Elon Musk gets an apology from California regulators as SpaceX lawsuit is settled

California regulators apologized to the SpaceX CEO, Elon Musk , this week as they settled a lawsuit that claimed a state agency showed political bias against the rocket company and its chief executive. As part of the settlement, the California coastal commission acknowledged its members made “improper” statements about Musk’s political beliefs at a 2024 hearing on SpaceX’s Falcon 9 launch program. “The 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 in considering any regulatory action concerning SpaceX,” the commission said in federal court documents filed on Tuesday. SpaceX had sued the commission over its opposition to expanding the launch schedule for Falcon 9 rockets from the Vandenberg space force base on the southern California coast near Santa Barbara. The company’s lawsuit accused the coastal commission of engaging in political discrimination by refusing to sign off on a US air force proposal to boost the number of launches at the busy base owned by the federal government. The lawsuit alleged the commissioners voted against SpaceX because of their dislike of Musk’s outspoken political views, violating his constitutional rights to free speech and due process. …