Governor asks Elon Musk to move company to Colorado after California dispute

Colorado Gov. Jared Polis (D) pitched billionaire Elon Musk on moving Tesla’s headquarters to his state following a disagreement between Musk and California officials over local lockdown measures that had shuttered production for the electric vehicle maker.

“We want you here @elonmusk in Colorado, we are the best of all worlds. We’re very pro-business, low taxes, also pro-immigration, pro-LGBT, globally-minded,” Polis tweeted Wednesday.

Musk responded positively, calling the state “great” and telling Polis “I think your policies make a lot of sense” while making no promise on moving any of his company’s operations to the Centennial State anytime soon.

Hi Jared, Colorado is great! I think your policies make a lot of sense.

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 13, 2020

The governor’s pitch comes days after Musk blasted Alameda County’s extended stay-at-home order, with the Tesla founder threatening to move his company out of the Golden State after local officials kept factories in Fremont, Calif., shuttered.

President Trump weighed in on the dispute Tuesday, calling for California to let Tesla reopen its plant immediately, saying, “It can be done Fast & Safely!”

California should let Tesla & @elonmusk open the plant, NOW. It can be done Fast & Safely!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 12, 2020

Tesla’s Fremont plant violated local county orders by opening up over the weekend, with company attorneys filing a lawsuit on May 9 and pursuing an injunction against the county’s measures.

However, Alameda County released a statement Tuesday, saying the electric car manufacturer may resume factory work under minimum business operations and Fremont Police Department verification that workers are following safety measures outlined by the county.

Alameda County added that businesses, including Tesla, could resume additional activities next Monday if data indicates that coronavirus cases are slowing down in the county.

Since the outbreak, the county has reported a total of 2,133 cases and 74 deaths. Alameda has reported an increase of 32 cases in the last 24 hours, according to Johns Hopkins University data.