Lest we thought that Elon Musk was finally done with the Bay Area, having closed down Xitter's offices and moved several of his companies to Texas, he's now claiming that Tesla's robotaxis will be coming to compete with Waymo soon.

This all may just be more hand-waving and mendacity on the part of Musk, or just careless optimism, but in a tweet-reply Wednesday evening to a question about when Tesla's Robotaxis will arrive in the Bay Area, Musk said, "Waiting on regulatory approvals, probably in a month or two."

That seems more than a little optimistic given the shaky rollout of Tesla Robotaxis in Austin the last couple weeks, and when we're talking about a regulatory environment in California that's been burned already by issues with Cruise's robotaxis, which turned out to have quite a few more glitches than competitor Waymo. And Cruise's autonomous taxis actually used LiDAR technology, the laser-based scanners that create 3D maps around the robot cars to detect people, objects, and other cars.

Tesla has tried a different approach that seems far from proven, opting for machine learning combined with visual sensors — and, essentially, an upgrade to its pre-existing, full-self-driving software. Already in Austin, where Tesla Robotaxi service rolled out to a select few users on June 22, there have been over a dozen recorded incidents of the autonomous Teslas doing odd and dangerous things, including dropping off a passenger in the middle of an intersection, and stopping abruptly on a busy thoroughfare.

As NBC News reports, Tesla seems to be taking advantage of the current lax regulation around autonomous vehicles in Texas — ahead of a new state law that is set to take effect September 1. In fact, seven Texas lawmakers sent a letter to Tesla on June 18 asking the company to delay their testing of the robotaxis until September, but that went ignored.

Last week, as Endgadget reported and as documented in the video below, a Tesla Robotaxi inexplicably drove into a parked car in an Austin parking lot, and was then stopped by a safety operator. (During this testing phase, no driver sits in the driver's seat, but a Tesla employee sits in the passenger seat and has the ability to stop the car in an emergency.)

It appeared that the Tesla's bumber only grazed the parked car and did not damage it.

In another video, a Tesla Robotaxi can be seen stopping abruptly after passing a police car with flashing lights that was parked off to the side of the road. The Tesla was on a busy four-lane road at the time, and stopped in the middle of its lane.

The whole thing feels rushed, and is perhaps being hurried because of Tesla's flagging stock price and reportedly slow sales of its EVs and Cybertrucks — following Elon's hard swing to the right and brief foray into Trump's White House.  As PCMag notes, "The reports come as the success of Tesla's robotaxi division may be increasingly integral to the future of the company."

Any plan to begin testing in California could be thwarted by a serious safety incident or injury in Austin, but the small scale of the current testing phase could help them avoid that — reportedly only Musk devotees and acolytes were granted invitations to use the Robotaxi service for now.

As the Chronicle reports, Tesla also has only two out of six required permits it would need to start offering autonomous taxi rides in San Francisco and elsewhere, alongside Waymo. And Waymo spent several years testing its vehicles and mapping SF's streets before its service rolled out to the public.

"What matters is not individual demonstrations. It’s statistics," says Brad Templeton, a consultant in the autonomous vehicle industry, speaking to NBC News. Templeton worked on Google's autonomous vehicle project before it was even called Waymo, and he cautions that regulators are only interested in seeing how these vehicles perform over the long term, after millions of miles driven.

Templeton also noted that Musk's most devoted fans, including those who have gotten to take rides in the cars, are "all fairly convinced that [the Tesla technology is] just on the cusp of being ready, and they get really annoyed when other people don’t see it."

Musk is clearly playing into that with his "month or two" comment. We'll see what a month or two brings as even city councilmembers in Austin are sounding alarm bells.

"We’ve been seeing chaos unfold," says Austin City Councilmember Zo Qadri, speaking to NBC News. "We have a lot of constituents who are very angry."

Another councilmember, Vanessa Fuentes, who is also mayor pro tem of Austin, says that even in this small-scale test, "There are just a lot of errors. They have proven that the technology they have is unsafe for Austinites."

