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mahatmakanejeeves

(67,461 posts)
Thu Oct 30, 2025, 10:16 AM Oct 30

KitKat, liquor store mascot and '16th St. ambassador,' killed, allegedly by Waymo. Neighbors blame autonomous vehicle.

TROUBLE
KitKat, liquor store mascot and ‘16th St. ambassador,’ killed, allegedly by Waymo

Neighbors blame autonomous vehicle for Mission District bodega cat’s death in only-in-San-Francisco tragedy

by OSCAR PALMA
October 29, 2025, 1:35 pm


An image of KitKat, who was allegedly killed by a Waymo this week, on Tuesday October. 28, 2025. Photo by Oscar Palma.

{snip}

KitKat, nine years old, was found dying in the street on Monday night or early Tuesday morning. Numerous friends and neighbors said the cat was hit and killed by a Waymo autonomous vehicle.

Jeff Klein told Mission Local via email that he was driving eastbound on 16th Street with a friend on Monday at approximately 11:40 p.m. when he witnessed a Waymo swerved in front of them.

“Some folks on the sidewalk started yelling and grabbed the cat right out from under where the Waymo swerved from,” Klein wrote, who managed to snap a photo of the car before it drove away.

{snip}
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KitKat, liquor store mascot and '16th St. ambassador,' killed, allegedly by Waymo. Neighbors blame autonomous vehicle. (Original Post) mahatmakanejeeves Oct 30 OP
Dog next? Toddler? Auggie Oct 30 #1
Waymo confirms its car killed KitKat, Mission bodega darling mahatmakanejeeves Nov 1 #2
UPDATE: SF city supervisor wants driverless car reform Auggie Nov 4 #3

mahatmakanejeeves

(67,461 posts)
2. Waymo confirms its car killed KitKat, Mission bodega darling
Sat Nov 1, 2025, 06:41 AM
Nov 1
TROUBLE
Waymo confirms its car killed KitKat, Mission bodega darling

by OSCAR PALMA
October 31, 2025, 11:41 am


An image of KitKat, who was allegedly killed by a Waymo this week, on Tuesday October. 28, 2025. Photo by Oscar Palma.
Waymo confirmed on Thursday night that one of its autonomous vehicles killed KitKat, a beloved liquor store cat in the Mission District known by many as “the 16th Street ambassador.”

“We reviewed this, and while our vehicle was stopped to pick up passengers, a nearby cat darted under our vehicle as it was pulling away,” read a statement by Waymo. “We send our deepest sympathies to the cat’s owner and the community who knew and loved him, and we will be making a donation to a local animal rights organization in his honor.”

Waymo did not reply to a request to review the video, and did not say how much it would donate or what group would receive the gift.

{snip}

Auggie

(32,710 posts)
3. UPDATE: SF city supervisor wants driverless car reform
Tue Nov 4, 2025, 04:21 PM
Nov 4

The resolution that Supervisor Jackie Fielder planned to introduce Tuesday would urge state leaders to change how this ride-hail technology is regulated, by enabling local governments to put the matter to voters.

“Here in the Mission, we will never forget our sweet KitKat — we will always put community before tech oligarchs,” Fielder said in an Instagram reel, in which she blasted Waymo not only for killing an animal, but for causing congestion, collecting users’ data and undermining public transit.

Inspired by a moribund state Senate bill that would have allowed for local control of robotaxis, Fielder’s resolution illustrates a renewed skepticism of the vehicles, which have become embedded in San Francisco’s landscape. As Waymo expands to cities across the country, other companies — including Zoox, Tesla and Uber — are jockeying for position in the Bay Area market.

Currently, companies need to secure six state permits from the Department of Motor Vehicles and the California Public Utilities Commission before they can provide passenger service in vehicles that are run entirely by sensors and software, with no human at the wheel. If the state were to empower voters to bar vehicles from individual counties, it would be much more difficult for these companies to create a regional network. Such county-by-county restrictions could also disrupt service to major hubs, like the San Francisco International Airport.

https://www.sfchronicle.com/sf/article/waymo-killed-cat-21136038.php

From the link: Fielder has already drawn support from the Teamsters, who are wary of the threat that AVs pose to professional human drivers.

YES! END THIS MADNESS NOW!

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