Billionaire Elon Musk may soon put his stamp on a new government. Residents of a tiny community near SpaceX’s rocket launch site are voting this week on whether to officially incorporate the area as its own city — Starbase, Texas — and elect a three-person government to run it. But it’s hardly a point of contention; most of the nearly 500 residents either work for Musk’s company or live with someone who does. 

The seeds for Starbase were planted decades ago, when Musk started buying up land in Cameron County and transforming the area into a company town. Cementing its legal status doesn’t give Musk blanket power to institute all his ideas, but it would likely give SpaceX more control over zoning, development and more pedestrian aspects of life, Madlin Mekelburg and Loren Grush report. Today on CityLab: Elon Musk Is Expanding His Empire With a New Texas City Government

— Rthvika Suvarna 

More on CityLab

Ikea Backs Traffic-Free Oxford Street to Serve New London Store
The retail giant supports Mayor of London Sadiq Khan’s plan to reserve the main shopping street for pedestrians.

NJ Transit Urges Commuters to Work Remotely If Union Strikes
Engineers could go on strike as soon as next month after union members rejected a labor agreement with agency officials.

The Rising Cost of ICE Flying Immigrants to Far-Flung Detention Centers
The increase in long-distance transfers makes it harder to fight deportation and boosts the cost to taxpayers.

• North Carolina helps kids earn college degrees in high school. It’s a lifeline for immigrant families (Guardian)
• From Tokyo to Turin to LA, Trump’s policies loom over May Day marches (Associated Press) 
• Decades after Nike promised sweatshop reforms, workers in this factory were still fainting (ProPublica)
• How Pakistan pulled off one of the fastest solar revolutions in the world (CNN)
• Home builders are piling on discounts as they struggle to entice buyers (Wall Street Journal)

• Economics Daily for what the changing landscape means for policymakers, investors and you
• Green Daily for the latest in climate news, zero-emission tech and green finance
• Hyperdrive for expert insight into the future of cars
• Design Edition for CityLab’s newsletter on design and architecture — and the people who make buildings happen
• Working Capital for making sense of the evolving workplace

Explore all Bloomberg newsletters.