Tesla, California county reach deal to reopen U.S. plant next week

Tesla, California county reach deal to reopen U.S. plant next week

Tesla and officials in California have resolved their acrimonious clash over safety procedures at the automaker’s sole U.S. assembly plant with a deal that allows production to resume as early as Monday, county officials said.

This report produced by Yahaira Jacquez.

Tesla's standoff with county officials in California over the reopening of its Fremont factory appears to have come to an end.

Officials in Alameda County, where the plant is located, gave Tesla the green light to resume production as early as next week.

Though, according to CEO Elon Musk, the factory re-opened on Monday, defying county orders.

Video on Tuesday showed employee parking lots at the Fremont factory packed with cars, along with workers standing in line for a food truck.

Still, Alameda officials announced via Twitter that following talks with Tesla it agreed that the electric carmaker can take steps toward a "possible reopening as soon as next week," on condition that agreed upon "health and safety measures are in place." The deal caps off a tense battle between county officials and Tesla's billionaire CEO.

The company sued Alameda County and Musk even threatened to move Tesla out of California after officials said his plant couldn't reopen because lockdown measures were still in place.

Then, on Monday, Musk said he was willing to be arrested as his factory restarted production.

Tesla did not immediately comment but around the same time the county issued its statement, Musk tweeted: "Life should be lived."