California regulators apologized to SpaceX CEO Elon Musk as they settled a lawsuit that claimed a state agency showed political bias against the rocket company and its chief executive. As part of Tuesday’s 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. 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.