Gov. Musk? Newsom tolerates Tesla’s coronavirus revolt but punishes small businesses
Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s decision to defy public health orders and reopen his car factory proves, once again, that rich people play by different rules than the rest of us.
Millions of Californians are making painful sacrifices to slow the spread of the coronavirus, but Musk has gone rogue – and nobody seems willing to stop him. Last week, the billionaire declared that he would reopen his luxury electric car factory without any pesky government permissions.
“Tesla is restarting production today against Alameda County rules,” Musk boasted on Twitter after resuming operations at Tesla’s Fremont facility.
Musk was not the first Californian to rebel against the COVID-19 shutdown. A gym owner in Sacramento, a waffle shop owner in Fresno and restaurant owners in Yuba and Sutter counties all sought to openly defy the rules before Musk.
The big difference: These non-billionaires were quickly put in check by government authority.
The Sacramento gym owner, Sean Covell, came to his senses after facing serious fines and criminal penalties. The Fresno Waffle Shop owner, Ammar Ibrahim, folded after getting hit with $6,000 in local fines. California state authorities have threatened to revoke the liquor licenses of restaurants in Yuba and Sutter if they reopen before it’s safe.
Leona Helmsley, the infamous tax-dodging New York billionaire, once said: “Only the little people pay taxes.” To which Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Tesla owner, might add: “Only the little people obey laws.”
Authorities cracked down on the small businesses, but nobody seems to be threatening Musk with consequences – and he literally asked to be arrested.
When asked about Musk’s defiance on Monday, Newsom conveniently claimed he hadn’t heard about it. Officials in Alameda County seem similarly cowed. On Monday, county health officials sent a polite letter hoping for compliance. On Tuesday, however, the Tesla factory continued to operate despite the fact that workers are worried about getting sick.
“We’re extremely frustrated, angry, scared, that Elon is putting his cars before his workers,” one worker told the Washington Post. “He’s putting those cars before his employees and their well-being.”
The employee described the workplace situation as “scary.” Too bad. Newsom’s feigned obliviousness, along with Alameda County’s tepid official statements, suggest that Musk may win.
Let’s hand it to Musk: He’s showing California who’s really in charge. Gov. Musk flexed and declared himself above the law. He also ramped up the pressure on scared employees by making it clear they will lose their unemployment benefits if they don’t return to work.
“Choosing not to report to work may eliminate or reduce your eligibility for unemployment depending on your state’s unemployment agency,” said Tesla in an email to employees, according to The Guardian newspaper.
And no California official is challenging him – except Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez, D-San Diego. Gonzalez made national headlines on Sunday by tweeting “F--- Elon Musk” after learning of his plans to defy the shutdown order.
Over the top? Perhaps. But at least someone has the guts to stand up when a rich bully endangers the lives of his employees for profit.
“We’ve done a good job in the state, but now we’re going to let a massive employer make his own rules?” said Gonzalez in an interview. “If something happens at this Tesla facility, how many people could that affect? The risk is so much higher, but we let it happen.”
Gonzalez said Musk’s flagrant violations fit a pattern in which wealthy Silicon Valley companies get away with things – like worker misclassification and wage theft – that no small business would dare to try.
“We need to treat people fairly and equally and not treat billionaires differently,” Gonzalez said.
Musk’s performative lawbreaking is more than an attack on public health. It’s a demonstration of the extreme power and privilege of white skin and wealth. In a state where poor people and people of color are regularly arrested, beaten or shot for lesser crimes, Musk’s immunity from enforcement further exposes the hypocrisy and inequality of our system.
Why should regular citizens or struggling mom-and-pop establishments willingly follow rules or go bankrupt when Elon Musk can do as he pleases? Why should anyone respect the authority of a governor or a police force that cracks down on small enterprises but ignores the crimes of billionaires?
As someone who strongly supports the coronavirus shutdown, I don’t have a good answer here. Gov. Newsom, whose apparent fear of Musk may weaken his authority in the eyes of others, would be wise to think of one. Quickly.