Editorials, Opinions

Our View: California should not be divided

California may be split into six different states, at least that’s what one Silicon Valley venture capitalist is trying to propose.

Tim Draper, a multimillionaire and self-proclaimed “Riskmaster,” is in the process of collecting 807,000 signatures to qualify his six states ballot measure by mid-July in order for it to be placed on the November ballot, according to the Washington Times.

The proposed division of states would be Jefferson, North California, Central California, Silicon Valley, West California and South California.

Draper said that splitting up California would do something “extraordinary” for Californians and will “create a fresh start.”

He also said that Gov. Jerry Brown is interested in his proposal, claiming that Brown is governing a state that is “ungovernable,” according to the Washington Times.

Interestingly enough, Brown’s spokesman Evan Westrup said that Draper’s idea has some “serious practical challenges,” according to an article from SF Gate.

We agree and we don’t see Draper’s proposal heading anywhere fast.
Draper defends his proposal by reiterating that the size of California makes it impossible for fair representation for each region.

With 35 million people, California is the nation’s most populous state, and Draper said that underfunded public education, infrastructure issues and overcrowded prison system are due to the sheer size of the state.

As a blend of Californians from different regions, we’re perplexed.

Additionally, we have some questions about how this proposal would actually be carried out, such as: How will each state be governed? How would California’s debt be split among the six regions? And most importantly, what will happen to the Cal State University system, the largest education system in the country?

Draper claims that each state will have fair representation through individual governors, because each region is socially, culturally and economically different.

Considering that Draper’s split would require a total of twelve California Senate seats, we have a hard time believing that Congress would back his plan.

The plan would only reach Congress if he can collect enough signatures to place his measure on the November ballot, which voters would then need to approve.

This whole proposal holds no logical, economic or functional standing. With the little information Draper is providing, we doubt Californians will find any merit in his plan, let alone Congress.

We can maybe see dividing California into two states, but then again, any division of the state seems somewhat futile at this point.

On another note, what about our beloved California flag? The grizzly bear displayed on the flag is already extinct; we can’t let our flag go extinct as well.

And what about the real California cheese? How will people know which California cheese is real? And what will happen to the happy cows of California?

Even if Draper begins to address some of these questions during his ongoing publicity blitz, we’re still saying no “whey.”

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