Elon Musk's SpaceX is suing the California commission in federal court, accusing it of political bias in its decision to block an increase in the number of rockets launched from a U.S. air base in the state. The commission cited Musk's willingness to spread misinformation on his social network Twitter/X at a meeting where commissioners rejected the company's proposal.
SpaceX sued the California Coastal Commission in Los Angeles on Tuesday, seeking an injunction to stop it from regulating the company's workhorse Falcon 9 rocket launch program at Vandenberg Space Force Base in Santa Barbara.
The lawsuit said the commission, which oversees land and water use within the state's more than 1,000 miles of coastline, based on its disapproval of Musk's political views and unfairly asserted regulatory powers over the company's initiatives based on environmental considerations.
Musk's lawsuit claimed his public statements were improper, violating free speech rights protected by the U.S. Constitution. The commission charged that the intrusion into national security and other federal interests was “unconstitutional” and said the launches at the site had “no significant effects on coastal resources.”
“Rarely has a government agency made it clear that it is violating its statutory mandate to punish a company for the political views and statements of its largest shareholder and CEO,” the suit says.
Coastal Commissioner Gretchen Newsom told the Oct. 10 meeting: “Elon Musk is jumping around the country, spewing political lies and tweeting. Attacks FEMA as it expresses its desire to help hurricane victims with free Starlink Internet access. The commissioners also argued that commercial space launches are not a federal activity, so the company must submit to the Commission's Coastal Development Permit. They voted 6-4 to reject a request for 50 launches from the space force base.
The commission declined to comment on Wednesday. SpaceX and its attorneys did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Musk, whose politics have taken a sharp right turn to Donald Trump and become a mega-donor to the Republican presidential candidate's campaign, has said he would accept a role in Trump's administration if he wins. He hopes to eliminate many government departments.
California, the home state of Trump's Democratic rival, Kamala Harris, has become solidly Democratic in recent decades, with the party holding statewide offices and throwing its weight behind Democratic candidates in national elections.
After the newsletter promotion
SpaceX, which contracts with the US government to deploy satellites and other payloads, has launched Falcon 9 rockets since mid. California is the first airport since 2013. The company launched 28 Falcon 9 rockets last year. The Air Force has proposed increasing the number of SpaceX annual launches from 36 to 50. The Air Force said the project met California Coastal Agency requirements, including sonic boom mitigation measures and biological monitoring.
