Proposal to split California into three states earns spot on ballot

A proposal to split California into three separate states got enough votes on Tuesday to be added to the midterm ballot in November.

Tim Draper, a venture capitalist, was the proponent of the long-shot initiative to split the state, which got nearly 420,000 valid signatures, more than enough to be included in the General Election ballot in November, according to California's secretary of State.

Adding the proposal to the ballot is the first in a long number of steps that would be required to actually split the country's largest state.

Even if California voters supported the proposal in November, the California legislature would still have to vote in favor of it.

The breakup would also likely be challenged in court and would need congressional approval, a tough get in today's hyperpartisan Washington.

The initiative proposes the state to be split into three new states: California, Northern California and Southern California. Each state, though different in size, would have roughly the same population, according to the proposal.

Even if it passes, there's a long way to go because it violates Article IV, Section 3 of the U. S. Constitution. That provides:

New States may be admitted by Congress into this Union, but no new State shall be formed or erected within the Jurisdiction of any other State, nor any State be formed by the Junction of two or more States, or Parts of States, without the consent of the Legislatures of the States concerned as well as of the Congress.

If this is read literally the referendum won't work because the CA legislature will have to consent. Then Congress will also have to consent. Fat chance for all of that happening.

The three state plan is not plan that should appeal to Conservatives. The demarcation of the borderlines is, from a Conservative perspective not good. Instead of being a minority party in one state, they are likely to be the minority party in at least two of the new states, if not all three. If the latter proves correct, it would add four Lib U.S. Senators to Congress.

I hope this plan can be defeated, but maybe the idea won’t die. A new plan could be offered that would improve Conservative chances; but of course a plan that can do that could well be recognized for that and earn hearty Lib campaigning against it.

One of my main gripes is the plan to be voted on puts the uber Liberal coast, and near coastal area from San Francisco (and Oakland/Berkley) down to just north of Monterey in a “Northern California”. I would prefer to see them (from Monetery up to San Francisco/Oakland/Berkley) left as part of a new “California” that is now only to include Los Angeles County, Ventura, Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo areas.

That “California” should also include the counties east of Ventura, Santa Barbara & San Luis Obispo that are north of the San Bernardino/San Gabriel Mountains, up to Fresno. Thst would make the southern California mountains the “natural” border between “California” and “Southern California”.

I think those changes might give both Northern California and Southern California conservatives a better chance. Without them I see no improvement at all for Conservatives in the Cal 3 plan, and maybe even bad nees it adds between two and four Lib U.S. Senators.

EV wise it’s probably good for GOP, they’d have a chance at some of them vs. no chance at any of them now.

Researching this further I can see that you are correct. The possibly getting a few electoral votes in a Presidential election from one of the new California states is being dangled out there to mitigate the certain negative effect it would have on the Senate. I am sure this has been mulled over a lot, but to make this plan more acceptable to Republicans I believe that the lines would have to be redrawn so that San Francisco and Sacramento would not have absolute control of Northern California.

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