Fuentes adds, in comments to NBC, "Tesla has had no regard for public input or working with our city, and unfortunately, I’m not OK having this done at the expense of Austinites’ safety."

Previously: Elon Musk Declares He’s Starting a New Political Party, Tesla Promptly Loses $68 Billion In Value In One Day

Top image: Photo via Tesla Robotaxi

Want to follow what's going on at South by Southwest? Then, please, head over to Austinist, our sister site smack-dab in the center all the action at the annual music and technology conference.

Nature lovers will be peeved.

Under the budget proposed by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger today - dear God, just how did we get here? starting off a sentence like that? - nine local state parks would face a temporary shutdown until California learns how to balance its checkbook, pay its bills on time, stops disrespecting their mommas on , or something like that.

Statewide, the Gov is considering closing 48 state parks. Among those close to home are Henry W. Coe State Park, Candlestick Point State Recreation Area, Austin Creek State Recreation Area, Armstrong Redwoods State Reserve, Tomales Bay State Park in Inverness, Petaluma-Adobe State Historic Park, Portola-Redwood State Park, Benicia Capitol State Historic Park, and Benicia State Recreation Area. They all face temporary closure if and when the Gov and the Legislature compromise on a spending plan later this year. And overall, that's one out of five state parks, folks. Egads.

One more thing, according to the Gate, "money will be spent for patrols to keep people out of the closed parks." How very creepy.

Who knew?

According to the Scarborough Research -- an institute that measures the lifestyles, shopping patterns, media behaviors, and demographics of unholy, evil American consumers -- San Francisco was ranked as one of the top markets for people who read or contribute to blogs. Yay. And, duh.

Along with other such indie- and techie-saturated cities as Austin, TX; Portland, Ore.; and Seattle, WA, what makes us a top market is due to so many youths living here, and our predilection for sporting the latest technology on our bodies. The report from Editor & Publisher goes on to say that bloggers tend to have different relationships to the Internets than the average American user.

That is to say, while your more crimson areas use l'Internet for such mundane tasks as email, shopping, online banking, and screwing in the name of Christ via eHarmony, San Francisco might use it for things like this.

See you in hell, SF and local bloggers. It promises to be quite the party down there. In our haste to ridicule others, we misunderstood this sparkling gem of an article. Apparently, WE are the ones using the Internets in such a, well, typical way. Eh, whatever. Point being: SF is tops in the blogging market. Ta-da.

"A must for music lovers, musical comedy lovers, and in fact lovers of any sort," claims the Center for Sex & Culture about tonight's "Sex & Song". And, really, don't they deserve your love for one night? After all, they're trying to help you, um, love better. So head over to SOMA tonight for a show featuring some of your favorite sex-based music acts from around the Bay Area. Not only will there be titillating performances, but a post-show discussion centered around creating work based off the wonderful, simple act of sex.

Sound pretentious? Maybe. But when was the last time you talked about sex? It's awkward, but necessary.

First off, they have The Wet Spots, a musical sex comedy duo bordering on cabaret. Then, vaudevillian songstress Kitten on the Keys performs, followed by gender performance artist, Rodney Austin.

Sure, the burlesque revival is a bit much these days, but just because something is retro and dated doesn't mean you can't have a stiff drink or five and try having a good time while seeing old-time blue shtick. Goes from 7:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. at Center for Sex & Culture; $20.

The Wet Spots image via Center for Sex & Culture

Oh dear.

Just days after Brian Austin was stabbed to death at 47th Avenue and Fulton Street, a (homelss!) man was shot yesterday in Golden Gate Park. According to the fuzz, he took a hit at 25th Avenue and Martin Luther King Drive, a little after 11 p.m. No arrests have been made.

As for the victim, he is in stable condition. Golden Gate Park? Not so much.

I wanted to write for SFist because:
I need attention. Lots of attention.

You should read my pieces because:
You'll eat better, look nicer, be more surrealist, and give interesting holiday gifts.

Best ever article on SFist
Mine or somebody else's? -- refer to answer to question above. I'm pleased with my Herbivore review because it elicited some helpful veggie food alternative recommendations from readers.

