By Lookout Staff'

August, 2026 – Waymo has started operating its charging and servicing lots on Broadway around the clock after the California Court of Appeals on Friday temporarily paused enforcement of a preliminary injunction blocking the activity overnight.

The decision comes nearly three weeks after an LA County Superior Court judge prohibited the robotaxi company from operating the lots at 1222 and 1310 Broadway between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m. while the case moves to trial.

The Appeal Court's stay allows the trial court's findings in favor of the City to stand but temporarily pauses enforcement of the injunction while it considers Waymo's challenge to the trial court’s decision, City officials said.

"The temporary pause was issued without the benefit of the City’s opposition, and it has not reversed or vacated the trial court's findings," City Attorney Heidi von Tongeln said in a satement Friday.

"Temporary orders do not end this dispute for our residents. A final decision does, and we will be urging the court to move quickly toward one," von Tongeln added.

In granting the injunction, Superior Court Judge Bradley S. Phillips found the City "had established a reasonable probability of prevailing on the merits of its public nuisance claim," City officials said in a statement Tuesday.

The Court found "the harm to residents from overnight noise, lights and traffic outweighs any harm to Waymo from not operating overnight pending a trial," officials said.

In his ruling, Phillips wrote, that “while the evidence shows that the parties have attempted to mitigate the noise, lights and traffic, it does not show that those efforts have been sufficiently successful to eliminate the public nuisance that is created.”

Neighboring residents have complained that since the facility opened more than a year ago, they have been subject to persistent disruptions they have compared to living in a "mini-Las Vegas,” “next door to a spaceship” or next to “a circus,” according to court documents presented by the City.

The Court of Appeal set a briefing schedule on Waymo's petition, with the City's opposition due August 24, and Waymo may file a reply by September 2, City officials said. The court also directed the parties to propose an expedited schedule for the appeal itself.