Written by Michael Palomba
Back in May, Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez tweeted some extreme profanity directed at Tesla CEO Elon Musk.
F*ck Elon Musk.
— Lorena Gonzalez Fletcher (@LorenaSGonzalez) May 10, 2020
Her vulgarity was in response to Musk tweeting that Tesla would be moving its headquarters and future programs to Texas or Nevada as a result of Alameda County’s crippling shutdown orders.
Frankly, this is the final straw. Tesla will now move its HQ and future programs to Texas/Nevada immediately. If we even retain Fremont manufacturing activity at all, it will be dependen on how Tesla is treated in the future. Tesla is the last carmaker left in CA.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 9, 2020
Well, it looks like Musk has made good on that promise, and Gonzalez’s completely unprofessional response may have had something to do with that. It was revealed on Friday that Tesla’s Cybertruck factory is going to be constructed in Texas because the state offers more freedom than places like California.
“He wanted to get into a state where he had more freedom where he could expand the way he wanted to expand,” said Texas Gov. Greg Abbott. “He has a remarkable vision that goes far beyond just this one announcement.”
Tesla picks Texas for its Cybertruck factory.
Thanks to .@elonmusk & .@Tesla for embracing our great state.
The Gigafactory will employee thousands of Texans & be a cornerstone for next generation innovation.
It’s been fun to get to know you.
Welcome to Texas. pic.twitter.com/PsnfaEUHaz— Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) July 22, 2020
This is a great move for Tesla. Texas offers a host of advantages over California including lower taxes, lower property costs, fewer regulations, and so on. That’s a big part of the reason that Californians have been fleeing to Texas more and more over the past few years. That exodus certainly includes businesses, with Tesla being the latest to hop on that bandwagon.
Tesla claims that it is still committed to California and will continue its operations here, but this important step shows California Democrats that if they continue to implement crippling regulations, businesses will not hesitate to move elsewhere.
