The California Coastal Commission has issued a formal apology to Elon Musk and SpaceX, pledging that future regulatory decisions will not be influenced by political views or statements. This development was shared on the social media platform X by electric vehicle analyst Sawyer Merritt, whose post was subsequently reposted by Musk.

In an official statement, the Commission declared, "The Commission agrees that it must not consider irrelevant factors when carrying out its duties, and specifically agrees that it will not consider the political beliefs, political speech, or labor practices of SpaceX or its executives when deliberating any regulatory actions related to SpaceX. The Commission acknowledges that certain comments made by commissioners, including during the October 10, 2024 hearing concerning SpaceX's Falcon 9 launch site proposal, demonstrated inappropriate political bias against the company and its CEO. The Commission apologizes for these remarks."

Merritt commented on the agreement, stating, "This document signifies that SpaceX and the California Coastal Commission have reached a settlement regarding their federal litigation, providing long-term regulatory clarity for future Falcon 9 rocket launches from SpaceX."