Santa Monica Judge Boots Landlord From Waymo ‘Mini Las Vegas’ Court Fight

A Santa Monica landlord has been kicked out of the legal ring in the city’s high-profile clash with Waymo over two Broadway charging lots, leaving the tech company to defend the controversial sites solo as neighbors complain the operation feels like a "mini Las Vegas" in their backyard.

On Wednesday, Judge Bradley S. Phillips denied a request by SMF Property Holdings LLC, the owner of the properties, to join the case as a defendant. The judge ruled that SMF waited too long to seek intervention and that its interests are already adequately represented by Waymo, according to MyNewsLA. SMF’s attorneys had argued the landlord would suffer “substantial irreparable harm” if shut out of the case, but the judge disagreed and refused to add the company to the defense lineup.

Waymo launched the court battle on Dec. 17, 2025, asking a judge to declare that its Broadway facilities do not amount to a public nuisance. The city of Santa Monica filed its own complaint just days later, according to the Los Angeles Times. Local coverage by the Santa Monica Daily Press identifies the contested sites as 1222 and 1310 Broadway and reports that the city ordered Waymo and the facility operator to halt overnight charging after repeated complaints from residents.

Neighbors describe a sleepless scene at the lots, with overnight operations marked by constant beeping, motor hums and staff conversations, and have used terms like “mini-Las Vegas” to capture the impact, according to sworn declarations cited by MyNewsLA. One resident, Paula Achter, said she had to change her sleeping habits and start working from a different part of her apartment to cope with the sound. Another, Victoria Benchuk, says her autistic son is regularly awakened at night by multiple vehicles coming and going.

What the Ruling Means for the Case

With SMF sidelined, Waymo remains the lead and only private-party defender of the Broadway charging facilities. That could simplify courtroom strategy but also leaves the landlord relying on Waymo to carry the legal arguments that protect the use of its property.

Waymo has argued the sites were permitted for 24-hour operations and that California laws designed to promote electric-vehicle charging restrict how far local governments can go in limiting such infrastructure, as reported by the Los Angeles Times. Those arguments lean heavily on California Government Code §65850.7, a statute intended to reduce local barriers to EV charging projects. The text of that law is available on the state’s legislative website: Government Code §65850.7.

What’s Next

The city is still pressing for a public-nuisance injunction that would clamp down on overnight recharging and vehicle movements at the Broadway sites, including limits on activity between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m., according to the Santa Monica Daily Press. The case remains active in Los Angeles County Superior Court and could see more motions, potential appeals or settlement talks before any final ruling changes how Waymo operates at the lots.

Neighborhood Stakes

For nearby residents, the fight is really about what wins out after dark: the right to a quieter, late-night residential environment or the state’s push to speed up electric-vehicle charging and autonomous-vehicle fleets. With the landlord kept off the official roster of defendants for now, the spotlight stays on Waymo and the city as the legal showdown over the Broadway lots moves ahead.