Assemblyman Bill Essayli defends Musk’s protected free speech; demands communications between commissioners
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The California Coastal Commission is living up to its dodgy reputation, and is now getting sued by the world’s richest entrepreneur for it.
Last week, the CCC voted to deny more launches from Vandenberg Space Force Base in Santa Barbara County because of Space X founder Elon Musk’s comments on X and his recent political activities.
The California Coastal Commission (CCC) is an unelected commission of political appointees that lords over locally elected city councils in cities and counties on the California coast.
The Globe reported:
“Elon Musk is hopping about the country, spewing and tweeting political falsehoods and attacking FEMA while claiming his desire to help the hurricane victims with free Starlink access to the internet,” expressed Commissioner Gretchen Newsom, who is not related to Governor Gavin Newsom. “It appears that rather than prioritizing the welfare of SpaceX employees and the environment, the focus has been on profit maximization.”
Commission chairwoman Caryl Hart added, “You could argue that it’s bringing in politics, but this is a political matter to some extent because it involves the US government, it involves the Coastal Commission. We are dealing with a company, the head of which has aggressively injected himself into the presidential race.”
This not only ruffled Musk – Assemblyman Bill Essayli (R-Riverside) sent a letter and California Public Records Act request to the coastal commissioners demanding all communications about Elon Musk and SpaceX.
In his letter and CPRA, Essayli said:
Representatives from the U.S. Department of the Air Force and U.S. Space Force testified that SpaceX’s operations at Vandenberg are integral to advancing our national security interests, including SpaceX launches for commercial purposes, and therefore constitute federal agency activity.
The comments made by commissioners during the October 10 hearing revealed a clear and concerning politicization of a critical national security interest and retaliation for the engagement in protected free speech under the First Amendment. It is inappropriate for the Commission to consider the private activities of any executive, including Elon Musk, especially those unrelated to the management or oversight of SpaceX. The political bias of the individual Commission members should never influence the determination of any decision, especially at the expense of California’s and our nation’s best interest.
Essayli didn’t mince words:
The politically motivated decision to reject SpaceX’s submission threatens not only the national security interests of the United States, but also severely undermines public trust in the Commission and its members who voted against concurrence.
Neither did Musk in his lawsuit mince words.
“In the lawsuit, filed in the US District Court for the Central District of California, Musk’s SpaceX accuses the commission of ‘unconstitutional overreach’ after members criticized his political leanings during a meeting about whether to approve more frequent SpaceX launches off the California coastline,” Business Insider reported.
“The lawsuit says the commission unfairly asserted regulatory powers because it disagreed with Musk’s politics.”
The miserable Sacramento Bee characterized Assemblyman Essayli’s letter and CPRA request as “Essayli rides to Elon Musk’s defense,” when his letter makes quite clear that the coastal commissioners are interfering in national security interests over their own petty political biases.
The politically motivated decision to reject SpaceX’s submission………………………..
This is a DUH comment. The California Coastal Commission (CCC) is a petty dictatorship packed with anti business, anti freedom representatives. Musk is right.
It started with GOO and the Radicalization of the Democrat Party moving to almost dictator actions ala Communists.
Just remember you voted for the Deficit, nasty high taxes, and minimum wages that are driving workers and people out of the State.
Still voting D? Why?
Decades ago, these goons during a flyover along the coast identified a new “building” which had not been permitted. The “building” was actually two or so corrugated metal sheets covering some hay.
No surprise. That’s why I wouldn’t buy any property in certain areas if these bozos had any jurisdiction. Anyway, question if the Coastal Commission has any power on Federal land. Certain CA state laws don’t apply on military bases, such as the prohibition on selling flavored tobacco products.
As well he should sue these chumps. Believe he will win on First Amendment grounds, if not national security. If nothing else, he could launch from Texas or Florida.
Typical California democrat politician wannabes. They can’t make a common sense business decision without interjecting their idiotic leftist, climate change garbage and their serious case of TDS.
They like and want the business but the business owner supports Trump.
They can’t separate common sense from their extreme shared hate of Trump.
FIRE THEM ALL and dogs all a big favor.