RT: "Six Californias", Initiative to split up most populous US state gets green light

Source

A wealthy US investor got the go-ahead for his campaign to carve up California into six separate states, according to the Secretary of State's Office. Critics call the plan just another scheme for the wealthy to hoard tax dollars.

While initiatives to split up America’s most populated state have been floated since at least around the time of the Civil War, Silicon Valley venture capitalist, Tim Draper, may just have the clout and connections to pull it off.

Draper, who has made a fortune investing in internet startups, like Skype and Hotmail, believes that California is simply too populated and diverse to adequately address the demands of its residents, according to Draper's plan.

"Vast parts of our state are poorly served by a representative government dominated by a large number of elected representatives from a small part of our state, both geographically and economically," the plan reads.

The initiative aims to carve up the state of some 38 million inhabitants into "six smaller state governments, while preserving the historical boundaries of the various counties, cities and towns."

With the current structure, California is "ungovernable," Draper told USA Today.

"'Six Californias' allows a refresh," he added.

While this is interesting, I'm personally doubtful we'll actually see California get broken into 6 new, separate states.
I'm more of the opinion this is a bit of propaganda in pandering to the 'revolution' fringe with an alternative some might take up in advancing their own controversial separatist/exclusive/insular/self-governing whatever experimental twists on whatever utopia they imagine possible, including this particular scheme that would seem to appeal to some rather wealthy companies which could concentrate their tax expenditures more in favor of local benefit.

What's ATS think?

Will we see a California breakup?
If so, will it catalyze other states to fracture into smaller micro-states with attentions on more locally concentrated regional autonomy?

Once again, I doubt we'll see this actually occur, but, it's something to consider in thought of weighing the pros and cons such schemes might bring about.



Here's an additional source from USA Today that has maps and more information:
Plans to Split Up California Closer to Vote

This is a really stupid idea. Only a certain few will gain from something like this. I used to live in Los Angeles and I would constantly be reminded of the rivalry between North (San Francisco) and South (Los Angeles). There have been several attempts, as I recall, to split California up. Part of what make California so interesting is its variety of landscapes; a drive up the PCH is one you'll never forget, but if you split it up into separate states then toll roads will come into play and that will just ruin the experience.

I heard this on the news (KPFK radio news) the other day.

Here's the conspiracy, THEY have been trying to take down California, the seventh largest economy in the world, as long as I've been here. THEY are big business interests that don't like the 'clout' California has (i.e. to sell in CA you have to meets it's standards, and since it's such a large part of revenue might as well fix your product for all customers).

THis isn't about 'respresentation' in Sacremento for the people of California - respresentation is quite diverse and truly representative of the different areas. It is about destroying a state that actually works moderately well.

THEY have tried to financially ruin us (Enron, Proposition 13) but we keep on ticking. Calfornia is a very diverse state with lively debate on all topics and is here to stay.

I am certain that the Billionaire who is backing this will get his signatures and billions of dollars will flow into the state from around the whole - for and against (hmmm - maybe that's the idea....) but California will remain one state.

reply to post by FyreByrd


Well if the weather keeps changing CA will be nothing but a disaster with nothing to offer.

As it is, can you imagine the fights since N CA has the water and So has the people and wealthy and No-Central has all the farms with growing nuts and row crops...a mess!

I can't see the purpose or advantages in this idea.

At first glance I thought this thread was about CA splitting from the union and becoming independent.

That's an idea I've heard floating around before, and THAT sounds more likely than dividing up the state.

Of the Californians I've met in life, my impression is that they identify more with their state than the union.

It's by far the biggest state by population, and the third biggest in area.

Bigger population than Canada, for example, and substantially bigger in area than countries like Germany, Japan.

It must be hard for the average Californian to identify with states like Wyoming, Vermont, Rhode Island.

Hmm, interesting, I wonder why they have north cali and Jefferson instead of just north cali.
and, west cali is more west cali if it includes silicon valley.