Petition to Split California Into Six States Gets Green Light

[JJ_BPK]

Is it my propensity to use tin foil or does anyone else think we really don't need 12 new Left Wing Senators??

Petition to Split California Into Six States Gets Green Light



By Kayle Fields
Feb 19, 2014 2:25pm
ABC california state size mar 140219 16x9 608 Petition to Split California Into Six States Gets Green Light

Draper's plan splits California into six new states. (KGO/ABC News)

A venture capitalist who feels colossal California is too unwieldy to govern is proposing to split it into six separate states, and Secretary of State Debra Bowen has given him the green light to start collecting petition signatures.

Tim Draper filed a ballot initiative in December stating that because of recent social and economic changes California has become “nearly ungovernable.”

He proposed dividing California into six states. San Diego and Orange County would make up “South California.” “West California” would include Los Angeles and Santa Barbara, while Bakersfield, Fresno and Stockton would make up the larger “Central California.” San Francisco and San Jose would be in the new “Silicon Valley.” “North California” would include the Sacramento area, and “Jefferson” would be home to the Redding and Eureka areas.

“California as it is is ungovernable,” Draper told ABC News today. “It is more and more difficult for Sacramento to keep up with the social issues from the various regions of California. With six Californias, people will be closer to their state governments, and states can get a refresh”.

Brendan Nyhan, Assistant Professor of Government at Dartmouth College, isn’t sold on the idea. “Splitting California into six states would raise all sorts of concerns about the partisan balance of the senate. I can’t imagine this would ever go anywhere” said Nyhan.

Nyhan says a plan like this would surface many issues. Things like water policy, agricultural policy, and even the electoral college would all change if this plan were to take action.

The plan aims to settle California’s financial issues after the separation of the states. If things can’t be resolved, each state would receive a portion of the state’s debts based on the newly created state’s population.

If the federal government approves creating six new states, “all tax collections and spending by the existing State of California would end, with its assets and liabilities divided among the new states,” Secretary of State Debra Bowen said in a statement on Tuesday.

That would leave decisions regarding taxes and public spending of the new states up to its elected leaders.

If California were its own separate country, it would have the eighth-largest economy in the world.

In order to make this plan a reality, Draper needs to start collecting signatures in order to qualify the petition for a ballot. He needs the signatures of 807,615 registered voters in 150 days, making his deadline July 18, 2014.

“We are going to put together a grass roots effort to get signatures,” Draper said. “It looks very promising since there are already several movements to create new states here”.


http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/headline...s-green-light/

[tonyz]

I had a funny feeling that we might try to get to that magic '57' state number, somehow...well...this would put us on the way...

The man is omniscient...

"It is just wonderful to be back in Oregon. And over the last 15 months we've traveled to every corner of the United States. I've now been in 57 states; I think one left to go." BHO

In hindsight, can you imagine the press/media feeding frenzy if any other candidate had said that? If Palin said that they'd have been calling for her to be involuntarily committed.

[mojaveman]

Once you get away from the densly populated coastal areas the people are actually pretty conservative. Roughly divided California is about 60% Democrat and 40% Republican. I live in a red inland county and I am not at all politically aligned with any of those areas. I don't like seeing how my tax dollars are spent by some of the those counties and cities either.

It's an interesting idea but it will never happen.

I've actually been thinking about moving to Arizona or Nevada for a long time.

[Richard]

California's own on-going 'birther' shenanigans - don't worry, Orly Taitz, Sherriff Joe, and the blogosphere are on it.

And so it goes...

Richard

[tonyz]

Originally Posted by Broadsword2004

I have read that California is more conservative surface area-wise, with the leftists primarily concentrated in the costal cities, but the problem is that the leftists outnumber the conservatives. However, why is it that the California legislature leans so heavily Democratic then? Wouldn't if individual states, the representatives lean similarly? Here in NY state, it is similar, most counties have rejected the SAFE Act, but nonetheless the legislature is still heavily Democratic-leaning.

Wonder if this obvious divide plays into some group's vocal opposition of inner-city gentrification...hard to keep folks down if there are jobs and economic opportunity coming to a blighted neighborhood near you.

Gentrification...can calls for lower taxes, less government and respect for private property rights be far behind...

Divide and conquer...

...oh, and the dead vote democrat.

[longrange1947]

Broadsword, Gerrymandering????

[Badger52]

Originally Posted by tonyz

...oh, and the dead vote democrat.

Twice.

Amusing article. When I was growing up out there it was standard fare to think of 2 states & just wish someone would whack the thing in half & let the loonies north of Fresno go on their way. SoCal was pretty damned red back then.