds and lights violate its municipal and civil regulations, constituting a public nuisance.

But Waymo and the Virginia company that operates the stations, Voltera, have given no indication they plan to comply, pitting the rapidly-growing self-driving taxi company against residents fed up with beeping noises and light coming from the lots.

Waymo told Santa Monica officials in a Nov. 20 letter obtained by The Times that the city has a “misunderstanding of the Property’s permitted use,” which includes overnight charging.

“It became clear that the City is instead attempting to halt all uses at the Property, regardless of existing permit rights or state law and without any interest in working to keep businesses operating in the City,” the letter reads.

Several residents have complained about round-the-clock beeping and humming emitted by the self-driving Jaguars as they make their way to two charging stations near the intersection of Euclid Street and Broadway. In order to protect pedestrians, cyclists and motorists, federal law requires EVs to emit sounds.

Waymo said it took steps to reduce the noise, but residents insist that the disruptions still keeps them up at night and that the driverless cars continue to clog the streets as they wait to get into the lots.

According to a letter from the city to Waymo, Santa Monica demanded that the two lots stop operating from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m.

“The City has received many complaints from neighboring residents regarding the Broadway Lots, and particularly that the overnight operations of the lots are very disruptive to their sleep and peace and quite enjoyment of their homes,” the letter reads.

A city spokesperson did not respond to requests for comment.

In a statement, a Waymo spokesperson said the company was committed to operating and investing in the city, but did not address compliance with the overnight directive.

“We’ve been engaging with the city since day one of our operations, and we are committed to working with them to be responsive to our neighbors,” the statement read. “In response to neighbors’ feedback, we adjusted our operations at the site, and we’ll continue to seek community input.”

Waymo officials also pointed to mitigation efforts, including planting vegetation around the lots as a buffer to the light and noise.

A spokesperson for Voltera also declined to answer questions on whether it would adhere to the city’s directive.

“Voltera constructed these facilities in accordance with applicable regulations, and the City approved that construction and issued permits for current operations,” Jonathan Colbert, vice president for marketing, said in an email. “We are committed to continuing to follow those applicable regulations, as we have done from the outset.”

Fifty-six Waymo vehicles can charge at the same time at the two stations. The company has been growing rapidly and expanding the streets where the white, autonomous EVs can operate, but residents said they received no warning that two charging stations would be operating in their neighborhoods. Emails obtained by The Times suggest that city officials were also caught off-guard, learning about the stations only after residents started to complain.

The letter from the city to Waymo alleges that Voltera had “continue[d] to downplay the legitimate complaints from a significant number of neighbors, and to wrongfully insist that it and its customer Waymo are immunized from all regulation and entitled to conduct their business however they want.”

Waymo officials, according to their letter to the city, argue that state law prohibits cities from imposing restrictions on vehicle charging facilities, and that the city’s original approval included overnight use.

Neighbors of the charging station expressed support for the city’s directive but weren’t overly optimistic.

“I’m happy to see that the city has taken a stand,” said Christopher Potter, who lives near one of the lots and started an online petition urging the company to reduce its sound pollution.

Potter pointed out that several months ago that Waymo reduced the volume on the EVs when they are in reverse. Now the vehicles only beep loudly when there is a person or an object behind them — noise Potter says remains significant.

“They come in, and they set up shop, and they just want to do what they want to do,” he said.

Neighbor Darius Boorn said he cannot open his windows because “there’s always noise.”

“If they [Waymo] really wanted to do something, they could do it,” he said.

Boorn said it was frustrated residents who compelled the city to act.

“I truly believe that we forced their hand,” he said. “I think the city finally realized, our backs are against the wall unless we do this for the residents.”

Before the council took action, some residents took matters into their own hands by using cones to block the parking lots or standing in front of the driveways, causing the Waymos to stack up in the street.

Police have been called multiple times, and Waymo at one point unsuccessfully tried to get a temporary restraining order against a protesting resident.

City officials said in a letter that they have received more than 40 complaints from 15 individuals; they met with residents Oct. 15.

The letter also points to a Nov. 2 incident, when a long line of Waymos stacked in an alley leading to the lots, requiring attendants to work for about 20 minutes to clear out the blockage.

“If there had been a fire in one of the buildings or a first responder needed to access the area, they would have been trapped and blocked,” the city’s letter reads. “This is not the first such incident, only the most recent.”

The Santa Monica clash could be a sign of growing pains for the company as it continues to expand.

The company in June announced it would be expanding its service area to 120 square miles in Los Angeles County, ferrying passengers in Playa del Rey, Ladera Hieghts, Echo Park, Silver Lake and Hollywood, as well as on local freeways. The company also operates in Culver City and downtown L.A.

On Friday, November 7, business leaders and other changemakers gathered for Plastic Pollution Coalition’s first-ever Plastic Pollution Solutions Expo, held in Santa Monica, California. The open-format, walk-through event brought together a diverse audience to stimulate knowledge sharing and provided exposure for upstream solutions running the gamut from regenerative materials for textiles and packaging to stainless steel reuse systems for schools and much more.

The Expo was designed to generate curiosity around and help inspire familiarity with upstream solutions to the plastic pollution crisis. This first-ever event did not disappoint: Students from local high schools and universities held bits of chitin, the structural material found in the exoskeletons of crustaceans, which is now used to make biodegradable packaging with food waste. Activists and local nonprofit leaders rolled mycelium earplugs in their palms while asking why they weren’t invented sooner. Business owners, podcasters, and architects oohed and aahed over reusable stainless steel foodware, edible seaweed pods, and sustainable and plastic-free building materials. Attendees’ conversations were passionate and wide-ranging, leading to new ideas, connections, and partnerships to scale and spread these solutions far and wide.

