Economics

Job with Tesla Helps Single Father Change His Life

Published

9 years ago

July 8, 2017

John Williams, a single father of 4 sons, was looking to move from Sacramento back to the Bay Area but he was worried about the rising costs to live in the area.

“I wanted to start my life over, but I wasn’t quite sure of what direction to go or what to do,” he said.

After visiting the West Oakland Neighborhood Career Center in March, Project Director Marilyn Norman encouraged Williams to attend a hiring event for jobs with Tesla.

After submitting his resume and continuing through the hiring process, Williams was offered a position in Tesla’s powertrain department, assembling battery packs for the electric cars.

“I had never built cars in my life, but I learn fast. I work well with other people, and I know how to ask questions,” Williams said, who previously had worked for the solar company Unisun.

“I believe in preparation – you have to be prepared so you don’t have to get ready (for that opportunity),” he added.

Williams was trained as a “hybrid employee” with Tesla, meaning he can work across several departments within the company.

Just last week, he was offered a permanent position to continue working with Tesla.

“Tesla looks for good people, (and) they don’t necessarily look for someone who can build a car from the ground up,” he said. “What they’re doing there is innovative. I love working for a company that really cares about the environment.”

Williams had an opportunity to meet Tesla co-founder and CEO Elon Musk, and what Musk said resonated with him. “It’s not just me, it’s all of you guys that make this dream possible,” Musk said to Williams.

Williams says the West Oakland Neighborhood Career Center and Marilyn basically helped him change his life.

“Marilyn said I would do well with (a job at Tesla). I have her to thank for that because I didn’t know what direction to go. She gave me a chance and wanted me to be successful,” he shared. “I love what I do.”

What he takes great pride in is showing his sons the electric cars that he’s helped to build.

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Oakland Post: Week of February 11 = 17, 2026

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of – February 11 – 17, 2026

Published

1 day ago

February 16, 2026

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California Launches Study on Mileage Tax to Potentially Replace Gas Tax as Republicans Push Back

Under current law, California depends heavily on revenue from the gas tax to fund roads, highways, and infrastructure, but those revenues are projected to shrink as electric vehicle use grows and overall gasoline consumption drops. The mileage study would look at a “road charge” system where drivers pay based on how many miles they drive, rather than how much gas they buy.

Published

1 week ago

February 10, 2026

Oakland Post

Assemblymember Lori Wilson (D-Suisun City is the author of AB 1421. File photo.

By Tanu Henry, California Black Media

California lawmakers are moving forward with a study to explore a mileage-based tax as a potential replacement for the state’s traditional gas tax — a shift supporters say is driven by declining fuel tax revenues as more drivers switch to fuel-efficient and electric vehicles.

The research, tied to Assembly Bill (AB) 1421, would extend and support work by the state’s Road Usage Charge Technical Advisory Committee through 2035.

The bill does not yet enact a new tax. Instead, it extends the study and advisory work until 2035 and would have the Legislature receive findings and recommendations, with a report due by Jan. 1, 2027.

Republicans in the California Legislature have been vocal in their opposition. Assembly Republican Leader Heath Flora criticized the proposal.

“We already pay the highest gas taxes in the nation. Now Sacramento is talking about adding a new tax for every mile people drive,” Flora said. “Piling on another tax right now shows just how out of touch politicians in Sacramento are with the reality working families face.”

The plan has drawn broader GOP criticism from leaders outside the Legislature as well. California Republican gubernatorial candidate Steve Hilton called a mileage fee “absolutely outrageous” and said, if elected, he would veto the tax, adding that tracking and charging drivers for every mile is unacceptable.

Supporters say the study is a pragmatic response to long-term funding challenges.

On the Assembly Floor on Jan. 29, Assemblymember Lori Wilson (D–Suisun City), the bill’s author, said that California’s transportation funding is “becoming less stable, less equitable, and less sustainable as more drivers switch to fuel-efficient and zero-emission vehicles.”

“Drivers using the same roads often pay different amounts for that use,” Wilson continued. “Low income and rural commuters who must drive farther and less efficient vehicles can pay more while others contribute less despite roadway impacts.”

Wilson and other supporters contend that a per-mile road charge could ensure that all drivers contribute fairly to the costs of maintaining roads, regardless of the type of vehicle they drive.