Bottom line, we have local officials making decrees and proclamations with no legislative basis -- often the legislature is not even in session as one proclamation is made after another -- and they are curtailing things like right to assemble, right to hold religious services, and interstate commerce.
This needs court challenges all across the country, and unfortunately only the wealthy can afford a big legal fight. Most of them can easily hide in luxurious compounds and aren't impacted nearly as much as those dependent on a regular income, so Elon Musk was doing a public service by openly challenging these decrees and daring someone to arrest him for a crime that doesn't actually exist in any state legal code.
I'm not sure that it did. It seems like their plan all along was for the factory to open next week:
> Monday. Newsom also said the developing agreement between the county and Tesla had been for the plant to reopen next week. It was not clear why Musk was unsatisfied with the prospect of even a short delay in the plant’s reopening.
> County officials also were envisioning allowing the plant to reopen soon before Musk made his abrupt move.
> Earlier Tuesday, Alameda County Supervisor Scott Haggerty, whose district includes Tesla’s Fremont plant, said he was “confident” that health officials and Tesla would have reached a plan to have the plant reopen with a May 18 target date, according to Shawn Wilson, his chief of staff.
So they want other people to risk their lives to make more billions for them.
Honestly, if a company wants to disobey a government edict that's for the good of the people when there's no law to back it up, so be it; I hope the people and estates of those who are injured or killed can use the judiciary to sufficient ends to become somewhat close to whole again.
What can't happen is letting a company bully a local government because they don't want to make less money. This is just another example of our democracy crumbling into an oligarchy. Musk is not above the law because he has money and employs people.
But that said, if you disagree about staying closed (royal you, not You you), and people die because you reopened, I hope you get cleaned out.
