A Democratic legislative assembly member in California just expressed her negative sentiments towards Tesla founder Elon Musk and his threat to leave the state over its standing restrictions to curb the spread of the coronavirus pandemic. Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez from San Diego posted a brief tweet over the weekend in response to Musk's original post, dropping the F-Bomb on the 48-year old entrepreneur.
Gonzalez's colorful words were in direct response to Musk's initial threat of him moving the Tesla headquarters out of California to other more conservative states such as Texas and Nevada. Tesla had filed a lawsuit against Alameda Country over the weekend over its continued shutdown rules, which prevented Tesla workers from coming back to work at its Fremont facility.
Musk had noted that the continued actions of the county's interim health officer are contrary to the orders given by the state's governor, the president, and is against Constitutional freedoms. He added that Tesla's recent dispute with the country, where Tesla's Fremont facility is located, could be the "final straw."
Gonzalez's reaction to Musk's threat is a sharp contrast to the statements made by other lawmakers and candidates, particularly from those from Texas and Nevada. The posts from the politicians were welcoming of Musk's decision as it would potentially bring thousands of jobs and businesses into their states.
US Representative Dan Crenshaw from Texas mentioned on Twitter that Musk is more than welcome to set up Tesla's headquarters in his state. He added that the state's "conservative principles" should be of particular interest to the businessman and that Texas is continually getting better every day. Dan Rodimer, a Republican congressional candidate in Nevada, mentioned on Twitter that the state needs Tesla's business and that it fully welcomes Musk and his new headquarters.
Musk and Tesla have yet to officially announce a pullout from California, but Musk did mention on Saturday that the continued operations of its facility in Fremont will be dependent on how it is going to be treated in the future. He pointed out to lawmakers that Tesla was one of the last carmakers left in the state. In the company's lawsuit against Alameda County, Tesla alleged that the continued restrictions against its operations were nothing more than a "power grab" attempt.
Alameda County health officer, Erica Pan, has yet to give the company approval to reopen its Fremont facilities. Tesla argued that the continued restrictions against it were unfounded given the previous order given by California Gov. Gavin Newsom, who mentioned last week that manufacturers would be allowed to resume operations.
