California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, is going against a regulatory commission in his state and supporting billionaire Elon Musk over the use of prime California coastal real estate to host SpaceX launches, Politico reported on Friday.
When asked by the outlet about the dispute between Musk and California, Newsom replied, "I'm with Elon," adding, "I didn't like that."
Musk's SpaceX has sued a California commission in federal court, accusing panel members of political bias in blocking the space venture company from increasing the number of rockets it launches from a U.S. air base in the state.
SpaceX sued the California Coastal Commission on Tuesday in Los Angeles, seeking an order that would bar the agency from regulating the company's workhorse Falcon 9 rocket launch program at Vandenberg Space Force Base in Santa Barbara.
The lawsuit alleged the state had "engaged in naked political discrimination" when the commissioners cited his recent and vocal support for former President Donald Trump.
While attending a campaign event in North Carolina for Vice President Kamala Harris, Newsom said he agreed with the lawsuit brought by SpaceX and that the commission should never have engaged in a discussion of Musk's recent political activities.
"Look, I'm not helping the legal case," Newsom said. "You can't bring up that explicit level of politics."
During the hourslong debate over how to classify SpaceX launches, Commissioner Gretchen Newsom, who isn't related to the governor, said, “Elon Musk is hopping about the country, spewing and tweeting political falsehoods and attacking FEMA [the Federal Emergency Management Agency], while claiming his desire to help the hurricane victims with free Starlink access to the internet."
Gov. Newsom made it clear that his appointees had voted for the permit and his administration had worked the Department of Defense to find a compromise to allow an increase of rocket launches.
"These are friends of mine that said that," he said. "These are good commissioners. But you got to call balls and strikes. And trust me, I'm not big on the Elon Musk bandwagon right now. So that's me calling balls and strikes."
Information from Reuters was used in this report.