A Mississipi man's proposal to rename Boca Chica Beach as "a nod to the Tesla Cybertruck" will be considered today on whether to change South Texas’ Boca Chica Beach to Cyber Beach is being vehemently opposed by residents and local, state and federal officials, including city administrators of Elon Musk's City of Starbase.
Along with Starbase, Cameron County, Texas Geographic Names Committee and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service all oppose the proposal. The Texas Geographic Names Committee with the U.S. Board on Geographic Names will meet at 2 p.m. today in Austin to consider the proposal.
The affected area encompasses parts of the city of Starbase and private land as well as parts of the Lower Rio Grande Valley National Wildlife Refuge and Boca Chica State Park, according to the Board on Geographic Names.
According to news reports, the proposal to rename the beach was submitted to the committee by Josh Hazel of Hattiesburg, Miss. November 2024, and it made the body’s quarterly review list in January. Hazel is said to be of SpaceX and Musk fans who meet up at the beach with their Austin-made Tesla pickups in the days leading up to Starship launches. They camp at the beach and have hosted light shows with the stainless-steel trucks.
Those same reports indicate that Hazel wrote that the Cybertruck is made of the same material as SpaceX’s Starship and also has “often been likened to a ‘vehicle from Mars.'"
The announcement that a name change was to be considered today caught several lawmakers by surprise and they fired off letters opposing the name change.
Texas D-27 Senator Adam Hinojosa wrote that "The proposed name, Cyber Beach, does not reflect the history, culture, or identity of Cameron County. Boca Chica Beach has identified this stretch of the Texas coast for nearly a century. It is part of our local heritage and remains meaningful to the people who call this region home.
"As the elected State Senator for this area, I respectfully urge the Committee to reject the proposal to rename Boca Chica Beach as Cyber Beach. Historic place names should not be set aside when they continue to hold deep significance for the communities they represent. Preserving the name Boca Chica Beach respects the history of Cameron County while ensuring that future generations inherit the same connection to this place that generations before them have known."
Likewise, Texas Representative Erin Gamez (D-38), Brownsville, wrote the committee that "Boca Chica Beach has been known by that name for generations. According to U.S. government records, the name dates back at least to 1936, and to my knowledge the beach has never been officially known by any other name. While many residents affectionately refer to it as 'the People's Beach,' that nickname complements rather than replaces its historic name.
"Boca Chica Beach is part of the cultural and historical identity of our community, and that identity deserves to be preserved."
Bekah Hinojosa of the South Texas Environmental Justice Network, also fired of a response to the proposal. “Renaming Boca Chica Beach is an insult to the families with deep cultural ties to the region, who have been swimming, fishing, and recreating there for generations. It’s an insult to my mother and my grandfather, who grew up visiting and swimming on Boca Chica...Boca Chica Beach is meant for the people, not for Elon Musk and his fanatics to colonize, pollute with rockets, and push out long-time local families. We reject Cyber Beach."
They urge that residents contact the committee by emailing their dissent to the change at:
Environmental activists have also launched a petition to stop the name change. So far – at 4:51 a.m., they report that 4,445 letters have been sent to the committee, just short of their 6,400 goal. To join the petition, click on link below. El Rrun-Rrun sent ours a few minutes ago. Update: By 9 a.m., they had exceeded the 6,400 and were shooting for 12,800. By 1:15 p.m. the count stood at 14,760.
It's been 24 years since the United States won a knockout stage game at a World Cup, and despite needing to finish the match with 10 men due to a red card to star player Folarin Balogun, the US Men's National Team kept their composure to win 2-0. Balogun scored right before the half, hitting the LeBron James silencer celebration, and it seemed like the USMNT would be off and running, but they'd have to face adversity after a strong start in order to see the match out.
After a VAR review, Balogun was sent off in the 64th minute after a challenge on a Bosnian player but between Sebastian Berhalter and Ricardo Pepi entering to provide balance and the USMNT keeping their attacking midset, it was enough to see the game out as late, Malik Tillman caught Bosnia and Herzegovina keeper Nikola Vasilj cheating on a free kick to give the USMNT a much needed insurance goal.
Christian Pulisic and Sergino Dest weren't at their best, and the USMNT finished with 10, but this is the kind of game where their mentality under Pochettino shows. They never gave up despite adversity, and now they've accomplished something that hasn't been done since 2002 under Bruce Arena, while having the pressure of playing on home soil on them. Now, they'll play in the round of 16 on July 6 at Lumen Field in Seattle, facing a familiar foe in Belgium.
