Plan to split California into thirds clears its first hurdle

(National Sentinel) Break-up: The long-shot initiative to divide California into three states is actually making a bit of progress.

Residents of the state who support the initiative are now able to collect signatures in order to put it on a statewide ballot next year, according to KABC.

Led by billionaire venture capitalist Tim Draper, the plan calls for breaking up California into north, southern, and coastal states.

The northern state, aptly named Northern California, would include Sacramento and San Francisco. The coastal state of California would include Los Angeles, while Southern California would incorporate the cities of San Diego and Fresno.

California Secretary of State Alex Padilla announced last week the details of the ballot initiative.

KNTV reported that the proposal requires 365,880 valid signatures to be placed onto the Nov. 2018 ballot.

Backers will have 180 days to circulate petitions and gather signatures. They will then be submitted to elections officials by no later than April 23, 2018.

If enough voters back the issue and pass the ballot measure, the issue then goes to Congress, where it faces a high hurdle.

Draper says dividing up the country’s largest state, population-wise, would give residents more local control.

Opponents, however, say the plan would lead to chaos.

“Creating three new governments, three new legislatures, three new governors and then having to disrupt what we have as a state all our prison systems, our higher education systems, I think diversity is what makes California great and this would actually ruin it,” political analyst Steven Maviglio said in a statement.

Plus, conservatives say the inclusion of large Democrat-run cities in each new ‘state’ would likely produce six new Democratic U.S. senators, thereby handing control of the chamber to that party for the foreseeable future.

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