In Uber's view, because its cars won't operate without a human operator seated at the wheel, it's no different than other widely-implemented driver assistant technology. On the state's side, Wired reports the matter has been forwarded to the attorney general, but it's unclear what the next step will be. A statement from the mayor's office said "The Mayor is working with the DMV, state officials and the city attorney's office to explore all possible avenues available to us to enforce state law." The state could request an injunction, or revoke the car's registrations -- stay tuned.

Update: California's Attorney General's office has sent a letter to Uber ordering it to "immediately" take its self-driving vehicles off the road, or else face "injunctive and other appropriate relief." To put it another way: Uber faces a court-ordered ban (and possibly more) if it ignores the demand.