Favorite picture on SFist
Again, I refer to my own work -- most of which was taken with my scrappy little camera-phone: The ceramic dog on the counter at Bulldog Café. Oh, the beauty, the soft focus background, the semi-fisheye. Woof.

It really is all about the other side of Market Street now.

Along with neighborhoods that we've heard of before like Pike Place in Seattle; Hillcrest in San Diego; and Park Slope in Brooklyn, N.Y. -- our xenophobia runs deep, folks -- as well as hoods that we've never heard of such as Chatham Village, Pittsburgh; Eastern Market neighborhood of Washington, D.C.; Elmwood Village in Buffalo, N.Y.; and Old West Austin in Austin, our very own historic North Beach arrondissement was named one of the top 10 U.S. neighborhoods by the American Planning Association.

The study was based on this neighborhood having the cutest little coffee shop, that neighborhood having the most darling homes, their OMG!!!-factors, etc.

We were eager to talk to Christopher, as he is the librettist for Philip Glass's opera Appomattox, which opens next Friday at the San Francisco Opera, and is the Big Event of the Fall in music. Actually, judging by the overwhelming response of Glass's sold-out concert last Friday, where we did run into Christopher enjoying a pre-performance glass of wine in the lobby, it will be a big deal.

We had talked to him earlier in the morning, scrambling to take notes as he talked fast and with enthusiasm, and explained how the creative team came together: "I had worked with Philip on a movie I directed, the Secret Agent. Two or three years ago, we also did an opera together, Waiting for the Barbarians, in Germany and in later in Austin. He pulled me and said he wanted to make an opera about the last week of the civil war. I knew nothing about the civil wars." Neither do we! The libretto deals with two generals, Robert Lee and Ulysses Grant, "putting an end to the civil war in a rational, civilized manner." These two were more statesmen than anyone around nowadays, he said.

There are no less than three fantastic music festivals all taking place over the weekend of September 14-16. What gives? And how do we choose? Since we live in the bay area, perhaps our decision has been made for us: we're heading to the inaugural Treasure Island Music Festival presented by the fine folks at Noise Pop and Another Planet. The two day festival features 14 bands each day on two stages with mostly hip hop and electronica on Saturday (Theivery Corporation, DJ Shadow & Cut Chemist, M.I.A.) and a great lineup of indie rock on Sunday (Modest Mouse, Built To Spill, Clap Your Hands). And it all takes place on Treasure Island, that scrap of land you've seen a thousand times but likely have never set foot on. Getting there is sure to be an adventure! Check out the full lineup and get your tickets. We've got a pair of tickets for one lucky winner to go to one day of the Treasure Island Music Festival. (We're not sure which date yet but will update this post as soon as we hear back from our contact! But both days are really good so you can't go wrong. Contest ends 8/22; winner will be notified via email.)

So back to our rant: during that same weekend, the three-day Austin City Limits Music Festival is happening in Austin with a lineup that includes Bob Dylan, Bjork, The White Stripes and Arcade Fire. And just this morning we read about the Monolith Festival at Red Rocks Amphitheatre near Denver, Colorado, that also boasts a great lineup including The Flaming Lips, The Decemberists, and some smaller bands we'd love to see like Forget Cassettes. One of our favorite bands of all time, Spoon, has the right idea: they're somehow managing to play all three festivals. Normally we'd be a little worried about the band being jetlagged by the time they headline for us that Sunday night, but these guys are professionals. They'll deliver.

On to this week's show recommendations. Start tonight early by heading to the Burn My Eyes 2 Rock Poster Show at 12 Galaxies featuring twelve rock poster artists exhibiting and selling their work. Later on Popscene presents Junior Senior and Switches at 330 Ritch. On Friday, KPIG presents the legend himself Alejandro Escovedo at Great American with opener Sonny Smith. The Go, bellavista and White Savage are at Bottom of the Hill and over at Slim's you can see Detroit Cobras with Dan Sartain and The Willowz. On Saturday, Birdmonster pack Cafe Du Nord with Eulogies and DJ Ted from BAGeL Radio.

Click the link below for more show recommendations, videos and rants.