New Delhi, July 29 -- it changed the public position of the politician who had been Waymo's most consistent civic defender.

San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie announced Monday that he is pushing for federal safety standards governing autonomous vehicles, a position he has now communicated directly to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and to congressional offices. The statement places Lurie alongside a growing cohort of mayors and state officials who argue that the current regulatory framework, which allows robotaxi companies to expand deployment while safety standards remain largely voluntary and self-reported, has outpaced what cities can manage on their own.

Waymo, owned by Alphabet and operating the largest commerciall...