SpaceX accuses California board of bias against Musk in decisions over rocket launches

Elon Musk’s SpaceX is suing a California commission and accusing members of political bias after the commission rejected the company's request to allow for more rocket launches from a California air base.

The lawsuit was filed Tuesday in U.S. District Court in the Central District of California against the California Coastal Commission, which is tasked with planning and regulating the usage of land and water on the California coast.

Vandenberg Space Force Base in Santa Barbara, California, has been host to SpaceX Falcon 9 launches since 2013 and the company requested to increase launches to up to 50 a year from the current 36 allowed by the state.

In a recent meeting, the commission voted 6 to 4 to deny the request from SpaceX to increase the amount of launches. During the vote, commissioners quoted environmental concerns as part of their refusal to approve the request from SpaceX.

Following the meeting, Musk’s company filed a lawsuit that asked the court to prohibit the commission from regulating the company's rocket launches, according to court documents.

SpaceX says it has been ‘punished’ for free speech

One of the arguments leveled by SpaceX’s attorneys claims that the decision from the commission is in retaliation for some comments from Musk - the company's leader and largest stakeholder.

“But the Commission’s unconstitutional overreach does not stop at punishing SpaceX for constitutionally protected speech, beliefs, and practices that has no relevance to the proposed launches’ effects on coastal resources—the actual issue pending before the Commission,” the lawsuit said.

SpaceX's lawyers also accused Commissioner Caryl Hart of bias, with the lawsuit quoting comments the commissioner made in a recent meeting.

“The concern is with SpaceX increasing its launches, not with the other companies increasing their launches . . . we’re dealing with a company . . . the head of which has aggressively injected himself into the Presidential race and made it clear what his point of view is,” the lawsuit said.

The lawsuit also quoted other members of the commission, namely Commissioner Gretchen Newsom, Commissioner Mike Wilson and Commissioner Dr. Justin Cummings calling their claims "irrelevant, biased concerns about Mr. Musk's politics."

SpaceX’s lawyers argued that these comments were politically biased against the company and the decision to deny their request for increased launches.

Musk has been increasingly involved with the right

In recent months, Musk has become a vocal supporter of conservative candidates and causes, voicing his support for former President Donald Trump’s campaign and even donating at least $75 million to the America PAC, which Musk helped found.

He also made an appearance at a recent Trump rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, the site of one of the assassination attempts against Trump. 

"The true test of someone's character is how they behave under fire. We had one president who could not climb a flight of stairs and another who is fist pumping after getting shot," Musk said during his speech, chanting, "Fight, fight, fight."

Fernando Cervantes Jr. is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach him at fernando.cervantes@gannett.com and follow him on X @fern_cerv_.