CALIFORNIA—California venture capitalist, Tim Draper, the chairman for CAL 3 has proposed breaking the state of California into 3 separate states. The “CAL 3” initiative needed 365,880 signatures to qualify for the ballot in November 2018. Draper has obtained over 600,000 signatures from voters across the state.
“The unanimous support for CAL 3 from all 58 of California’s counties to reach this unprecedented milestone in the legislative process is the signal that across California, we are united behind CAL 3 to create a brighter future for everyone,” said Draper in a press release.
California is the most populous state in the United States, with a total population of nearly 40 million people. The initiative would split the state into three entities: North California, New California, and South California.
The northern state would be comprised of the 31 counties north of Sacramento, including the Bay Area. Its population would reach just over 13 million people, which would make it the fifth most populated state in America.
The southern state would be comprised of San Diego, Orange County, Riverside, and other southern-most districts. It would have about 14 million people, making it the fourth most populated state.
The “new” California segment would be comprised of Los Angeles, Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, Ventura, and a few other south-central counties. This state would be the eighth most populous state with a population of just over 12 million.
The objective of splitting up the state is to address the state’s struggling school system that supports over 6 million children. The partition would focus on solving the state’s crumbling infrastructure and high taxes by empowering local governments to make more targeted decisions for their smaller citizen pool.
Pending approval from the state, the petition has a long road to travel to the ballot box. Draper attempted to get it on the 2016 ballot, but was unable to gain the requisite number of signatures. This year’s increased support could be enough to put the measure before voters.
“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,” said Draper.
