The Californian Secretary of State's office has confirmed that a plan to divide California into six states is gaining momentum, with Silicon Valley venture capitalist Tim Draper receiving permission to start collating signatures for his campaign, SixCalifornias.
Draper's motivation lies largely in the size of the Golden State, as he claims that the 38- million strong population is too nebulous and diverse to be adequately represented in government. To qualify for the November vote, Draper needs to present the signatures of 807,000 voters by July 18.
With particular emphasis on the public education system and inadequate infrastructure, Draper's plan aims to divide California into the following 'states': South California, comprised of San Diego and Orange counties; West California, which includes Los Angeles and Santa Barbara; Central California, including Bakersfield, Stockton, and Fresno; North California, comprised of the Sacramento area; Jefferson, anchored by the Redding and Eureka areas; and the Silicon Valley, which would include San Francisco and San Jose.
"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. Draper expressed a similar sentiment in a press conference in December last year, where he first announced the plan. "We're simply too big and bloated."
Tim Draper is a long-time resident of California, and has frequently voiced his opinions on the civic climate of the state. Draper Fisher Jurvetson, the venture capital firm for which he is a founding partner, is based in Menlo Park, California, and Draper has also served on the California State Board of Education. Draper's interest in education saw him start a voucher system proposal in 2000, with Draper Fisher Jurvetson pouring $25 million into the ultimately unsuccessful project.
However, even if Draper is successful in obtaining the required signatures, the journey has some ways to go. It's unlikely that the proposal will be given the stamp of approval by Congress, given that restructuring the state would require the addition of ten senators - not to mention the logistics of implementation. "All tax collections and spending by the existing State of California would end, with its assets and liabilities divided among the new states," said Californian Secretary of State Debra Bowen in a statement. "Decisions by appointed commissioners and elected leaders would determine how taxes, public spending, and other public policies would change for the new states and their local governments."
