Residents urge City Council to terminate SpaceX sublease, cite noise, safety and labor concerns

Several Long Beach residents urged the City Council on June 3 to terminate the Port of Long Beach sublease with SpaceX, citing recent sonic booms, environmental damage, ongoing labor and legal disputes and statements they called overtly discriminatory by the company's owner, Elon Musk.

The comments came during the general public-comment period and included accounts of a sonic boom on May 24 that several speakers said shook homes and could harm veterans and other residents. “This wasn't even an explosion. This was just the sound of the aircraft reentering the atmosphere,” said Anna Wei, a Long Beach resident, describing the May event. Other speakers raised allegations of workplace misconduct and ongoing litigation against SpaceX, and said those problems made the company an unacceptable partner for the city.

Why it matters: Commenters argued that the lease ties Long Beach to a company they described as a polluter and an employer with documented labor and discrimination complaints, and that the Port sublease contains nondiscrimination language that could be grounds for termination. Many speakers asked the council to open a formal discussion about rescinding the lease.

Speakers cited several grievances and sources. Janine (public commenter) referred to an ongoing National Labor Relations Board matter and to a Los Angeles Superior Court suit filed in June 2024 by former employees that alleges hostile work environment, retaliation and discrimination. Other speakers cited reporting by the Los Angeles Times and national environmental notices related to SpaceX operations in Texas and alleged impacts to coastal and marine areas near recovery operations.

Speakers framed the issue as both a local quality-of-life problem and a broader civic choice about which companies the city should accept. “We are building a large movement,” one organizer told the council, arguing that Long Beach should “cut ties and get out of the lease now.” Another speaker said concerns ranged from noise and ocean pollution to the company’s influence on local government and labor relations.

Council response and process notes: Council members did not take formal action on the SpaceX lease during the meeting. Public comments on the topic were heard across multiple speakers and occupied a substantial portion of the general-comment period; no vote or new agenda item was scheduled as part of this session.

Community context and next steps: Commenters asked the council to place lease termination on a future agenda and to use the Port’s sublease nondiscrimination provisions as a legal basis for reconsideration. The council did not announce a timeline or staff report on the lease at the June 3 meeting.

Ending: Speakers told the council they would continue organizing and return to future meetings until the city acts. The record from June 3 documents community concern and requests for official follow-up, but the council made no immediate policy change on the lease at that meeting.