Initiative to split up California projected to make ballot

An initiative that seeks to split California into three states is projected to qualify for the state’s November ballot.

California Secretary of State Alex Padilla said late Tuesday the initiative needed 365,880 valid petition signatures to qualify and random sampling projects a number of valid signatures greater than 110 percent of the requirement.

The latest proposal for splitting up the Golden State is promoted by Silicon Valley venture capitalist Timothy Draper. Even if voters approve the initiative an actual split would still require the approval of the state Legislature and Congress.

Certification that the initiative has qualified for the ballot will come on June 28.

The initiative itself, known as Cal 3, creates a Northern California, a Southern California and a narrow strip of coastal land known as California.

Northern California would end up including Santa Cruz County and the San Francisco Bay Area, while California would include Monterey County all the way down south to Los Angeles County.

The measure also allows for the people of each state to adopt a new name for the state as well.

“I think it’s a colossal waste of time and resources, millions of dollars that could be spent improving our schools or doing something constructive for California we all know and love,” said Steve Maviglio, a spokesperson for “One California.” “Breaking up state into three different parts isn’t going to solve a problem. It’s going to magnify it times three.”

Many viewers on KION’s Facebook page were not amused either. One woman called it “an absolutely insane idea.” Another asked: “Who’s (sic) stupid idea was this”? But one commentator was open to the idea, saying she would vote for the initiative because she was tired of having the (SF) Bay and Los Angeles making the decisions for the state.

The Cal 3 campaign argues the benefits for citizens are enormous.

They say the state’s education department cannot manage its over six million students and 1,000+ school districts. Having three smaller states with their own departments would bring critical decision-making closer to home.

Cal 3 also argues separate regional governments would have greater control over infrastructure spending and road needs in their territories.

Lastly, they say California’s diverse economic climate would be better served by separate governments. For example, Fresno and Los Angeles have considerably different economic concerns from each other. A smaller government, proponents say, is a more efficient one.

In Monterey County, Supervisor Simon Salinas says Cal 3 might have some benefits, but he remains skeptical overall.

“I’d probably have to be convinced that we could benefit, but I just think the (expense), the billions it probably would take to look at the logistics of separating the state is just too much money, too much cost,” he said. “I don’t know if the benefits would be worth it.”

KION reached out to the Citizens for Cal 3 campaign for comment. They released a statement:

“Today, we are focused on celebrating the unique milestone for all Californians of getting the Cal 3 qualified for the ballot this fall, The support from every corner of the state reflects an earnest enthusiasm to solve Californians’ toughest issues, made even more intractable by the clearly overwhelmed state government. The next step will be to energize voters as they hear more about how Cal 3 will bring greater accountability and responsiveness to their state government.”