California State Agency Rejects SpaceX Proposal, Citing Elon Musk’s Political Views

The California Coastal Commission rejected a proposal from SpaceX this week to increase its launches from 36 to 50 per year, with some of its officials citing CEO Elon Musk’s political posts on X as one reason.

The Details: The Space Force and Air Force reportedly said they would make extra efforts to mitigate the effects launches would have on nearby wildlife, which pleased the Commission, but was not enough. Musk said he will file a lawsuit, accusing the Commission of violating his First Amendment rights.

For Context: The California Coastal Commission is a state agency established in 1972 and “regulates the use of land and water in the coastal zone,” according to its website.

Key Quotes: Commissioner Gretchen Newsom (no relation to California Gov. Gavin), said, “Elon Musk is hopping about the country, spewing and tweeting political falsehoods and attacking FEMA while claiming his desire to help the hurricane victims with free Starlink access to the internet.” Caryl Hart, the commission chair, said, “We’re dealing with a company, the head of which has aggressively injected himself into the presidential race.” Musk pushed back on X, calling the Commission’s decision “incredibly inappropriate.”

How The Media Covered It: The Los Angeles Times (Lean Left bias) included context that the commission “plainly stated their main concern is that it should be SpaceX representatives who should be before the commission… not military officials.” John Fund (Lean Right bias) of National Review (Right bias) described the board’s decision as the ultimate “illustration of California’s decline to banana-republic status.”