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Tesla becomes a target for political action
It has long been a status symbol, a sign that you had some combination of money, smarts, coolness or environmental awareness to drive the car of the future.
But, recently, owning a Tesla has become awkward, embarrassing or controversial for many as animus against the carmaker’s CEO, Elon Musk, reaches a boiling point. Musk’s position as the maybe, maybe-not leader of the Trump administration’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency and his role in the firings of thousands of federal workers, along with funding cuts to agencies and international aid, have stoked outrage in California and across the nation.
Now thousands are acting on that outrage by picketing Tesla dealerships, with some selling their cars and stocks. At the same time, Tesla vehicles, chargers and showrooms have been vandalized and set on fire, which Trump and his Justice Department have called domestic terrorism.
Here’s where the Tesla tumult stands.
Tesla’s stock value is losing its charge as anti-Musk sentiment pollutes the brand.
President-elect Trump listens to Elon Musk as he arrives to watch SpaceX’s mega rocket Starship lift off for a test flight in Texas on Nov. 19.
(Brandon Bell / Associated Press)
The company’s stock price has dropped about 50% since December, which translates to Tesla losing roughly $800 billion in value in the last few months. That appears to be driven in part by waning confidence in Musk by investors who’ve expressed concern that his time with DOGE is affecting his ability to run Tesla. One major investor has called on the company’s board to remove him as CEO.
But Tesla was slumping even before Musk’s high-profile White House gig started.
Teslas are all over California roads, but their market share in the Golden State shrank last year. Roughly 45% of all zero-emission vehicles sold in California in 2024 were Tesla models, according to state data, down from about 51% in 2023.
Shocking no one, car-clogged Los Angeles County has the largest concentration of Teslas, where drivers bought more than 53,300 of the brand’s models in 2024 — just over a quarter of Teslas sold nationwide. But sales slipped 7% from 2023, despite the ramp-up in sales of the company’s first new vehicle since 2020 (the very recognizable, very mocked Cybertruck).
Protesters, including Tesla owners, are responding.
At the same time Wall Street and some of Tesla’s big investors are selling their stock, a wave of protests is happening at Tesla dealerships across the nation.
Organizers of the “Tesla Takedown” movement say their goal is to tank Tesla’s stock price to stop Musk and his “illegal coup.” They’re encouraging people to sell their Tesla vehicles and stock and have facilitated dozens of protests across the U.S. and in several other countries in recent weeks. The group is ramping up for a global day of action on March 29.
A Tesla owner hears from a protester at a March 15 San Francisco rally.
(Josh Edelson / Associated Press)
Author and activist Edward Niedermeyer has long been a critic of Musk, chronicling the rise of Tesla and the billionaire’s takeover of it in his 2019 book, “Ludicrous: The Unvarnished Story of Tesla Motors.”
He’s been organizing for the Tesla Takedown movement and said Musk is more vulnerable than people realize. He argues collective, peaceful actions are the best way to show the faults in his business empire and get him out of his unelected government position.
“We’re only really having as much impact as we’re having because Tesla’s business is already in trouble,” Niedermeyer told me. “Elon Musk has already been running this company into the ground for some time.”
Some Tesla owners are feeling the stigma in driving the vehicles, leading some to sell, including singer Sheryl Crow.
Others are keeping their cars but doing some rebranding or maybe attempting camouflage by swapping the Tesla logos for those of Honda, Audi, Mazda and more. Others have slapped on bumper stickers that read: “I bought this before we knew Elon was crazy.”
Acts of vandalism and arson are ratcheting up the rhetoric.
A member of the Seattle Fire Department inspects a burned Tesla Cybertruck on March 10.
(Lindsey Wasson / Associated Press)
Some Tesla showrooms and charging stations have been hit with criminal actions, including people vandalizing and setting vehicles and chargers on fire.
That sparked a response from Trump and his attorney general, Pam Bondi, who vowed to prosecute vandals as terrorists.
“I look forward to watching the sick terrorist thugs get 20-year jail sentences for what they are doing to Elon Musk and Tesla,” Trump posted on his Truth Social platform.
Trump went so far as to market Musk’s electric vehicles and buy one publicly at the White House, encouraging his supporters to do the same. That’s notable given Trump’s past criticisms of Musk and electric vehicles. The president campaigned on promises to kill federal and state requirements and incentives aimed at boosting the transition to EVs. Last month, his administration paused about $3 billion in funding for electric vehicle charging stations.
Organizers of the Tesla Takedown movement say they oppose acts of violence and vandalism and are committed to nonviolent protest. Niedermeyer is concerned that rhetoric from Trump and his supporters could provoke a violent reaction to the demonstrations.
“They’re telling their people that we’re violent so that they will be violent with us when we are doing everything we can to prove that we only want to do peaceful protests,” he said.
Protesters rally outside a Tesla dealership in San Francisco on March 15.
(Josh Edelson / Associated Press)
How is Musk responding?
He’s used his social media platform, X, to claim Tesla is the victim of “coordinated violence” and accuse some protesters — without evidence — of “committing crimes,” being funded by Democratic groups or profiting off short-selling Tesla stock.
Musk has also implored Tesla employees to hold on to their stock, telling them at a recent meeting that “the future is incredibly bright and exciting.”
Musk “has long promised to deliver fully autonomous driving technology and a fleet of driverless robotaxis, but Tesla’s current technology known as Full Self-Driving cannot function without an alert human behind the wheel,” Times business reporter Caroline Petrow-Cohen explained last week. “The company has taken early steps toward launching a robotaxi service in California, though experts say the technology is far from ready.”
Adding to the company’s woes, nearly all Cybertrucks were recalled by federal safety regulators last week because of an exterior steel panel that can detach while driving.
Musk is familiar at this point with recalls and other regulatory consequences, as his companies have faced numerous violations, lawsuits, fines and settlements in and out of California, including for air pollution at Tesla’s Fremont plant, workplace safety, labor practices and mishandling hazardous waste.
What else is going on
A man hikes along a trail in the Kenneth Hahn State Recreation Area in Los Angeles.
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)
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This morning’s must reads
Giants pitcher Trevor McDonald throws against the St. Louis Cardinals during the eighth inning of a Sept. 29 game in San Francisco.
(Tony Avelar / Associated Press)
It’s estimated that 1,519 major leaguers’ careers lasted just one game. “There’s a story behind every one of these brief big-league appearances,” Times sportswriter Kevin Baxter writes. Here’s his story about some of those one-game wonders.
How can we make this newsletter more useful? Send comments to essentialcalifornia@latimes.com.
For your downtime
Plants are for perusal at Pasadena Roots.
(Silvia Razgova / For The Times)
Going out
Staying in
And finally … your photo of the day
Show us your favorite place in California! Send us photos you have taken of spots in California that are special — natural or human-made — and tell us why they’re important to you.
(Christina House / Los Angeles Times)
Today’s great photo is from Times staff photographer Christina House. Chris Bartolommeo of San Diego watches the Rolex Los Angeles Sail Grand Prix during Race Day 1 at the Port of Los Angeles on March 17.
Have a great day, from the Essential California team
Ryan Fonseca, reporter
Amy Hubbard, deputy editor, Fast Break
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