An initiative effort begun Friday by a well-known Missouri Democrat would, if passed by voters next year, force Tesla to close its St. Louis and Kansas City showrooms.
Brad Ketcher, a St. Louis attorney who was chief of staff to Democratic Gov. Mel Carnahan in the 1990s, said he hopes the effort spreads to other states to fight back against Tesla CEO Elon Musk for his lead role in mass federal layoffs and budget cuts for President Donald Trump.
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Ketcher said he wants the effort to be joined by groups from other states with the initiative petition process and Democratically-controlled legislatures.
“Even in red states, somebody can hold up an amendment, and say, here’s the amendment to drive Tesla, drive Musk, out of our state,” he said.
The language of the initiative, Ketcher said, is taken, with only technical changes, from the provisions Kehoe supplied for the 2014 bill. Tesla attorneys acknowledged during the litigation that it would effectively shut down their showrooms, Ketcher noted.
“They’ve given us plans for the Death Star,” Ketcher said. “And when when somebody gives you the plans for Death Star, you know what to do.”