Tesla CEO Elon Musk reopened the carmaker’s facility in Fremont on Monday against Alameda County public health orders amid the COVID-19 pandemic and said he is willing to risk arrest to do so.
Musk on Saturday had vented on Twitter about the county orders — part of a regional shelter-in-place order meant to limit the spread of the virus — saying Tesla would “move its HQ and future programs to Texas/Nevada immediately” and that a lawsuit was being filed against the county.
He said, “If we even retain Fremont manufacturing activity at all, it will be dependent on how Tesla is treated in the future,” noting Tesla is the last carmaker still operating in California.
Musk returned to Twitter on Monday afternoon and wrote, “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.”
In a response to another Twitter user, Musk wrote — and made the “Pinned Tweet” at the top of his profile — that “all other auto companies in US are approved to resume. Only Tesla has been singled out. This is super messed up!”
Alameda County issued a statement later Monday afternoon, saying they learned that the Tesla factory in Fremont had opened beyond allowed “Minimum Basic Operations,” defined in the order as “the minimum necessary activities to maintain and protect the value of the business’s inventory and facilities.”
The county said, “We have notified Tesla that they can only maintain Minimum Basic Operations until we have an approved plan that can be implemented in accordance with the local public health order,” which lasts through the end of May.
“We are addressing this matter using the same phased approach we use for other businesses which have violated the Order in the past, and we hope that Tesla will likewise comply without further enforcement measures,” the county said.
The statement continued, “Since April 30, we have continued to collaborate in good faith with Tesla to present a plan for reopening the Fremont plant that ensures the safety of their thousands of employees and the communities in which they live and work, and that also aligns with local and state requirements.”