LOS ANGELES, WEST CALIFORNIA — Venture capital billionaire Thomas Draper has announced that his campaign to break California up into six states has reached the required minimum number of signatures and will appear on the 2016 ballot, Reuters reports. The “Six Californias” plan, as it is known, is a response to the perceived dysfunction of a state whose staggering size has left citizens unable to enjoy self-government.
“The idea … is to create six states with responsive local governments – states that are more representative and accountable to their constituents,” Six Californias spokesperson Roger Salazar told Reuters. Breitbart News’ Chriss Street has also noted that the initiative draws strength from Californians’ specific resentment of the Bay Area, which provides much of the Golden State’s political class and dominates its uneven economic growth.
The plan is staunchly opposed by Gov. Jerry Brown and other Democrats, and viewed with some degree of skepticism by Republicans as well, but it may have some wider resonance. Draper put an additional $750,000 of his own money into the initiative in February as he pushed for the initiative to collect the over 800,000 signatures. Even if the initiative passed, it would likely have to be ratified by Congress after 2016 to take effect.
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