Effort To Split CA Into 3 States Qualifies For Ballot

CALIFORNIA -- A Silicon Valley businessman's campaign to split California into three states has qualified for the November ballot, the Secretary of State's office confirmed Tuesday. Tim Draper, who has long wanted to split the Golden State up, gained more than 400,000 valid signatures from registered voters.

The campaign, dubbed "Cal 3," groups regions such as Sacramento and San Francisco under "Northern California," Los Angeles and Monterey as "California," and San Diego, Riverside and Bakersfield as "Southern California."

Draper and his campaign supporters argue that splitting the state into three separate entities will help strengthen the region in areas such as education, infrastructure and tax oversight.

"This isn’t about politics — this is about sustainable solutions to intractable issues that impact Californians every day — like our local schools, infrastructure and government responsiveness," the campaign's website said.

This effort isn't the first time some California residents have tried to split the state up. The Washington Post reported Draper attempted to split the state into six regions years ago.

"(Draper) has described California as a state with crumbling bridges and roads, a struggling, underfunded education system and oppressively high taxes," the Post reported.

If California voters approve of the measure come Nov. 6, the state Legislature will have to recommend the measure to the U.S. Congress before it becomes official.

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If Congress approves of the measure, "it would be the first division of an existing U.S. state since the creation of West Virginia in 1863," the Los Angeles Times reported. (Get Patch real-time email alerts for the latest news from your California neighborhood. Also, download the free Patch iPhone app or free Patch Android app. Also, be sure to follow your local Patch on Facebook!)

--Photo via Cal 3 campaign