CALIFORNIA is home to the most number of Filipinos in America, thanks to its relatively mild weather and its west end location in the continental United States, being just the Pacific Ocean away from the Philippines. The Golden State is also the most populous state in the nation, with almost 40 million Californians calling it home, and it also ranks third biggest state in terms of land area.
HOWEVER, a proposal may be on the ballot come the November midterm elections which may split the Golden State to three smaller states.
As CNN reported, California venture capitalist Tim Draper announced Thursday, April 12, that his initiative had gotten more than 600,000 signatures from registered voters across all of the state’s 58 counties, surpassing the 365,880 signatures required by state law. This proposal has now therefore already met double the necessary signatures to get it on the ballot in November, which will allow state voters to decide on the partition.
Under this proposal, the California that we love will be divided into three smaller states:
“New” California: This will be considered the new state which includes Los Angeles, Ventura, Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, Monterey and San Benito counties. This smaller new “California” will have 12.3 million people, making it the #8 most populous state, with $53,000 per capita income, ranking #12 highest per capita in the nation.
Northern California: This would include the Bay Area and the 31 remaining counties north of Sacramento. At 13.3 million people, it would be the #5 most populous state with $63,000 per capita economy, ranking #2 per capita in the nation.
Southern California: San Diego, San Bernardino, Orange, Riverside, Mono, Madera, Inyo, Tulare, Fresno, Kings, Kern and Imperial counties. It would be 13.9 million people, the #4 most populous state. Economy is $45,000 per capita, ranking #30 highest per capita in the nation.
Draper explained that “California citizens would be better served by three smaller state governments while preserving the historic boundaries of the various counties, cities and towns.”
This split, Draper said, would empower regional communities to make better and more sensible decisions for their citizens. He suggested this move “will solve California’s most pressing issues, including the state’s failing school systems, high taxes, deteriorating infrastructure and strained government.”
“To create three states from a standing start, you’ll get all the benefits of knowing all the things that worked in the past, and all the things that could work in the future and you get to eliminate all the baggage you got in the state,” Draper said, as quoted by CNN.
POLITICALLY, this initiative may not be good for Democrats, according to constitutional lawyer and professor Jonathan Turley, who told CNN that congressional approval is not impossible, but not likely to happen, as Democrats could feel they have too much to lose.
“Dems consider California to be a single golden empire, it would be hard for them to accept it as three golden empires,” he said.
Will you vote YES on this proposal — for three smaller California states instead of just one big happy California?
