{"id":2596565,"date":"2026-04-29T09:30:59","date_gmt":"2026-04-29T13:30:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/californias-political-commissars-surrender-to-elon-musks-lawyers\/"},"modified":"2026-04-29T09:37:52","modified_gmt":"2026-04-29T13:37:52","slug":"californias-political-commissars-surrender-to-elon-musks-lawyers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/californias-political-commissars-surrender-to-elon-musks-lawyers\/","title":{"rendered":"California&#8217;s Political Commissars Surrender to Elon Musk&#8217;s Lawyers"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">16<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fcalifornias-political-commissars-surrender-to-elon-musks-lawyers%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2596565&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The text discusses a legal dispute between SpaceX and the California Coastal Commission (CCC) over SpaceX\u2019s request to increase rocket-<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/state-department-offers-10-million-bounty-for-iran-regime-leaders\/\" title=\"... Department offers  million bounty for Iran regime leaders\">launch frequency<\/a> from Vandenberg Space Force Base.It explains that the CCC is charged with enforcing California\u2019s Coastal Act-protecting the environment, limiting overdevelopment, and preserving public access-but has faced criticism about exceeding its authority and the tension between state and local control.<\/p>\n<p>In 2024, during the CCC\u2019s review of the increased launches, the article claims the commissioners shifted from environmental considerations to political ones, reportedly criticizing Elon musk\u2019s political views and associations rather than focusing strictly on coastal impacts. After the CCC voted to deny approval (October 10, 2024), SpaceX sued (october 15). A federal settlement was later filed,in which the CCC agreed to reaffirm its <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >limited coastal-protection role<\/a> and to not consider \u201cirrelevant factors\u201d such as SpaceX\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/the-purge-has-begun-where-it-stops-nobody-knows\/\" title=\"The Purge Has Begun. Where It Stops, Nobody Knows.\">political beliefs<\/a>,political speech,or labor practices in decisions. The settlement also includes an apology for improper politically biased statements and notes that SpaceX no longer needs state coastal permits for parts of its launch programme within federal enclave areas.<\/p>\n<p>The piece frames the settlement as a victory that confines the CCC to its stated regulatory mission and reduces the commission\u2019s ability to rely on political considerations.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>Is <em>anything<\/em> outside of politics, anymore, or does every human activity fall into the sinkhole of partisan speech policing? After a year and a half of legal combat, we just got an important answer in California. Good news: The commissariat is sorry.<\/p>\n<p>Sending a growing number of satellites into orbit by way of a growing number of rocket launches, the Elon Musk-run Space X asked in 2024 to increase its launch frequency at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.spaceforce.com\/bases\/vandenberg-sfb\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Vandenberg Space Force Base<\/a>, a launchpad-heavy military post on a magnificent piece of coastline in northwestern Santa Barbara County. Space X and the Space Force required approval from a series of government agencies, including the California Coastal Commission (CCC). <\/p>\n<p>The CCC was established by a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.coastal.ca.gov\/legal\/proposition-20.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">ballot measure<\/a> in 1972, and it enforces the state\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.coastal.ca.gov\/laws\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Coastal Act of 1976<\/a>. In theory, that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.coastal.ca.gov\/whoweare.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">means<\/a> that the commission protects the coastal environment from pollution and overdevelopment, ensures public access to the ocean and beaches, and a series of other preservationist mandates. But there have been <em>many<\/em> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.coastal.ca.gov\/whoweare.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">controversies<\/a> over the limits of the commission\u2019s power, and especially over the <a href=\"https:\/\/pacificlegal.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/Shear-v.-CCC_Opinion-of-the-Court_4.23.26.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">balance between state and local control<\/a> of development. The CCC keeps outgrowing its statutory authority, a story you\u2019ve maybe heard before about government agencies.<\/p>\n<p>In 2024, the Department of the Air Force (which includes the Space Force) asked the CCC for permission to increase launch frequency at Vandenberg. You can watch the whole <em>very long<\/em> commission discussion <a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/Fhilgs3JXWY?si=lo8hnOgjg1c2zSkZ&#038;t=10478\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">here<\/a>. It started with purely environmental questions about topics like <a href=\"https:\/\/www.vandenberg.spaceforce.mil\/News\/Article-Display\/Article\/4343736\/vandenberg-conducts-pinniped-survey\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">pinniped reproduction<\/a> and the habitat of the snowy plover.<\/p>\n<p>Then things got weird.<\/p>\n<figure>\n<p><span><\/p>\n<blockquote data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<div lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">\n<p>California Coastal Commission literally confessed to illegal regulatory lawfare against <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/SpaceX?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@SpaceX<\/a> and Elon Musk.<\/p>\n<p>Not only is what they&#8217;re saying completely ridiculous but it has absolutely nothing to do with their mandate of conserving the state&#8217;s coastline \u2013 They will be sued. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/17PLfcivEz\">pic.twitter.com\/17PLfcivEz<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>\u2014 ALEX (@ajtourville) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ajtourville\/status\/1846257441065111573?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">October 15, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><\/span> <\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<p>Elon Musk <em>stood next to Donald Trump<\/em>. He was \u201ctweeting political falsehoods.\u201d He was normalizing MAGA. He \u201cmade it clear what his point of view is.