In Mill Valley, California, mysterious index cards appeared in the windscreen of Tesla Model XS and Model 3s.
“Stop Elon”, urge the Teal script. “Toss your tesla.”
A few years ago, buying a Tesla in Mill Valley meant that you had money, but it was not overly flamboyant. This meant that you were a progressive environmental environment.
It meant you belong.
Ten miles north of the Golden Gate Bridge, which enters the lush hills of Marin County, Mill Valley is an idyllic place to live – for those rich and liberal.
And for years, Teslas has been “Ferrari for the crowd wearing Patagonia,” said Nathan Ballard, a political adviser living in Mill Valley and holds a black Tesla Model S.
But elegant electric cars have come to mean something else to Mill Valley residents from the presidential election.
The activists elsewhere set fire to the Tesla charging stations, swastika on Tesla vehicles and sprayed graffiti in delegations. The battle running in the Mill Valley is quieter: an inner war in the minds and hearts of Tesla owners, their environmental ethos that clashes with their rage towards Elon Musk, the Managing Director of Tesla.
California drivers hold much more electric vehicles per capita than residents in any other state. And Marin has more Teslas than anywhere other than Silicon Valley, according to data from the State Energy Committee.
But Marin county is much more liberal than Silicon Valley. In last year’s presidential election, 81 % of Marin voters supported Kamala Harris, compared to just 17 % for Donald J. Trump.
In Mill Valley, a rather non -printing house can cost $ 2 million and life is good for those who can afford it. The Mediterranean climate maintains the weather reliably pleasing. Simple delights include surfing at Stinson Beach, Mountain Biking under Mount Tamalpais or food a happy Arugula hippie salad under the Redwoods in the café and the Depot bookstore.
Despite his wealth, Mill Valley maintains a dip in his roots. Bob Weir, the former guitarist for the Grateful Dead, still holds a concert place called Sweetwater Music Hall, which features blues sessions and an upcoming Bob Marley tribute.
But the country’s conflict has disturbed the atmosphere even in Mill Valley’s bliss. The city is full of Tesla owners and haters Tesla – and is often one person.
“We are the liberals of the computer, do you know?” said Vikki Goldman, who annoys her Tesla but does not want to pay to break her lease. “What are we going to do?”
Residents are not afraid to express strong views. Some who despise Mr Musk regularly protest the overway highway between Mill Valley and the nearest Tesla delegation. The elderly for Peace have added Tesla to the list of complaints during the Friday’s protests outside a assisted living center.
And recently, these index cards have emerged, including one for Ms. Goldman Tesla Model Y.’s charcoal. He found it amazing, believing that she had already put a sticker with the word “Elon” that crossed her car in red. It was an indication of how she felt and, thought, a way to get herself vaccinated by contempt. In addition, she said, she helps her find her Tesla in a sea of ​​other charcoal teslas in parking.
Last fall, Ms. Goldman hosted a local event to raise money for Ms. Harris on her doorstep. The musicians played in an audience of the faithful Democrats, along with several ducks.
Ms. Goldman is the author of “What to do when you date a Jew”, which includes everything, from the Matzo Ball recipes to the concepts of Yidi’s terms. He considers Mr Musk “a Nazi”, he said, for his support for the far -right German party and for his rigid hand, he greeting one of Mr Trump’s inaugural parties. (Mr. Musk challenged his hand gesture was a Nazi greeting, calling the category “dirty tricks”)
“We could have just as easily a Hyundai,” Ms. Goldman said. “I feel like a sting.”
Others share the feeling.
Terry Ross, a retired lawyer, has lived in the Mill valley for 54 years and said he loves he has maintained his character. He bought red model 3 in 2022 for about $ 64,000, but said he put his car for sale after seeing Mr Musk give this greeting. Six days later, a used car company removed it.
Received $ 28,000.
“Bottom line,” Mr. Ross said, “I had to get rid of this thing as soon as possible.”
Tesla, the White House and Mr Musk did not respond to comments.
Carter Zinn, a Mill Valley -based lawyer, hires Tesla two years ago and recently thought of leading him to the delegation and setting him on because he found Mr Musk’s policy so disgusting. But after thinking more about it, he decided that Mr Musk had done more good than HARM. Mr Zinn said he admired Tesla’s innovation with electric vehicles and storing battery for solar energy.
In addition, he said, cars are just fast and fun to drive.
“You can make a legal argument that he has done more to save the world than anyone else on the planet right now,” Mr Zinn said, adding: “It’s a huge product and it’s a great value.”
John Turnacliff, a resident of the Mill Valley headed by the Central Committee of the Republic of Marin County, finds it fun. Especially the fact that anti-musk bumper stickers have become the latest local trend.
“I smile when I see them,” said Mr Turnacliff, who drives a Mercedes with a Trump bumper. “They don’t want to sell cars, but they want to make a statement.”
The index cards recently caused a public turmoil when a Tesla owner expressed frustration in the social media to take one of the notes. He said he had photos of the postcard alert postcard taken from Tesla’s camera, but did not publish them.
Ms. Goldman was also stuck by the card in her windshield. Her husband, however, solved the mystery.
He was seeing a woman carrying a thick handful of notebooks: their neighbor and their good friend, Debbie Coller.
Mrs Coller, 75, quickly confessed to Mill Valley’s Marauder Index. She has lost the number of how many she has deposited, but is in the third of Sharpie.
“Teal, purple and now blue,” he noted.
Mrs Coller, a Democrat, who was once a member of the Greens, said she admired Vermond’s Bernie Sanders Senator. He complained about the Vietnam War at College and has participated in various demonstrations against Mr Trump.
She retired from the natural food business and lives with her husband, a guitarist in five local t -shirts. She said she was inspired by Sheryl Crow, the renowned singer who sold her Tesla and gave the NPR revenue.
“I have to do something and that’s what I can do,” Ms. Coller explained.
She is worried, he said, that Mr Musk’s federal cuts would endanger the controls of social security and the Medicare coverage based on her and her husband. Mr Musk said he focused on finding fraud on rights programs and called on social security “the largest Ponzi plan of all time”, although Mr Trump denied that he would reduce the benefits.
In a recent afternoon, Ms. Coller took a stack of her cards in a nearby mall. There, he found plenty of Teslas to target, sometimes parked side by side. He moved secretly, as if he was worried to catch.
Ms Coller, who drives a prius, said she believes that Tesla owners have to sell their cars and give chapters to charities, abandon them in Tesla dealerships or at least put anti-bumper stickers on their bumpers.
But many Tesla owners in Mill Valley are opposed to get a financial blow. Local used car sites show a flood of Teslas for sale in Marin County well under $ 35,000. The automotive industry this week said its profit decreased by 71 % in the first three months of the year and the company referred to the possible impact of the “changing political sense” at the request.
Heather Barberie, who bought a white Tesla Model X in 2020, said she is currently unemployed as an actress and has no luxury to sell.
“If I had the finances we could just get our Tesla in the desert and blast it and have a little fire around it, certainly,” he said. “But we need our car and we are not able to replace it now.”
Instead, it came with a temporary solution.
It unscrewing the “T” logo from the front, hoping that the vehicle made the vehicle a little less obvious. Now she maintains the metal symbol in her drawer.
Sheelagh McNeill He contributed research.
