Cal-3 Proposal To Divide California Into Three Separate States Will Appear On 2018 Ballot


A tech billionaire, Tim Draper, was successful in getting his radical proposal “Cal-3” on the midterm November 6th ballot. And if Draper and the voters agree, California could possibly be split up into three new states. These states would be called California, Northern California, and Southern California, according to the Sacramento Bee.

The new state called “California” would encompass Los Angeles, Santa Barbara, Ventura, Monterey, San Benito, and San Luis Obispo counties.

“Southern California” would include Orange, San Diego, Riverside, Fresno, Imperial, Inyo, Kern, Kings, Madera, Mono, San Bernardino, and Tulare counties.

“Northern California” would include the remaining 40 counties, including the land between Santa Cruz up north to Oregon, including the Bay area, Sacramento, and some of San Joaquin Valley.

This is what Draper said about why he is proposing the three states.

“The citizens of the whole state would be better served by three smaller state governments while preserving the historical boundaries of the various counties, cities, and towns… Three states will get us better infrastructure, better education and lower taxes… States will be more accountable to us and can cooperate and compete for citizens.”

Draper has been proposing multiple states within California for years. Back in 2012 and 2014, he proposed splitting the state into six different states. However, this is the first time that Draper’s proposal garnered enough valid signatures to be placed on the ballot. According to the Los Angeles Times, Draper gathered something like 402,468 signatures.

Some estimate that Draper invested an amount between $559,000 to $4.9 million in 2014 for his previous attempts at getting the measure on the ballot. Vendors already know that the “Cal-3” initiative must have cost Draper quite a bit, as vendors earned $3 for each signature that was collected.

If voters approve the measure, it would then require congressional approval. It would also add four new members to the Senate.

A law professor that has extensively studied Draper and his measures, Vikram Amar, explained the implications of the measure.

“As the national debate about a wall along the Mexican border rages, we are reminded that even in a digital age, physical space and physical lines matter immensely to the course of peoples’ lives, and the legal regimes under which they live.”

There is much doubt about such a radical plan actually being accomplished. Meanwhile, the Cal-3 website is promising a new beginning and “fresh start,” citing that the “insular state government is taking Californians in the wrong direction.”

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