Protests at Vallejo Tesla dealership grow in second week

VALLEJO – Protesters lined the streets outside of the Vallejo Tesla dealership on Saturday morning in the second week of demonstrations over Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s role in the Trump Administration. 

Hundreds of protesters lined both sides of Admiral Callaghan Lane, stretching from the Tesla dealership to the Home Depot entrance.

The protesters, part of a wave of protests targeting Tesla nationwide, carried signs and flags and belted out chants against President Donald Trump’s widespread cuts to the federal government at the behest of Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency.

The DOGE cuts have led to the firing of large portions of the federal workforce affecting the Department of Education, Department of Veterans Affairs, the National Parks Service, the U.S. Forest Service, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric and Atmospheric Administration as well as other departments and agencies. 

Benicia resident Birte Beuck said she is encouraged by turnout.

“The movement is growing, just within one week participation has grown by more than 100,” Beuck said. She estimated that over 200 people attended the previous week with this week’s numbers surpassing 300.

The protests were organized by the Benicia-Vallejo chapter of the organization Indivisible, which was formed as a means to resist Trump’s policies in his first term.

Beuck said that the local chapter has seen a resurgence in interest with Trump’s second term.

“I don’t think it is everybody snapping back into action, I think it’s a whole new movement. There is really a new sense of urgency,” Beuck said.

The local organizers have another protest planned from 11 a.m. to noon at the same location next Saturday. One of the organizers, Mimosa Montag-Clark, said that the weekly schedule is intended to build momentum for larger actions taking place across the nation on April 5. That day of action includes events in Sacramento and San Francisco, she said.

Tina Phillips of Fairfield said that she joined the protest because her job as a medical social worker is potentially at risk if Trump’s cuts to social services continue. But she said that she is most concerned for the people that she serves at her job. 

“Most of the people that I work with are on Medicare and Medicaid,” Phillips said. If you take that away, where are they going to go for health care?”

As passing vehicles honked in support of the protestors, Vallejo resident Laura Pyles said that most drivers have been supportive but a few have clearly expressed their support for Trump.  

“That's alright, they have that right,” Pyles said. “I am a patriot. I believe in the Constitution, and I want to exercise my speech rights before they're gone.”

So far this year Tesla sales in the U.S. have declined compared to the early months of previous year and Tesla sales in Europe have dropped significantly. Experts cite a range of causes for the sales declines, including a lack of new models and increased competition. But disapproval for Musk’s political actions is often mentioned as a potential factor.

Vallejo resident Kathy Dill said that she is most concerned about unchecked power that Trump is wielding. “I think people here really understand that he has run the gamut on the check list of authoritarianism. If you look at what authoritarians have done throughout history, literally every box has been checked.”

Nancy Truax of Vallejo expressed a similar sentiment.  “I think this whole thing with Elon Musk is just crazy,” she said. “He's not elected, and I think what Trump is doing is he’s really pushing the boundaries to see how far he can go with judges and universities. He's kind of like the mob boss, just threatening people and forging tickets his way. It's just scary.”