Initiative to Break Up California Into 3 States Likely on Fall Ballot

A California venture capitalist is trying to break up the Golden State into three, and he has a good deal of backing, too. Tim Draper authored an initiative, “CAL 3,” to turn California into three separate states and has nearly double the necessary signatures to get it on the ballot in November.

"This is an unprecedented show of support on behalf of every corner of California to create three state governments that emphasize representation, responsiveness, reliability and regional identity," Draper said. He's already attained 600,000 signatures for his initiative, which only required signatures from 365,880 registered voters to get on the ballot, or 5 percent of the votes for California governor in 2014.

The initiative would see Los Angeles, Ventura, Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, Monterey and San Benito counties comprising a state in the center.

San Diego, San Bernardino, Orange, Riverside, Mono, Madera, Inyo, Tulare, Fresno, Kings, Kern and Imperial counties would be enveloped by the southern state. The 40 counties north of these would comprise their own state as well, if the initiative were to come to fruition.

Longtime Democratic Party political consultant Steven Maviglio, who opposed Draper's previous attempt in 2014 to split California into six states, also opposes Draper's new one. He said "Splitting California in three and creating three new governments does nothing to solve our state's challenges other than tripling them," according to CBC Los Angeles.

In response, Draper argues that the "citizens of the whole state would be better served by three smaller state governments while preserving the historic boundaries of the various counties, cities and towns."
Draper says the signatures will be submitted to election authorities next week. In order for California to dissolve into three separate entities, the US Congress would have to approve the ballot measure, if it passes in California first.