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SpaceX in California: What a Democratic Congress Means for Hawthorne

By Brian Hofsteder · Updated November 5, 2026

SpaceX California operations are bigger than the company’s Texas address suggests, which is why the new Democratic majorities in Congress matter close to home. SpaceX still builds Falcon 9 rockets and Dragon capsules in Hawthorne and flies national security missions from Vandenberg Space Force Base in Santa Barbara County, according to its own SEC filings. Several of the House members promising to scrutinize Musk’s federal contracts represent California districts.

Where it stands: Democrats had 54 Senate seats and Republicans 44 on Thursday, Nov. 5, under the AP count cited by Yahoo News; Alaska and Mississippi remained uncalled, and our California midterm results page tracks the state’s own races. Separately, KCLU reported on Nov. 3 that a draft federal NOAA report “calls on state agencies to make concessions on SpaceX and oil production controversies.” Musk did not reply when NPR sought comment on the election.

Does SpaceX California work still matter after the HQ move?

Yes. Musk announced the headquarters move on X in July 2024, after Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a law on school notification of student gender identity, CNBC reported. “SpaceX will now move its HQ from Hawthorne, California to Starbase, Texas,” he wrote. SpaceX’s June 2026 8-K filing lists 1 Rocket Road, Starbase, Texas as its principal executive office.

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The manufacturing stayed. SpaceX’s IPO prospectus calls Hawthorne its “original flagship facility” and says the plant makes Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy stages, Dragon Crew and Dragon Cargo spacecraft, Merlin and Raptor engines and Starlink user terminals. SpaceX adds that it maintains “a corporate presence in Hawthorne.” The prospectus does not break out how many of its employees work in California.

On the Central Coast, the prospectus describes Space Launch Complex 4 East at Vandenberg as its West Coast launch site and its main pad for polar orbits, including “national security payloads.” One of its recovery ships is homeported at the Port of Long Beach. Hawthorne also builds Dragon, which Reuters in 2025 called the only American vessel then capable of ferrying crews to and from the ISS.

What happened between SpaceX and the California Coastal Commission?

The dispute ended in a settlement this spring, but the federal-state friction has not. In October 2024, the Commission rejected the Air Force’s plan to raise SpaceX launches at Vandenberg from 36 to 50 a year, and SpaceX sued, KCLU reported. The lawsuit claimed the vote was politically motivated, which the Commission denied at the time.

The Air Force went ahead anyway. In October 2025, it approved SpaceX’s plan to go from 50 to 100 launches a year, according to KCLU, which noted that because the Air Force is a federal agency, “the state’s ability to regulate the expansion is limited.”

The settlement agreement was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California on April 28 in case No. 2:24-cv-08893. In it, the Commission acknowledged that commissioners made statements that showed “political bias against SpaceX and its Chief Executive Officer and were improper,” and apologized. It also agreed it would not require a coastal development permit for SpaceX launch activities at SLC-4, SLC-6 and certain federal areas, to the extent those activities are described in federal consistency determinations approved under the Coastal Zone Management Act.

The environmental questions remain open on the Commission’s side. KCLU reported the agency’s concerns include limits on public coastal access around launches, harm to sensitive species and habitat, and sonic booms, and that the Commission hopes to work with the federal government on them.

When What happened Source
July 2024 Musk says SpaceX HQ will move from Hawthorne to Starbase, Texas CNBC
October 2024 Coastal Commission rejects 36-to-50 launch plan; SpaceX sues KCLU
October 2025 Air Force approves 50-to-100 launches a year KCLU
April 2026 Settlement filed in federal court; Commission apologizes Court filing, KCLU
Nov. 3, 2026 Draft NOAA report presses state on SpaceX launches KCLU

Can Congress cancel SpaceX contracts that run through California?

