Elon Musk has just about had it with the local Alameda County officials trying to tell him to keep his Tesla factory shut down over the coronavirus pandemic.
Yes, California approved, but an unelected county official illegally overrode. Also, all other auto companies in US are approved to resume. Only Tesla has been singled out. This is super messed up!
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 11, 2020
On May 9th, 2020, Elon blasted out an angry tweet saying that he was filing a lawsuit against Alameda County because of the way they were using the pandemic to keep his facility non-operational. He was particularly angry at the “unelected & ignorant” Interim Health Officer.
Elon wrote on Twitter, “Tesla is filing a lawsuit against Alameda County immediately. The unelected & ignorant “Interim Health Officer” of Alameda is acting contrary to the Governor, the President, our Constitutional freedoms & just plain common sense!”
Tesla is filing a lawsuit against Alameda County immediately. The unelected & ignorant “Interim Health Officer” of Alameda is acting contrary to the Governor, the President, our Constitutional freedoms & just plain common sense!
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 9, 2020
Elon then replied to his own tweet moments later about how now he’s thinking of moving his entire factory and headquarters to Texas or Nevada. Officials in his county are advising that Tesla stay shut down until June 1st, and with other parts of America becoming operational he was ready to move out immediately if he had to.
He noted that Tesla is the last remaining car-making factory in the state of California and if they wanted the company to stay it would all be dependent on how the county treats Tesla in the future.
“Frankly, this is the final straw. Tesla will now move its HQ and future programs to Texas/Nevada immediately. If we even retain Fremont manufacturing activity at all, it will be dependen on how Tesla is treated in the future. Tesla is the last carmaker left in CA,” Elon wrote.
Frankly, this is the final straw. Tesla will now move its HQ and future programs to Texas/Nevada immediately. If we even retain Fremont manufacturing activity at all, it will be dependen on how Tesla is treated in the future. Tesla is the last carmaker left in CA.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 9, 2020
On May 11th, Elon finally had all that he could take and boldly tweeted that Tesla would restart the production lines and if anyone was to get arrested for working to make sure that he was the one who got arrested. He specifically let the public know he will be on the line working with everyone else.
The drama quickly made it to the ears of Greg Abbott, the Governor of Texas, who promptly replied with a tweet that Elon would save billions of dollars in taxes if he moved Tesla headquarters to Nevada or Texas.
“Elon Musk could save billions in taxes if Tesla moves its headquarters to Nevada or Texas,” Governor Abbott tweeted.
Elon Musk could save billions in taxes if Tesla moves its headquarters to Nevada or Texas.
Just saying. https://t.co/z1sxLGJ5qG
— Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) May 11, 2020
The mayor of Dallas, Texas, Eric Johnson, also tagged and tweeted the governor saying that he hopes Elon will come to Southern Dallas. Mayor Johnson promised he would protect the lives and livelihoods of the folks who worked in his facility if they lived in Dallas.
More and more people from Texas and Nevada began to reach out to Elon, welcoming him to their region. Judge Cortez from Hidalgo Country even chimed in with the governor tweeting a signed letter from the office of the county judge that they were ready to immediately accommodate Tesla if they wanted to relocate their facilities.
Hey @elonmusk: Hidalgo County @JudgeCortez and @GovAbbott are ready to accommodate @Tesla. @john_jwitt #HidalgoCounty #WelcomeTesla pic.twitter.com/YSINvFM8Ca
— Hidalgo County (@HidalgoCountyTX) May 11, 2020
As of now, May 12th, 2020, the factory is still up and running and the government officials of Fremont, California haven’t taken any actions or said what they are going to do about the electric car plant being operational against their orders. Even though the authorities haven’t responded to his actions yet, Elon believes what the Alameda County officials are doing is unconstitutional and he is willing to publically fight for his constitutional rights.