Elon Musk says Fremont Tesla plant restarting production against Alameda County rules
SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- Tesla CEO Elon Musk announced on Twitter that his Fremont plant is restarting production Monday against Alameda County's rules.
"If anyone is arrested, I ask that it only be me," he tweeted.
Tesla released safety guidelines and a daily self-health checklist for employees, which includes employee temp checks. However, it sounds like some employees will have to make or bring their own PPE.
Governor Gavin Newsom responded Monday to Tesla CEO Elon Musk's earlier comments about possibly moving his car manufacturing plant out of Fremont to another state due to California's shelter-in-place restrictions.
Newsom was asked if his administration considers car manufacturing to be an essential part of the economy during this time and whether he thinks Tesla should be allowed to reopen with proper safety guidelines in place to resume manufacturing.
"In the state of California, we have made meaningful modifications on manufacturing and logistics, including, on the front end, car dealers that go back many, many weeks, modifications were made earlier on in that space. We recognize localism, both from a county, previous questions about if a county wants to go further, and other counties that don't want to even go as far as the state, which is the case in Alameda County. My understanding is they have had some very constructive conversations with the folks at that facility, the county health director. They're working to focus on the health and safety of the employees at that facility. My belief and hope and expectation is as early as next week, they will be able to resume," he said.
"Manufacturing broadly throughout the state of California is no longer restricted with modifications."
Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin is siding with Musk over the reopening of the company's Fremont plant. Mnuchin urged the state to prioritize the 'quick' and 'safe' opening of the manufacturing facility.
Appearing on CNBC by phone on Monday Secretary Mnuchin said "I agree with Elon Musk. 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 and safely."
Mnuchin is siding with Musk after the CEO threatened to move the company's Palo Alto headquarters and Fremont plant with 10,000 employees out of the state of California in a tweet over the weekend.
Musk said in a tweet Alameda County is "acting contrary to the Governor, the President, our Constitutional freedoms & just plain common sense!"
On Saturday, Musk filed a federal lawsuit seeking a court injunction on the health order governing Alameda County where the Fremont plant is located. If granted, the injunction would allow the plant to reopen after a closure stretching seven weeks.
On Friday, Bloomberg reported the CEO was preparing to open the Fremont plant in defiance of the county's order.
Alameda County released an updated statement on Monday:
Today, May 11, we learned that the Tesla factory in Fremont had opened beyond Minimum Basic Operations. 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. 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. 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. 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. We are actively communicating our feedback and understand Tesla will submit a site-specific plan later today as required under the State of California guidance and checklist for manufacturing issued on May 7. We look forward to reviewing Tesla's plan and coming to agreement on protocol and a timeline to reopen safely."
Fremont's mayor responded to Saturday's developments, encouraging the county to work with businesses to reopen the economy.
In a statement, Mayor Lily Mei said in part, "As the local shelter-in-place order continues without provisions for major manufacturing activity, such as Tesla, to resume, I am growing concerned about the potential implications for our regional economy. We know many essential businesses have proven they can successfully operate using strict safety and social distancing practices. I strongly believe these same practices could be possible for other manufacturing businesses, especially those that are so critical to our employment base."
The mayor also said the city is committed to a "balanced approach" to resuming operation.
"The City encourages the County to engage with our local businesses to come up with acceptable guidelines for re-opening our local economy. As we have done for over a decade, the City is prepared to support Tesla as soon as they are able to resume automobile manufacturing operations and are committed to a thoughtful, balanced approach to this effort that remains safe for our Fremont community," she said.
While the back-and-forth continues to play out Musk is already receiving offers for a new home for the plant from lawmakers in Texas, Nevada, and as far away as North Carolina.
