In Mill Valley, California, electric car owners who once flaunted their Teslas as badges of progressive pride now wrestle with growing resentment toward the man behind them — Elon Musk, The New York Times reported.
Tesla's reputation faces backlash in Mill Valley, a wealthy liberal town where electric vehicles were once seen as the ultimate symbol of environmental activism and social responsibility.
Now, Teslas are a source of quiet shame for some residents, who find anonymous index cards on their windshields urging, "Stop Elon" and "Dump your Tesla."
"A few years ago, buying a Tesla meant you belonged," said Nathan Ballard, a local political consultant and Tesla Model S owner. The vehicles have become lightning rods for the community's frustration with Musk's politics.
While some activists elsewhere have vandalized Tesla property, Mill Valley's protest is more personal — residents wrestling with whether they can morally keep driving a car linked to a figure they view with disdain.
In 2024, 81 percent of Marin County voters supported Kamala Harris over President Donald J. Trump, according to official tallies. Despite the liberal tilt, the town's well-off residents — where $2 million homes are the norm — have struggled to turn environmental convictions into action.
Vikki Goldman, a Tesla Model Y owner who hosted a fundraiser for Harris, found an anti-Musk index card on her windshield, despite already having posted a sticker with Musk's name crossed out. "We are the P.C. liberals, you know? What are we going to do?" she said.
Terry Ross, a retired lawyer, sold his Tesla after Musk was accused of making a controversial arm gesture during an event related to Trump's inauguration — a claim Musk denied as a smear. Ross said, "Bottom line, I had to get rid of that thing as soon as I could."
But not all are ready to give up their cars.
Carter Zinn, a Mill Valley attorney, admitted struggling with Musk's politics but said Tesla's innovation outweighed the controversy. "You can make a legitimate argument that he has done more to save the world than anyone else on the planet right now," he said.
John Turnacliff, chair of the Marin County Republican Central Committee, sees the protests as hypocritical. "They don't want to sell the cars, but they want to make some kind of statement," he said, smiling at the sight of anti-Musk bumper stickers around town.
The mysterious index cards were traced to Debbie Coller, a longtime liberal activist who said, "I've got to do something, and this is what I can do," citing her fears about Social Security and Medicare.
Financial reality complicates matters. Used Teslas in Marin now sell for well under $35,000, and Tesla's latest earnings report showed profits fell 71 percent, partly blaming "changing political sentiment."
Heather Barberie, who bought her Tesla in 2020, said she cannot afford to replace it. Instead, she unscrewed the Tesla logo from the front of her car. "If I had the finances, sure, we'd take it to the desert and blow it up," she joked.
In Mill Valley, political ideals and financial realities collide — one index card at a time.
Jim Thomas ✉
Jim Thomas is a writer based in Indiana. He holds a bachelor's degree in Political Science, a law degree from U.I.C. Law School, and has practiced law for more than 20 years.
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