26 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY APRIL 24-30, 2025 www.montereycountynow.com proud to say she’s never shopped at businesses like Hobby Lobby and Chick-Fil-A, both owned by companies with leaders who espouse right-wing values, and only once bought something from Walmart when she couldn’t find what she was looking for anywhere else. “If I know a company’s stance on pushing their religious views on employees, I will avoid them. If I know they underpay or don’t offer benefits to full-time employees but they make millions, I will avoid them,” Williams says. “Likewise, if they promote equality and fair wages and offer employees flexibility and healthcare I will shop there more often,” she says. In recent weeks, as Trump’s backand-forth announcements on tariffs have been a blow to the economy, she says she’s nervous for what’s ahead, which makes saving money all the more important. Williams, a massage therapist, knows that if people have less disposable income, that will mean fewer clients and less income for her and her family. “We’re definitely not spending the amount of money that we would have without thinking about it,” she says. “I don’t mind spending on services that impact people more than corporations, and trying to find small businesses, rather than the bigger, more convenient big box [stores],” she adds. “It makes me feel better, supporting my community.” Like Adler, Cheryl “Rebelle” Robinson says Costco is one chain store she and her family can support. Beyond that, they are buckling down, saving as much money as they can by spending less, including eating out. “It’s not like I can’t afford to spend the money, but based on principle alone, I won’t do it,” she says. Robinson, a native Californian and third-generation descendant of an immigrant family, says she’s always lived by the motto of being prepared in case of an earthquake or other calamity. Living near Elkhorn Slough, her family has the ability to raise their own chickens for eggs. She shops at farmers markets for vegetables. She has a lot of flour in her pantry so for now, she can make her own bread. Cutting back on spending at big corporations, are important ways all people can make their views known, especially those who can’t make it out to a protest, she believes. “It’s a creative way to give everybody a chance to feel like they’re doing their part,” Robinson says. E rim Foster is standing in front of the Tesla dealership in Seaside on March 29, taking stock of the long lines of protesters on either side of the street, as they wave signs and shout: “Hey, hey, ho, ho, Elon Musk has got to go!” Numerous car and truck drivers honk their horns in support, as passing drivers and passengers gave a thumbs up. This was the fifth Tesla protest Foster organized—he has been leading the protests weekly since March 1. The first protest brought around 25 participants. The event on March 29 was the largest group yet, in part thanks to it being part of a global day of protest organized by a group called Tesla Takedown. Over 250 protests took place across the globe, with untold thousands of people participating. In Seaside, more than 200 people were gathered a little after 1pm, the midpoint of the day’s event. Tesla salespeople peered from out the dealership windows, watching the twohour spectacle. Foster says there hadn’t been any issues between the workers and protesters up to that point. (Tesla officials did not respond to a request for comment.) Another 20 counterprotesters had placed themselves right in front of the dealership. They carried a large “Trump 2024” flag, U.S. flags and signs. One read, “We love Elon.” A couple of the counterprotesters attempted to rile anti-Trump/Musk protesters with shouts in favor of Trump’s policies and the actions of Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE. For the most part the Tesla Takedown participants ignored them, especially with a crowd that outnumbered the Trump/Musk supporters 10-to-1. “Bad Dogey,” read one protester’s sign. Other signs said “Musk & DOGE must go!” and “Stop the Coup!” One man made a cut-out of a Tesla Cybertruck, covered it in aluminum foil, and decorated it with a red downward line, representing Tesla’s stock value, which declined by 45 percent between the beginning of the year and the end of March. The man’s creative poster got to the heart of what Tesla Takedown is all about. “It’s not about Tesla. It’s about Elon Musk and trying to hit the share price,” Foster says of the protests. He’s attended protests in the past, but this is the first time he has organized one. Foster says he’ll be returning every Saturday from noon to 2pm, week after week, for as long as it takes to diminish Musk’s wealth and power. “This is go time for democracy,” he told the Weekly in early March. “Considering the fecklessness of the Democratic Party, it’s up to us. The grown-ups aren’t coming to save us.” As of April 21, Tesla stock was down over 40 percent since the start of the year. Tesla’s sales fell by 13 percent in the first three months of the year, 15 percent in California. Other carmakers saw increases in the sales of electric vehicles in the same period. Statistician Nate Silver, writing in his newsletter Silver Bullet, reported on April 11 that Musk’s favorability rating in a new poll had fallen even further than in earlier polls. The new numbers showed 53 percent of Americans had an unfavorable opinion of Musk, with 40 percent having a favorable opinion. In October 2024 his numbers, unfavorable versus favorable, were nearly even, at just over 40 percent each. They took a sharp turn immediately after the presidential inauguration. A little over a week before the new poll numbers, Politico reported that Trump told his inner circle that Musk would be leaving DOGE “soon.” (By law, he has to leave by the end of May or early June as a “special government employee.”) “What really provoked me to look at my spending was seeing the CEOs all bending the knee.” Rosalyn Green is a founder of Monterey County Black Caucus, which is promoting the Target Fast, a 40-day boycott of the company after it announced it was eliminating its DEI programs and ending investments in Black-owned businesses. It extends to other companies. “Target is just the start,” Green says. Over 200 people showed up to a Tesla Takedown event in front of the Seaside Tesla dealership on Saturday, March 29, part of a global day of protest of the company. Local organizer Erim Foster has been leading the protests weekly since March 1. DANIEL DREIFUSS PAM MARINO
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