Six State Solution?

delldude

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Oct 29, 2002
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Looking like a movement is underway to split California into six separate states. Where it will go is a matter of speculation (ideally suited for our forum). Many things come to the surface. How about the sacred cow of electoral votes? The state is broke also. This will be interesting to watch.
 
 
A venture capitalist who feels colossal California is too unwieldy to govern is proposing to split it into six separate states, and Secretary of State Debra Bowen has given him the green light to start collecting petition signatures.
Tim Draper filed a ballot initiative in December stating that because of recent social and economic changes California has become “nearly ungovernable.”
He proposed dividing California into six states. San Diego and Orange County would make up “South California.” “West California” would include Los Angeles and Santa Barbara, while Bakersfield, Fresno and Stockton would make up the larger “Central California.” San Francisco and San Jose would be in the new “Silicon Valley.” “North California” would include the Sacramento area, and “Jefferson” would be home to the Redding and Eureka areas.
“California as it is is ungovernable,” Draper told ABC News today. “It is more and more difficult for Sacramento to keep up with the social issues from the various regions of California. With six Californias, people will be closer to their state governments, and states can get a refresh”.
Brendan Nyhan, Assistant Professor of Government at Dartmouth College, isn’t sold on the idea. “Splitting California into six states would raise all sorts of concerns about the partisan balance of the senate. I can’t imagine this would ever go anywhere” said Nyhan.
Nyhan says a plan like this would surface many issues. Things like water policy, agricultural policy, and even the electoral college would all change if this plan were to take action. 
The plan aims to settle California’s financial issues after the separation of the states. If things can’t be resolved, each state would receive a portion of the state’s debts based on the newly created state’s population.
If the federal government approves creating six new states, “all tax collections and spending by the existing State of California would end, with its assets and liabilities divided among the new states,” Secretary of State Debra Bowen said in a statement on Tuesday.
That would leave decisions regarding taxes and public spending of the new states up to its elected leaders.
If California were its own separate country, it would have the eighth-largest economy in the world.
 
http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/headlines/2014/02/petition-to-split-california-into-six-states-gets-green-light/
 
xUT said:
Just another stupid idea.
Notice how it is fostered by a 'venture capitalist'.
Let's see how this fly's... :p
 
At least he ain't sending your water to the ocean.
 
Tell me the DNC isn't freaking somewhat over the sacred cow electoral votes Ca offers.
 
No one's afraid as this will never fly.
Notice how it's carved up?
Bakersfield, Fresno and Stockton would make up the larger “Central California.”
 
With this drought, "Central California" will be barren.
Stockton is already in BK.
IMHO, this nimrod is looking for the 'Silicon Valley' entity as his investment.
No Cal will do OK with the weed farming. :p (like Oregon)
So Cal ... not so much.
 
JMHO...  :p
 
The electoral votes should be less of a concern, since they're distributed by population, but it would certainly make an interesting situation over in the Senate.

In addition to California, maybe it's time to also consider splitting Illinois in two, and New York in three... (Long Island by itself would be the 25th largest state)