Tesla founder Elon Musk announced he will reopen his plant in Fremont, California, in violation of local coronavirus health orders.
“Tesla is restarting production today against Alameda County rules,” Musk tweeted Monday. “I will be on the line with everyone else. If anyone is arrested, I ask that it only be me.”
Tesla is restarting production today against Alameda County rules. I will be on the line with everyone else. If anyone is arrested, I ask that it only be me.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 11, 2020
The billionaire has clashed with California officials over lockdown measures in the state and has been eager to reopen his company’s headquarters. Last week, he threatened to move Tesla from California to either Texas or Nevada after the local health department said the company had not “been given the green light” to resume operations.
Gov. Gavin Newsom lifted restrictions on manufacturers earlier this month but said local officials can still enforce their own public health mandates. The governor reacted to news of Tesla’s reopening, saying he was surprised to hear about it.
“As it was just mentioned, I need the details of that. My understanding is when I walked up to the podium today, that wasn’t the case. I’m trying to monitor hundreds of thousands of businesses all throughout the state of California,” he said at a Monday press conference.
