Tesla CEO Elon Musk is escalating his fight with officials in California as he seeks to restart production at the electric automaker's Fremont factory.
Driving the news: Musk tweeted Saturday that he's filing a lawsuit against Alameda County "immediately" — an apparent response to county officials' reported refusal to allow the factory reopen.
He wrote in another tweet that the county action was the "final straw," and the company will "now move its HQ and future programs to Texas/Nevada immediately."
- "If we even retain Fremont manufacturing activity at all, it will be dependent on how Tesla is treated in the future," he wrote.
The big picture: The outspoken Musk has been a vocal critic of pandemic-related lockdowns, and in his tweets he accused county officials of "acting contrary to the Governor, the President, our Constitutional freedoms & just plain common sense!"
- Per a statement from Alameda County: "The team at Tesla has been responsive to our guidance and recommendations, and we look forward to coming to an agreement on an appropriate safety plan very soon."
- A Tesla spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
- Nevada is the location of Tesla's battery factory. Tesla does not currently have operations in Texas, but Musk has previously said he's eyeing other places to build the planned Cybertruck and expand production of the Model Y crossover.
For the record: Most U.S. auto factories and supplier plants are only gradually reopening with limited production schedules....
- BMW, Hyundai and Kia resumed production at their U.S. plants last week.