California GOP lawmaker defends Elon Musk, accuses Coastal Commission of playing politics
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ASSEMBLYMAN BILL ESSAYLI RIDES TO ELON MUSK’S DEFENSE
California Assemblyman Bill Essayli, R-Corona, is riding to conservative billionaire Elon Musk’s defense, after the California Coastal Commission last week rejected a SpaceX proposal to increase the number of rocket launches from the Central Coast’s Vandenberg Space Force Base in part based on Musk’s social media posting history.
Musk has threatened to sue the commission for violating his First Amendment protections.
SpaceX’s request was to increase the number of launches per year from 36 to 50. That proposal was rejected by a 6-4 vote Thursday, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Essayli sent a letter to the commission, requesting all written communications mentioning Musk or SpaceX between October 2023 and the present.
“The comments made by commissioners during the Oct. 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,” he said.
“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 wrote in the letter.
Essayli was referring to remarks made by Commissioner Gretchen Newsom, an alternate member appointed by the Senate Rules Committee, and Committee Chair Caryl Hart, an appointee of the Assembly speaker.
Before voting, Newsom — no relation to the governor — cited reports of a toxic workplace culture at SpaceX, as well as hundreds of workplace injuries and safety violations, as part of why she opposed approving more launches.
“This pattern of negligence should not be overlooked, and it reflects poorly on the stewardship of the company and its leadership,” Newsom said.
From there, Newsom pointed out that Musk has enjoyed billions in state subsidies, “while threatening to relocate his operations, including his headquarters, from California to Texas, citing his bigoted beliefs against California’s safeguards and protections of our transgender community.”
She said this behavior raises concerns about the motivations behind Musk’s request for governmental support.
“Right now, 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. But this claim in itself to the public benefit is a falsehood, because one must first purchase the Starlink startup kit for several hundred dollars and then face a monthly fee of $120 after 30 days of free internet. A sick ploy to gain customers that are facing tremendous burden and dire straits,” Newsom said.
“They’re hurricane victims,” she added.
In her own remarks, Hart said that while Newsom’s remarks could be construed as political, “’this is a political matter to some extent because it involves the U.S. government and it involves the Coastal Commission.”
“Here 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, and he’s managed a company in a way that was just described by Commissioner Newsom that I find to be very disturbing,” she said.
Hart was referring to Musk’s outspoken support for Republican Donald Trump’s presidential campaign, which has included making campaign appearances and also donating millions in campaign contributions.
“This dangerous and illegal decision threatens our national security and erodes the public trust we place in our officials to act in the best interest of the people — not politics,” Essayli said in a statement accompanying the letter.
You can read the full letter here.
CALIFORNIA ONE OF THE MOST POLITICALLY ENGAGED STATES
Via David Lightman...
California may not be getting much attention from presidential candidates this fall, but it still ranks as one of the nation’s most politically engaged states.
A new survey released Wednesday by WalletHub, which analyzes financial data, ranks California eighth in political engagement.
The ranking is determined by several elements, including voter turnout in recent elections, political contributions, civic education and volunteering.
Maryland, Virginia and New Jersey — also states that are getting little campaigning by Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Kamala Harris — were one, two and three on the list of most engaged states.
Only one of the nation’s seven most unpredictable states, Arizona, was in the top 10, at number nine.
Among other swing states, Wisconsin was 17th, Pennsylvania 20th, Michigan 26th, Nevada 27th, Georgia 33rd and North Carolina 40th.
The lower rankings of some of those states suggest “plenty of people who could have an impact on the upcoming election are either choosing not to have their voices heard or are meeting some sort of obstacles.” said WalletHub analyst Chris Lupo.
California got a visit Saturday from Trump, but the state has not been a major battleground. Polls have consistently shown Harris with a wide lead, and no Republican presidential candidate has won California since George H. W. Bush in 1988.
GOP LAWMAKERS PEN LETTER TO CARB CHAIR
Two GOP lawmakers have penned a letter to the California Air Resources Board (CARB) Chair Liane Randolph to postpone a vote on changes to the state’s Low-Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) program until the board discloses the costs and benefits of those changes to the public.
The letter, from Sen. Rosilicie Ochoa Bogh, R-Yucaipa, and Assemblyman Greg Wallis, R-Bermuda Dunes, and signed by 25 GOP lawmakers, said that “California motorists are already paying $1.50 more per gallon for gasoline than the national average price of the other 47 continental states.”
The letter cited a recent column from LA Times columnist George Skelton, which expressed concern that “an unelected bunch of regulators can arbitrarily adopt new rules without weighing the costs to consumers? Doesn’t seem right. Seems a bit irresponsible and arrogant.”
“We concur with Skelton’s assessment that CARB is being irresponsible at the expense of everyday Californians struggling with the affordability of basic needs. If CARB wants the public, through their elected representatives, to be supportive of new initiatives to protect the environment, CARB should be forthcoming with all information — so the public can consider the costs and benefits,” the letter reads.
You can read the full letter here.
Reached for comment, CARB spokeswoman Lys Mendez said in an email statement, “The Low Carbon Fuel Standard is an effective climate and air quality program that has successfully reduced the use of fossil diesel in the state by 70% by incentivizing the development of cleaner fuels that give consumers increased options.”
She added that “there is no historical relationship between LCFS credit prices and what consumers pay at the pump.”
“The program is being updated to bring it in line with California’s climate and air quality goals and ensure that Californians have greater, cleaner transportation options,” Mendez wrote.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“California will continue to hold thieves accountable — helping to ensure the state’s historic low crime rates remain that way.”
- California Gov. Gavin Newsom, in a statement praising the California Highway Patrol for recovering more than $8 million in stolen goods.
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This story was originally published October 16, 2024 at 4:55 AM.