To be clear, CA was working with Tesla on the terms of the agreement. Then it was just a matter of, "If we go to the trouble to pass this legislation in its current form, you must agree to locate here." So it was something with the agreement that Tesla did not like, not the fact that they felt their hands were tied. They had all the bids in from the other states during these negotiations with the Governor's office and had the ability to make a final, informed decision without getting in too deep where they didn't want to.
As I said before, I'm looking forward to the press release to see just what Nevada was secretly able to come up with that was so enticing.
Even if Nevada's package was 10-20% less than California TM was bound to go somewhere other than California. EM indicated that he thought Cali was a long shot and my opinion is that speed far, far outweighs money. If Cali passes a bill allowing the 'side stepping' of some environmental regulations then TM has a PR nightmare And there is no way that building is not stopped several times by lawsuits/court injunctions. PACS for big oil, auto dealers and environmental groups would have had a legal field day.