Anamika Dey, editor
Brief news
- Elon Musk and SpaceX have filed a lawsuit against the California Coastal Commission, claiming political bias against Musk hindered their rocket launch expansion plans.
- Governor Gavin Newsom expressed support for Musk, criticizing the commission’s focus on Musk’s political views during discussions about SpaceX’s operations.
- Musk, a prominent Trump supporter, has relocated his companies to Texas, citing California’s political climate as a significant factor in his decision.
Detailed news
Elon Musk and SpaceX filed a lawsuit against a state commission this week, alleging that the commission’s political prejudice against Musk prevented the company from launching additional rockets. California Governor Gavin Newsom has stated that he is supporting Musk and SpaceX.
Politico reports that Newsom declared, “I am in agreement with Elon.” “I didn’t like that.”
Newsom made the statement while campaigning for his fellow Democrat, Kamala Harris, in Pennsylvania.
On Tuesday, SpaceX’s lawsuit alleged that the California Coastal Commission “engaged in naked political discrimination” during a recent debate regarding the possibility of increasing the number of rocket launches from 36 to 50 at Vandenberg Space Force Base. TheWrap obtained the lawsuit, which alleged that the commissioners exceeded their authority by taking Musk’s political beliefs into account, thereby violating his First Amendment right to free speech.
Commissioner Caryl Hart stated in the lawsuit that the issue is with SpaceX’s expansion of its launches, rather than with the other companies’ expansion of their launches. “We’re dealing with a company … the head of which has aggressively injected himself into the president race and made it clear what his point of view is.”
It was noted in SpaceX’s lawsuit that other members of the committee concurred with Hart’s sentiment. According to the lawsuit, Musk “hops around the U.S. [spewing and tweeting] political falsehoods,” as stated by commissioner Gretchen Newsom.
According to Governor Newsom on Thursday, he was opposed to the mention of Musk’s political views when discussing rocket launches.
“Look, I am not advancing the legal case,” Newsom stated. “You can’t bring up that explicit level of politics.”
According to Politico, Newsom, who appointed several members of the commission, “generally concurred” with SpaceX’s lawsuit.
“These are acquaintances of mine who made that statement,” Newsom stated. “These are commendable commissioners.” Yet, it is incumbent upon you to determine strikes and balls. Right now, I am not particularly enthusiastic about Elon Musk. So that is me calling balls and strikes.
Musk, on the other hand, has explicitly stated that he is not following the Newsom movement. The Tesla CEO, during an appearance on Tucker Carlson’s program last week, reiterated his disapproval of Governor Gavin Newsom’s progressive stance, referring to him as the “goddamn Joker.”
Earlier this year, Musk announced that he was relocating the headquarters of X and SpaceX from California to Texas. According to Musk, the “final straw” was the signing of a bill by Governor Newsom that prohibited instructors from informing parents of their children’s transgender identities.
In recent months, Musk has been perhaps Donald Trump’s most ardent supporter. The former president was publicly endorsed by him following the July assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania. Musk has since advocated for Trump on X, the app he owns, held a live conversation with him on X Spaces in August, and accompanied the candidate on stage when he returned to Butler earlier this month.
Further, Musk has also allocated a substantial sum of money to assist Trump in regaining the presidency. Musk disclosed $75 million in contributions to America PAC, his political action committee that supported Donald Trump, on Tuesday. Musk’s “dark MAGA” cap is depicted on the America PAC website, which also lists a number of its top priorities, such as secure borders, safe cities, and free speech.
The commission was accused of interfering with national security operations in SpaceX’s lawsuit, in addition to violating Musk’s free speech rights.
“Rarely has a government agency made so clear that it was exceeding its authorized mandate to punish a company for the political views and statements of its largest shareholder and CEO,” the legal complaint stated.
Source : The Wrap
