Voters to decide if the Texas home of Elon Musk's SpaceX should become
an official city: Starbase
[May 03, 2025] By
VALERIE GONZALES and JIM VERTUNO
McALLEN, Texas (AP) — Voters are set to decide Saturday if the South
Texas home of Elon Musk's SpaceX rocket company should become an
official city known as Starbase, fulfilling the billionaire's dream of a
galactic dateline for a program he hopes will someday blast astronauts
to Mars.
Approval of the new city is all but certain. Most of the 283 people
eligible to vote are employees of SpaceX or connected to the company,
living on the land at the facility and launch site.
At the close of early voting on Tuesday, about 200 had already cast
ballots, according to Cameron County election records. The list did not
include Musk, who voted in the county in the November elections. It was
unclear if Musk intends to vote Saturday.
Election success would be a personal victory for Musk. His popularity
has diminished since he became the chain-saw-wielding public face of
President Donald Trump’s federal job and spending cuts and profits at
his Tesla car company have plummeted.
SpaceX has drawn widespread support from local officials for its jobs
and investment in the area. But the creation of an official company town
has also prompted concerns about expanding the tech tycoon's personal
control over the area, with potential authority to close a popular beach
and state park for launches.
Companion efforts to the city vote include bills in the state
Legislature that would shift closure authority from the county to
Starbase city.
All these measures come as SpaceX has asked federal authorities for
permission to increase the number of launches from South Texas from five
to 25 a year.
Musk first floated the idea of Starbase in 2021. The proposed city at
the southern tip of Texas near the Mexico border is only about 1.5
square miles (3.9 square kilometers), crisscrossed by a few roads and
dappled with airstream trailers and modest midcentury homes.
SpaceX officials have said little about exactly why they to want a
company town and did not respond to emailed requests for comment this
week.
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A visitor photographs a large bust of Elon Musk near SpaceX's
Starbase as the Starship is prepared for a test flight in Boca Chica,
Texas, March 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Eric Gay, File)
 “We need the ability to grow
Starbase as a community,” Starbase General Manager Kathryn Lueders
wrote to local officials in 2024 with the request to get the city
issue on the ballot.
The letter said the company already manages roads and utilities, as
well as “the provisions of schooling and medical care” for those
living on the property.
SpaceX officials have told lawmakers granting the city beach closure
authority would streamline operations for a company that has
contracts with the Department of Defense and NASA.
SpaceX rocket launches and engine tests, and even just moving
certain equipment around the launch base, requires closing a local
highway and access to Boca Chica State Park and Boca Chica Beach.
Critics say closure authority should stay with the county
government, which represents a broader population that uses the
beach and park. Cameron County Judge Eddie Trevino, Jr. has said the
county has worked well with SpaceX and there is no need to change.
Another proposed bill would make failure to comply with an order to
evacuate the beach a Class B misdemeanor with up to 180 days in
jail.
The South Texas Environmental Justice Network, which has organized
protests against the city vote and the beach access issue, planned
to hold another protest Saturday night as the polls close.
___
Vertuno reported from Austin, Texas.
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