No. Under the Federal Acquisition Regulation, agency contracting officers, not lawmakers, terminate federal contracts. As CNBC put it in October, Congress “does not award those contracts, but it funds and oversees the agencies that do,” including the Pentagon and NASA. SpaceX’s prospectus attributes roughly a fifth of 2025 revenue to federal agencies.

What a Democratic Congress can do is write spending limits and conditions into appropriations and defense bills, hold hearings and subpoena records. Those that need new law face two hurdles. Ending a Senate filibuster takes 60 votes under the cloture rule, as the Senate’s reference page explains, and Democrats hold 54 seats as of Nov. 5. President Trump told CBS before polls closed that he welcomes being called “Mr. Veto.”

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For California, that means any change to work at Hawthorne or Vandenberg would come through federal agencies, not a single vote in Congress. The state’s own leverage over Vandenberg launches is limited because the base is federal, as the Air Force’s 2025 approval showed.

Which California members of Congress are pushing on SpaceX?

California Democrats have been among the most visible. A letter led by Reps. Sam Liccardo, Ro Khanna and Jimmy Panetta, reported by CNBC on Oct. 23, followed restrictions on Starshield service in Ukraine and promised the next Congress would “closely scrutinize federal funding awarded to Mr. Musk’s businesses.” The White House referred CNBC to Trump’s remarks a day earlier, when he said Musk had restored access; Ukrainian officials told CNN the next day that restrictions remained, CNBC reported.

After the election, Rep. Mike Levin (D-Calif.) asked on X how it was possible that Musk “can disrupt an American ally’s military operations whenever he chooses,” NPR reported. Earlier, in May 2025, Rep. Zoe Lofgren, the top Democrat on the House Science Committee, joined a letter saying “even the perception of a conflict of interest is very troubling” given SpaceX’s federal work. For the House contests on the ballot this year, see our guide to California House races.

What should Californians watch next?

Two tracks run side by side. In Washington, the new Congress convenes Jan. 3, and committee chairs will decide which Musk-related hearings come first. On the coast, the draft NOAA report described by KCLU, obtained by the Los Angeles Times through a public records request, cites what it calls hostility and political bias toward SpaceX launches from Vandenberg. KCLU reported on Nov. 3 that the Coastal Commission is under fresh pressure to sit down with SpaceX officials over the dispute.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is SpaceX still in California?

Yes. SpaceX lists Starbase, Texas as its principal executive office, but its prospectus says the Hawthorne factory still builds Falcon 9 stages, Dragon spacecraft, Merlin and Raptor engines and Starlink terminals, and Vandenberg Space Force Base is its West Coast launch site.

Can a Democratic Congress cancel SpaceX contracts?

Congress cannot terminate a federal contract itself. Agency contracting officers do that. Congress can restrict funding, add conditions in law and investigate, but a new statute generally needs 60 senators to break a filibuster, and the president can veto it.

How did the SpaceX Coastal Commission lawsuit end?

The parties filed a settlement in federal court in April 2026. The Commission acknowledged some commissioners made statements showing political bias against SpaceX and its CEO, apologized, and agreed it would not require a coastal development permit for SpaceX launch activities described in federally approved consistency determinations.

How many launches can SpaceX make from Vandenberg?

The Air Force approved plans in October 2025 to raise SpaceX launches from Vandenberg from 50 to 100 a year, according to KCLU. The Coastal Commission had rejected the expansion, but the state has limited power over a federal base.

Which California members of Congress are scrutinizing SpaceX?

Reps. Sam Liccardo, Ro Khanna and Jimmy Panetta led an October 2026 letter on Starshield in Ukraine, Rep. Mike Levin criticized Musk after the election, and Rep. Zoe Lofgren signed a 2025 letter on possible conflicts of interest.

Sources

This article is news reporting and analysis based on the public sources listed above, as they stood on the dates shown. Where officials, lawmakers or analysts disagree, including on whether an action is lawful, their positions are attributed to them; California News Now is not a court and nothing here is legal advice. Facts in a developing story can change.

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