Newsom sides with Elon Musk’s SpaceX lawsuit in surprising break with California agency
SUMMARY
California Governor Gavin Newsom made an unexpected move by siding with Elon Musk in the tech billionaire’s lawsuit against the California Coastal Commission. The commission had blocked Musk's plan to increase rocket launches from Vandenberg Space Force Base, sparking a lawsuit from Musk, who claimed “naked political discrimination” was behind the decision. “I’m with Elon. I didn’t like that,” Newsom said in an interview, criticizing the commission for showing political bias. Although Newsom and Musk have clashed in the past—leading to SpaceX and X headquarters leaving California—Newsom called for the commission to “exercise more impartiality” and “call balls and strikes.” The California Coastal Commission voted 6-4 to reject the SpaceX proposal, citing Musk’s political actions as a factor, with one commissioner claiming Musk was spreading “political falsehoods.” Despite their political differences, Newsom expressed concern over the fairness of the decision.