\u201d He holds \u201cbigoted beliefs against California\u2019s safeguards and protections of our transgendered community.\u201d The California Coastal Commission, discussing a regulatory matter involving the California coast, turned away from the topic and made it <em>quite<\/em> clear that their decision would center on political speech, voting to refuse approval of more launches by a mean MAGA space CEO. <\/p>\n<p>Even the New York Times <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2024\/10\/12\/us\/spacex-launch-california.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">managed to notice<\/a>, burying this paragraph near the end of a story that pretended to focus on environmental concerns: \u201cCommissioner Gretchen Newsom, who is not related to Gov. Gavin Newsom, criticized Mr. Musk\u2019s recent comments on the federal government\u2019s hurricane response and painted him as a profiteer hungry for government support while maintaining a poor record of labor and safety violations at his <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/doj-investigating-spacexs-hiring-practices-after-non-u-s-citizen-alleges-discrimination\/\" title=\"DOJ Investigating ...X\u2019s Hiring Practices After Non-U.S. Citizen Alleges Discrimination\">space company<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>How can we let you launch more rockets if you\u2019re openly acting like some <em>Republican<\/em>?<\/p>\n<p>By the way, if you\u2019re wondering what qualified the former Commissioner Gretchen Newsom to control space launches on the California coastline as a state environmental regulator, her professional background is that she\u2019s a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/gretchenkinneynewsom\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">labor organizer<\/a> who does government affairs for the IBEW.<\/p>\n<p>The CCC made its decision on October 10, 2024. Space X sued on October 15.<\/p>\n<p>On Tuesday, a settlement agreement between SpaceX and the CCC was filed in federal court. You can read it <a href=\"https:\/\/fingfx.thomsonreuters.com\/gfx\/legaldocs\/dwvkyyrqovm\/SpaceX%20settlement%20unsealed.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">here<\/a>. In that agreement, the commission remarkably \u201caffirms that its function is to protect and enhance California\u2019s coastal zone,\u201d agreeing that it should stick to its actual job. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe Commission agrees that it may not consider irrelevant factors in performing its function and specifically agrees that it will not take into account the perceived political beliefs, political speech, or labor practices of SpaceX or its officers inconsidering any regulatory action concerning SpaceX,\u201d the agreement adds. \u201cThe Commission acknowledges that Commissioners made statements, including during their October 10, 2024, hearing on the Base\u2019s Falcon 9 launch program, that showed political bias against SpaceX and its Chief Executive Officer and were improper. The Commission apologizes for those statements, as set forth in the signed letter attached as Exhibit C.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The commission also agreed, as a term of the settlement, that state coastal permits are no longer required for \u201cany aspect of SpaceX\u2019s launch program \u2026 within Federal Enclave Areas.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Vandenberg can now launch more SpaceX rockets without asking the state. Attacking Musk for his politics, the commission permanently reduced the scope of its own power. <\/p>\n<figure>\n<p><span><\/p>\n<blockquote data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<div lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">\n<p>The California Coastal Commission has issued a formal apology to <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/elonmusk?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@elonmusk<\/a> and SpaceX, adding that it will not consider political views or speech in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/live-10-am-et-house-financial-services-committees-hearing-on-examining-the-secs-agenda\/\" title=\"LIVE NOW: House Financial Services Committee Hearing on &#039;SEC&#039;s Agenda&#039; at 10 AM ET.\">future regulatory decisions<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>\u2022\u00a0The Commission admits some officials made politically biased and improper statements about SpaceX\u2026 <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/lQgsjFMGLt\">pic.twitter.com\/lQgsjFMGLt<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>\u2014 Sawyer Merritt (@SawyerMerritt) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/SawyerMerritt\/status\/2049259466973933764?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">April 28, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><\/span> <\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<p>It\u2019s only one victory, but California\u2019s clown act political commissars have been forced to admit that they aren\u2019t actually the thought police. <\/p>\n<hr>\n<p>      Chris Bray is a senior correspondent at The Federalist and a former infantry sergeant in the U.S. Army. He has a history PhD from the University of California Los Angeles, not that it did him any good. He also posts on Substack, at &#8220;Tell Me How This Ends,&#8221; <a href=\"https:\/\/chrisbray.substack.com\/\">here<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Is everything now politics, with all activity policed for partisan speech? After 18 months of legal fighting in California, the answer is clear: the commission apologizes<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2086,"featured_media":2596567,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/gretchen-scaled.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[546],"tags":[78798,37666,32192,36548,78797],"class_list":["post-2596565","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-federalist","tag-authoritarian-commissars","tag-california-politics","tag-elon-musk","tag-legal-defense","tag-political-litigation"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/gretchen-scaled.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2596565","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2086"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2596565"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2596565\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2596569,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2596565\/revisions\/2596569"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2596567"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2596565"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2596565"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2596565"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}