New York
CNN
—
Elon Musk’s SpaceX has accused a California regulator of political discrimination after it voted to bar the rocket company from conducting more launches on the state’s central coast.
In a lawsuit filed Tuesday, SpaceX said members of the California Coastal Commission violated Musk’s free speech rights and exceeded the agency’s authority. The commission oversees the development and environmental protection of the state’s coastline.
It is not clear whether the commission was in a position to block the program and increase the number of Falcon 9 rockets. The missiles were previously recommended by the US Air Force. But Musk’s controversial presence at X is one of the most concrete examples of the potential impact on his other companies, after contributing to the decline in value of his social media platform.
The U.S. Space Force, which has partnered with SpaceX to carry some NASA astronauts, proposed in September that SpaceX could increase the number of annual rocket launches from 36 to 50 at Vandenberg Space Force Base, a military base on the coast near Santa Barbara, California. SpaceX also conducts commercial launches from the base to deliver its Starlink satellites into orbit.
But the California Coastal Commission opposed the plan. On October 10 MeetingMembers voted 6 to 4 against increasing the missiles.
At the meeting, commissioners “raised other concerns completely unrelated to coastal effects,” SpaceX alleges in a complaint filed in California Central District Court. The members reportedly referred to SpaceX’s employment practices — which have been the subject of lawsuits by the U.S. Department of Justice and Ex-employees – as well as Musk’s use of Starling in global geopolitical conflicts.
“Commissioner (Mike) Wilson wanted to ‘acknowledge’ that the Starlink project would result in Mr. Musk having control over ‘one of the most extensive communications networks on the planet,’ and ‘last week’ Mr. Musk spoke of ‘political revenge on the national stage,'” The complaint says.
SpaceX accused the commission of showing what it described as “obvious, and shocking, political bias.” It cited statements from commissioners during the meeting, including one from Commissioner Gretchen Newsom, who said Musk was “bouncing about the country, spewing and tweeting political lies and attacking FEMA, wanting to help hurricane victims with free Starlink access to the Internet.” (Newsom is no relation to California Gov. Gavin Newsom. .)
Musk, who backed former President Donald Trump for re-election, has repeatedly published rumors and false claims disparaging the federal government’s response to Hurricane Helen, posted online misinformation about the storm, and portrayed President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris as incompetent. .
Musk has previously promoted racist conspiracy theories about immigrants and Jewish people. In the now-deleted post following the first assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump, he questioned whether “anyone is trying to kill even Biden/Kamala.”
The suit alleges that the base launches are federally regulated activities and are not subject to approval by state regulators such as the Coastal Commission, and asks the judge for a ruling upholding that claim. SpaceX is also seeking monetary damages.
Joshua Smith, public information officer for the California Coastal Commission, declined to comment on the case to CNN.
