A renewed effort is underway to split California into two states, one would remain California, which includes its coastal cities, while the other its rural and inland areas would be ‘New California.’
The founders of the effort Robert Preston and Tom Reed read their own Declaration of Independence on Monday at a small ceremony in Marysville, California. They say California is ‘ungovernable’ due to its high taxes.
The ‘declaration’ called for a ‘free and Independent State’ with ‘full power to establish and maintain law and order, to promote general prosperity.’
A map of what ‘New California’ would look like where the rural areas would break off form the coastal and urban cities
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Two men have launched the campaign to divide rural California from the coastal cities, and are motivated by what they call ‘a decline in essential basic services such as education, law enforcement, fire protection, transportation, housing, health care, taxation, voter rights, banking, state pension systems, prisons, state parks, water resource management, home ownership and infrastructure.’
They also say that the current California government doesn’t follow the state or federal constitution.
The ‘founders’ have evoked Article IV Section 3 of the United States Constitution as justification for establishing a new economy with a new state constitution.
The founders are proposing working with the state Legislature and the U.S. Congress to make their vision of two Californias a reality.
On Twitter some pointed out the last go at splitting the state in two was in 2016 and failed after lackluster support
Co-founder of the ‘New California’ movement Robert Preston (pictured) wants a new ‘free, independent state’
Past proposals include an effort to create six states and one to combine parts of California and Oregon to make the state of Jefferson.
‘New California’ is just the latest proposal to divvy up the nation’s most populous state. But like efforts before it, it’s highly unlikely to gain significant traction.
The most recent attempt to split the state was in 2016.
A consensus would have to be reached by the state legislatures of California as well as congress. The process, according to New California representatives, could take 10 to 18 months.