California: Sane People Want to Secede
California, Secession, South California
And who can blame them?
The 51st state should be named South California, says Jeff Stone, a Republican on the the Riverside County Board of Supervisors. But the proposed 13 southern California counties that would split off from the Golden State would not include Los Angeles.
Stone told the Times’ Phil Willon that the ommission is intentional and is part of a plan that would make for a new conservative Californian state.
“Los Angeles is purposely excluded because they have the same liberal policies that Sacramento does. The last thing I want to do is create a state that’s a carbon copy of what we have now,” Stone said.
“Los Angeles just enacted a ban on plastic grocery bags. That put three or four manufacturers out of business,” Stone, a pharmacist from Temecula, said.
Stone plans on formally proposing secession Tuesday during a meeting of the Board of Supervisors.
South California would encompass Fresno, Imperial, Inyo, Kern, Kings, Madera, Mariposa, Mono, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego and Tulare counties, totaling approximately 13 million people.
The proposed 51st state would be the fifth largest by population, more populous than Illinois, Ohio and Pennsylvania. South California would take nearly a third of the population away from California, making the Golden State the second-largest state after Texas.
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The odd thing is: roughly the same thing happened 70 years ago. Four counties in Southern Oregon and three counties of Northern California, frustrated at the time by neglect of their interests by Sacramento & Eugene, wanted to secede and erect the new state of Jefferson.
They had gotten as far as issuing a declaration of independence, choosing a capitol (Yreka), and electing a governor when, Whoops!, along came the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Everyone was completely distracted by the entry of the United States into WWII, and the cause of the independence of the Cascades went a-begging.
