Elon Musk gets an apology from California regulators as SpaceX lawsuit is settled | Elon Musk
California regulators apologized to SpaceX CEO Elon Musk this week as they settled a lawsuit alleging a government agency showed political bias against the rocket company and its chief executive.
As part of the settlement, California’s coastal commission acknowledged that its members made “inappropriate” statements about Musk’s political beliefs during a 2024 hearing on SpaceX’s Falcon 9 launch program.
“The Commission acknowledges that it may not consider irrelevant factors in the exercise of its function and specifically recognizes that it will not consider the perceived political beliefs, political speech, or labor practices of SpaceX or its employees when considering any regulatory action with respect to SpaceX,” the commission said in federal court documents filed Tuesday.
SpaceX had sued the commission over its opposition to expanding its program to launch Falcon 9 rockets from the Vandenberg Space Force Base on the southern California coast near Santa Barbara.
In the company’s lawsuit, the coastal commission was accused of engaging in political discrimination by refusing to sign off on a U.S. air force proposal to increase the number of launches at the busy base owned by the federal government.
The lawsuit alleged commissioners voted against SpaceX because they disliked Musk’s outspoken political views and violated his constitutional rights to free speech and due process.
Under the agreement, the case will be permanently dismissed, while both parties agree that the settlement does not constitute an admission of “any liability or illegal conduct.”
The commission also determined that SpaceX will not require a coastal development permit for its launch program in the state.
SpaceX representatives did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the deal.
The coastal commission acknowledged in a statement Wednesday that it had apologized for “irrelevant” comments made by its members. The commission said it remains serious concerns about the impacts on coastal resources from increased rocket launches at Vandenberg.
“These impacts include restrictions on access to public beaches, damage to sensitive species and coastal habitat, as well as the frequency and intensity of sonic booms,” the statement said. “Federal law requires the federal government to provide information to and coordinate with the Coastal Commission on such matters. The federal government has not yet provided adequate information to the Coastal Commission about these activities and their impacts on California’s coast.
The deal comes as Musk took the stand this week amid a separate court battle with OpenAI co-founder Sam Altman that could reshape the future development of artificial intelligence.
