Elon Musk and Tesla scored a win late Tuesday when Alameda County officials finally, begrudgingly, allowed the company to reopen its California assembly plant as long as it ascribes to certain specific safety standards.
The decision, of course, comes a bit too late for Alameda County officials; Tesla opened its Fremont, California, plant on Tuesday and is looking to ramp up production of both its electric vehicles and electric batteries despite state-level coronavirus lockdowns.
California is allowing some industrial activities to resume, but counties, like Alameda, are given leeway in restricting local businesses further if they feel it would prevent or slow the spread of the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19. Alameda, of course, took advantage of that power, shutting down the county and sidelining Musk’s Fremont assembly plant.
This week, Musk announced he would reopen regardless of Alameda County restrictions and challenged county officials to shut down his operation, noting that he would be on the line with Tesla workers when the plant reopened and was willing to be arrested for putting his employees back to work.
Musk also threatened to relocate his entire operation from California to either Nevada or Texas — a threat that caught the attention of no less than California governor Gavin Newsom (and of a handful of Texas and Nevada officials who announced that they’d welcome Musk to their states with open arms). – READ MORE
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