August 30, 2009 -- Fifth District Councilwoman Gerrie Schipske today challenged Long Beach residents to make sure the City of Downey does not beat out Long Beach in the race to get TESLA Motors to locate its plant and bring 1,000 jobs. "I just learned that the Mayor of Downey is asking residents to send letters to TESLA in support of the electric vehicle company choosing their city over the City of Long Beach, " says Schipske who has been a vocal proponent of Long Beach doing more to encourage the electric vehicle manufacturer to the city. "We can do better than Downey and we need to let TESLA Motors know why they should come here."
Schipske prepared the following letter which she encourages residents to mail to Elon Musk, President of TESLA Motors, Main Corporate Mailing Address: 1050 Bing Street, San Carlos, CA 94070 or to email it to her by cutting and pasting it into an email (at district5@longbeach.gov) and she will forward it to him personally:
Dear Mr. Musk:
The residents of the City of Long Beach are excited at the possibility that your company will re-locate to Long Beach, bringing 1,000 or more jobs dedicated to the assembly of the Tesla S2, a four-door, all-electric family car that is projected to cost about $50,000 after a $7,500 federal tax credit. We understand that production would start in about two years, and when the plant is up to speed about 20,000 cars would be produced annually.
Long Beach has many advantages over other cities: our proximity to major freeways; the excellent workforce training available through Long Beach Community College; advanced technology education at California State University at Long Beach; and our enterprise zone that provides tax credits for hiring workers that can save thousands of dollars on your business' California income taxes.
The specific location in Long Beach you are considering (the Boeing 717 hangars) is directly across the street from Douglas Park, which when completed will include hotels, restaurants, retail and office complexes that would be available as your presence in Long Beach grows.
Additionally, Long Beach is committed to sustainability and lessening our dependence upon fossil fuel as demonstrated in the City's establishing an Office of Sustainability, the Green Port Plan and the annual 5th Council District's Solar and Sustainability Conference and Tour.
TESLA's presence in Long Beach would be a "win-win" for both your company and our city.
We look forward to rolling out the red- or better yet, the green-carpet when you make your decision to come to Long Beach!
Sincerely,
(please insert your name and address)
" The City of Long Beach needs every new job it can create, reminds Schipske. "Our City faces cuts in Police, Fire, Library and Parks and Recreation services. We cannot afford to lose this opportunity to bring an exciting job creator to Long Beach."
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