Protestors rally in front of the Tesla dealership in Colma, Calif., on Wednesday, Feb. 19, to protest Elon Musk’s involvement in cuts to the federal workforce.

Demonstrators in cities and small towns across California are targeting Tesla dealerships in a growing wave of protests against the aggressive push from Tesla CEO Elon Musk and the White House to sharply downsize the federal government. 

On Wednesday night, hundreds of federal workers and activists gathered outside a Tesla showroom on Van Ness Avenue in San Francisco to rally against the billionaire’s expanding role in the Trump administration. Waving signs that read “Musk Must Go” and “Resist Fascism,” protesters decried the sweeping budget cuts and layoffs that have rippled through government agencies.

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President Donald Trump’s executive orders establishing the Department of Government Efficiency — nicknamed DOGE — with Musk at the helm have sparked pushback from federal employees, labor unions and Democratic lawmakers. DOGE has been tasked with slashing government spending, leading to promises to eliminate entire departments and shed more than 200,000 jobs. 

The moves have already cut thousands of roles. This month, the Department of the Interior and the U.S. Forest Service

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