A rally outside the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) offices in San Francisco Thursday morning was calling for the prosecution of executives at self-driving taxi company Cruise, and for the ouster of the commissioner who helped approve Cruise's permits.

The rally began at 10 a.m. Thursday, outside the state offices at Van Ness and McAllister, and protesters planned to head inside to the CPUC hearing, as NBC Bay Area reports.

Amid layoffs at Cruise, and following the November departure of CEO Kyle Vogt, protesters were calling for the prosecution of Cruise executives who oversaw the autonomous car program that multiple agencies have now deemed unsafe. They were also calling for the removal of Public Utilities Commissioner John Reynolds, a former lawyer for Cruise who was one of the key votes when the CPUC approved Cruise and Waymo's citywide operation permits in August.

That vote, which came after months of vocal protest by San Francisco police and firefighters over incidents in which autonomous taxis had allegedly impeded emergency services, was 3-1 — and had a different commissioner in Reynolds' seat voted the other way, it would have been tied.

Cruise is in the midst of a significant downsizing and reorg following the October suspension of their permit by the California DMV and a legal filing by the CPUC itself last week. The CPUC is suing Cruise for "failing to provide complete information" about the October 2 collision at Market and Fifth streets in which a Cruise vehicle struck and then dragged a pedestrian 20 feet.

CNBC reports today that Cruise is laying off 900 employees, or nearly a quarter of its workforce, primarily in its commercial operations department. These layoffs come one day after the company announced the firing of nine "key leaders" in the company.

"The personnel decisions made today are a necessary step for Cruise to move forward as it focuses on accountability, trust and transparency," parent company GM said in a Wednesday statement. "GM remains committed to supporting Cruise in these efforts."

And GM CEO Mary Barra, who also serves as chair of Cruise, said last week that the company was "very focused on righting the ship" at Cruise after this spate of safety allegations and high-profile incidents.

An email sent to all Cruise employees today, obtained by NBC Bay Area, said, the company is "slowing down commercialization, simplifying and focusing efforts to return with an exceptional service in one city before scaling."

It seems likely, given all of the high-profile incidents and bad press in San Francisco, that San Francisco will not be that one city when the company relaunches commercial service.

A Cruise spokesperson said in a statement Thursday, regarding the mass layoffs, "We shared the difficult news that we are reducing our workforce, primarily in commercial operations and related corporate functions. These changes reflect our decision to focus on more deliberate commercialization plans with safety as our north star. We are supporting impacted Cruisers with strong severance and benefits packages and are grateful to the departing employees who played important roles in building Cruise and supporting our mission."

Alphabet-owned Waymo, meanwhile, has not had many high-profile safety incidents in San Francisco, and the company continues to operate its robotaxis throughout the city.

Previously: State Commission Alleges That Cruise Withheld Evidence, Misled Public in Pedestrian-Dragging Incident