[andyk]

It's unconstitutional to create a new state from the territory of another state. Otherwise New York would long have split off from New York City.

Correct - same goes for California :)

[Publius]

New States may be admitted by the 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.

Bottom line; it is constitutional if the above language is honored.

[Blood of Tyrants]

You are both wrong.

U.S. Constitution Article IV. Section. 3.

Clause 1: New States may be admitted by the 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.

Otherwise, West Virginia would not be a state.

[hsalaw]

Maybe it's time to put that initiative to divide California back on the ballot. Only this time, instead of north and south, we should split off the coast and keep the central valley, north and south to the borders, to ourselves. We'd have all the water that way, too; let LA start desalinating.