Kashkari blasts Governor Brown on losing Tesla factory bid

Gov. Jerry Brown’s long-shot Republican challenger blasted him for failing to do enough to land a Tesla battery plant Thursday during the only scheduled debate of this year’s governor’s race.

It was a testy, hour long exchange that also featured clashes over teacher tenure and the costs of combating climate change.

The debate came the same day that Tesla and Nevada’s governor announced that the California-born electric carmaker would build its factory near Reno. California was one of five states trying to lure the plant and its 6,500 manufacturing jobs.

GOP candidate Neel Kashkari cited it as an example of the Brown administration’s failure to improve California’s business climate, which is routinely cited as among the worst in the nation: “Governor Brown hasn’t done the work,” Kashkari said.