San Francisco – A long-shot effort to break California into six separate states got a boost on Monday, when the billionaire venture capitalist behind the proposal said he had gathered enough signatures to place it on the ballot in two years.
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Timothy Draper, a founder of a Silicon Valley-based venture capital firm that has invested in Twitter, Skype and Tesla, among other companies, has been agitating for months for a ballot initiative to chop the most populous U.S. state into smaller entities.
“It’s important because it will help us create a more responsive, more innovative and more local government, and that ultimately will end up being better for all of Californians,” said Roger Salazar, a spokesman for the campaign. “The idea … is to create six states with responsive local governments – states that are more representative and accountable to their constituents.”
Salazar said Monday that the campaign had gathered more than the roughly 808,000 signatures needed to place the measure on the November, 2016 ballot. Draper and other supporters plan to file the signatures with California Secretary of State Debra Bowen on Tuesday.
But the plan has raised bipartisan hackles across the state, and opponents say it stands little chance of gaining voter approval. If it does win the support of voters, it must still be passed by Congress, which opponents say is also unlikely.
“This is a colossal and divisive waste of time, energy, and money that will hurt the California brand,” said Steven Maviglio, a Democratic political strategist who has formed the group OneCalifornia with GOP strategist Joe Rodota to fight Draper’s plan. “It has zero chance of passage. But what it does is scare investment away… at a time when the Governor is leading us to an economic comeback.”
Draper’s plan would split the world’s eighth-largest economy along geographic lines.
One state, to be called Silicon Valley, would include the tech hub along with the San Francisco Bay Area. Jefferson, named after the third U.S. president, would encompass the northernmost region. The state capital of Sacramento would be in North California, while South California would be made up of San Diego and the eastern suburbs of Los Angeles.
L.A. itself would be part of a state called West California.
Proponents say the division would help create a more business-friendly environment, solve the state’s water issues, and ease traffic congestion.
So the idea is to give the California ministates four more senators? Somehow I suspect that will not go over too well.
No, that is not his motivation. Visit Southern California you will understand. That is also why he will loose. Lo entiendes?
I love it.
great idea except they should take the part that has Hollywood in it and give it to Afghanistan or Poland. That way we can have a moral America.
Guys correct me if you think I’m wrong. The way I see this, splitting California will be a complete disaster. Since the liberal state will gain ten seats in the Senate, adding 10 liberal democrat senators on the capitol hill. Assuring the democrats a permanent majority in Senate. Then the whole country will go further down the drain. The way Obama and Hollywood and some giant corporations would love it…
What’s the reason for joining silicon valley with sf? So the money making region can support the hippies?
There are two senators now. There would be ten after such a split. The gain would be eight.
if california can split new york should do the same we can now say we want to live in the state of Brooklyn—
Coffee? No, not so late in the day. I am just being dumb. 2 now, 12 after the split, a gain of 10.
Mea Culpa, Mea Culpa, Mea Maxima Culpa.
I would dismantle it and give its land to any state next to it.