Tesla chief executive officer (CEO) Elon Musk has escalated his conflict with Alameda County officials after announcing the reopening of its California factory.
On Monday, Elon Musk announced that the Tesla factory in California would be "restarting production today against Alameda County rules." The announcement follows a series of tweets Musk wrote against the state lockdown orders to address the pandemic.
Along with the announcement of the facility reopening, he tweeted that he would be at the factory, "on the line with everyone else." He added: "If anyone is arrested, I ask that it only be me."
Previously, Musk has claimed that the Alameda County's restrictions closing non-essential businesses are overly aggressive and unconstitutional. On Saturday, Tesla announced that it has filed a federal lawsuit against the county.
Threat of relocation
The Tesla CEO has recently threatened to move the company's headquarters out of California and suggested that he might relocate manufacturing from there as well.
In a tweet, Musk 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[t] on how Tesla is treated in the future. Tesla is the last carmaker left in CA."
The county’s health department refused to allow the reopening of the Tesla factory, citing lockdown measures. The factory has over 10,000 workers, and produces around 415,000 vehicles every year.
Alameda County's position
While California’s state government has eased some restrictions this week that allowed businesses to resume operations, counties may issue their own criteria for which businesses may reopen.
Alameda County maintained its position to keep all but essential businesses shut until the end of May. Musk claimed that the future of the factory could now be in doubt.
Prior to Musk’s announcement, Alameda County issued a statement saying: "We welcome Tesla’s proactive work on a reopening plan, so that once they fit the criteria to reopen, they can do so in a way that protects their employees and the community at large."
In response to Musk, county officials said they are negotiating with Tesla on a plan to reopen the plant more fully.
The Alameda County Public Health Department said: "We continue to move closer to an agreed upon safety plan for reopening beyond Minimum Basic Operations by working through steps that Tesla has agreed to adopt."
"These steps include improving employee health screening procedures and engaging front-line staff on their concerns and feedback regarding safety protocols," the health department explained.
Trump administration supports Tesla
It appears that the electric car manufacturer garnered the support of the Trump administration. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin called on California's government to work harder to reopen the local economy.
Mnuchin said: "He's one of the biggest employers and manufacturers in California, and California should prioritize doing whatever they need to do to solve those health issues so that he can open quickly or or they're going to find, as he's threatened, he's moving his production to a different state."
However, California Governor Gavin Newsom deferred the decision to county officials, pointing out that each county is reopening based on conditions on the ground. Newsom said: "Again, it's county-led enforcement."
On the other hand, the governor also said he had "great reverence" for Tesla and its founder and said he had spoken to Musk "a number of days ago," to which Musk responded in a tweet: "Thank you Governor Newsom!"