Public tradeshows and events about plastic pollution are often influenced by the industries that help create the problem, with false solutions like recycled plastics and recycling technologies that give a green light to keep producing plastics. The Plastic Pollution Solutions Expo was unique in that it only featured biobased and reuse solutions that are eliminating plastics in their business practices, improving material standards, and building a regenerative future through systems change.

— Aidan Maguire, Business Partnerships Manager, Plastic Pollution Coalition

Regenerative materials were the stars of the show at the 2025 Plastic Pollution Solutions Expo. These are substances that come from nature and can beneficially return to nature at the end of their usefulness. Biobased alternatives to plastic materials, in a whole host of industries and applications, are helping to bridge the gap between our current plastic “throwaway” society and a healthier and less wasteful future. Instead of being trashed like most plastics ultimately are, “regenerative” material solutions are nontoxic, home compostable, and ultimately better for people and the planet.

At the Solutions Expo, many Plastic Pollution Coalition (PPC) Business Members displayed their regenerative plastic-free solutions and engaged with the general public to answer questions and explain how their innovations are changing the world.

Leaders in the regenerative packaging space who were present at the Solutions Expo included:

Plastics are not designed to be recycled, and they shed dangerous plastic particles and chemicals with each use. Reusing nontoxic and plastic-free materials helps diminish waste and pollution and must be a part of our culture’s transition away from single use. When these materials are worn to the point they can no longer be reused, they can be fully recycled.

Reusable, refillable, and recyclable material solutions and systems made a big splash at the Solutions Expo, showing attendees how truly circular packaging and reuse systems are not just novel ideas, but scalable solutions being implemented today.

Leaders present in the reuse, refill, and non-plastic recyclable space included:

When it comes to ending plastic pollution, we need to build plastic-free, nontoxic reuse and refill items and systems that eliminate wastefulness from the start. Half of all plastic produced today is designed for just one use, and nearly 40% of all plastic made today is single-use plastic packaging. Yet most plastic items that are sold or distributed as “single-use”—like bags and bottles— actually have plastic-free reusable or refillable alternatives.

For those items less easily swapped for reusable and refillable alternatives, biobased and home compostable alternatives should be used to prevent single-use plastic packaging from becoming pollution. These solutions are “regenerative” when they can be easily converted back to soil without causing microplastics or regrettable social or environmental harm, from harvest to compost. Scalable regenerative solutions exist today and have enormous potential to decrease plastic pollution as a drop in solution across industries.

The Plastic Pollution Solutions Expo was held the day before a groundbreaking TEDx conference, TEDxGreatPacificGarbagePatch, which featured sessions with global thought leaders addressing the question: “How do we solve plastic pollution by 2040?” With the health harming effects of plastic pollution becoming more clear—and worrisome—the time to act is now. Fortunately, PPC and its Business Members and allies show us that the solutions we need exist today.

Please consider helping advance real solutions to plastic pollution by supporting our work.

A bus load of Homer Simpsons appeared with little warning in Southern California earlier today. And it’s all part of an elaborate marketing stunt to promote the newest update to the ongoing season.

Earlier this month, after plenty of teasing and leaks, that changed the game into a big ol’ Simpsons crossover, complete with a new island that is modeled after the long-running animated show’s Springfield. The season has been a big hit for Epic, and each week in November, Epic and Disney (the owners of The Simpsons) have published new animated Simpsons short telling a story of what happens when collides with the longest-running sitcom in history. And the season’s next update involves a lot of Homers, with some of them spilling into our reality.

On November 18, a few dozen people wearing Homer Simpson costumes invaded the Promenade in Santa Monica, California. You can see what that looks like in the video uploaded by Santa Monica Closeup on YouTube earlier today. You’ll also spot a Peely-fied version of Professor Frink, too. This new Fortnite season is weird.

on Twitter, the horde of Homers was also spotted at a donut shop in the area, where they then proceeded to take it over and cause chaos. I assume the owners gave permission and were paid, but imagine being a random person walking in there for some coffee and a glazed donut and running face-first into 12 Homer mascots ripping the place apart.

The cloned Homers are part of the next update for Fortnite, as seen in the short below, and will start appearing in the game on November 19. And Epic, please stop adding character skins based on Simpsons characters. I only have so much money.

Whether you're carving a jack-o'-lantern or adding flair to your porch, there are many places to pick up a pumpkin near Santa Monica.

Heading out to a patch or field to pick the best or biggest pumpkin isn’t just about finding the perfect Halloween jack-o-lantern. It’s a seasonal activity blending nature, tradition and community, and there are many places in and near Santa Monica to create lasting memories with family and friends.

Many pumpkin patches and fields offer complementary activities like hay rides, corn mazes and games for the kids. Picking your own pumpkin also is a good way to support the local farmers who grow them.

Whether you plan to carve a jack-o’-lantern or just add some festive flair to your stoop, there are plenty of places to pick up a pumpkin in Los Angeles County and nearby. Here are some of our favorites:

Westside

And here are some other nearby options:

Keep in mind that carving and baking pumpkins aren’t the same. The former are grown in fields to be large, more vibrantly colored, and relatively hollow. The watery flesh doesn’t have the same flavor found in baking pumpkins, which tend to be smaller, have thicker, harder-to-carve walls and sweeter flesh. For those, you’ll probably need to head to the grocery store.

Pumpkins for carving should appear sturdy and clean. Remember, this is the pumpkin that will be front and center on the porch for the Halloween season. Here are some tips for carving a perfect jack-o’-lantern from Warren Nash on YouTube, who shows a step-by-step process to make the perfect carve.

Pumpkin carving kits will go a long way in getting what you need. They typically include saws, a scooper, a drill and multiple patterns.

If you're looking for the items individually around the house, here's what you could use:

Steps