Demonstrators protest against Elon Musk outside SLO Tesla dealership
Protesters demonstrated outside Tesla dealership in San Luis Obispo on Saturday, demanding that Elon Musk stop attacking federal programs and working within the White House.
Around noon, about 50 people gathered in front of the Tesla dealership at 1381 Calle Joaquin, holding signs with messages like “Deport Mu$k Back to Mars” and “Stop Musk Save Our Democracy.”
The crowd eventually walked from Calle Joaquin to Los Oso Valley Road.
Arroyo Grande resident Susan Finsen, who helped organize the demonstration, told The Tribune in an interview that she came to “speak out because our democracy is being shredded by Elon Musk and Donald Trump.”
Musk, who Finsen called “an unelected, unvetted civilian,” has gotten access to sensitive information and has worked to shut down agencies “he has no right to shut down,” she said.
Rally-goers demanded that Musk “keep his hands off” information like Social Security numbers and tax returns, according to a news release from the organizers.
Organizers also called for Musk to “desist from illegal activities such as cutting off funding from USAID, Medicaid and Head Start,” according to the release.
The protest came after Musk has spun turmoil across numerous federal agencies, gaining access to a the U.S. Treasury computer system and has placing thousands of federal employees on leave.
Early Saturday morning, a federal judge temporarily blocked Musk and his team from accessing federal computer systems.
This came after 19 lawyers filed a lawsuit against President Trump, arguing that Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency had no legal grounds to access U.S. federal computer systems.
This story was originally published February 8, 2025 at 4:02 PM.
