OPINION:
Bored billionaire Tim Draper has finally gathered enough signatures to make his proposal of separating California into three states an unfortunate possibility this coming November.
On Tuesday, California’s secretary of state, Alex Padilla, certified that Mr. Draper’s proposal met the requirement with 365,880 signatures.
As a fellow Californian, I am appalled that enough people signed such a meaningless measure to be on the ballot. It gives unnecessary hope to Mr. Draper and his cronies by fueling a pipe dream that only overly idealistic or unaware people want.
Dividing California into three states isn’t only a horrible idea; it disguises itself with actual problems the state carries to make it seem reasonable and beneficial to unassuming Californians.
Done countless time before — and divided into just about every variation that can be conjured — California has courted the ludicrous illusion that it must be divided to succeed. These suggestions have yet to come to fruition as proponents have rightfully been denied every time.
Mr. Draper himself had proposed this idea before in the form of six states and failed to get enough signatures to gain momentum. But with growing issues in infrastructure and education as well as a struggle of what it means to be a Californian, it seems that his sell was enough for people to buy into this time around.
Rather than explaining how these states would be beneficial or provide context of what could happen next, this proposal incorporates fancy buzzwords and commonly known issues to provide only mild justification.
On the proposal’s website, Cal3, it states that “having more senators would allow them to tackle issues closer to home, which will lead to better decision making and real solutions close to home — like a dramatically more effective education system, more sensible taxes, and more reliable roads.”
It seems like a nice checklist, but it’s a half-baked proposal at best. While highlighting many of the state’s current woes, it also fails to acknowledge current programs and systems that are underway throughout the Golden State.
For instance, California can’t develop a “dramatically more effective education system” when its reliable university systems are spread throughout the state.
There is no context or explanation given as to how these school systems will be funded once they are divided between the states, or whether some students will go from in-state to out-of-state students. Simply put, by dividing the state in three, the Cal State and UC systems would be in a shambles.
Another problem that’s addressed in the proposal is the idea that there could be “more reliable roads.” However, this idea fails to recognize the current project for California High-Speed Rail, which was approved back on the 2008 state ballot.
This plan of creating a bullet train from San Francisco to Los Angeles can’t be ignored. Construction has begun, and continued funding for the project already takes away from infrastructure funding, so nothing really will change if the state is divided.
By failing to acknowledge the state’s ongoing and current systems, the proposal is trying to make it seem like California’s problems will be more straightforward, when in fact, they will only become more convoluted and complicated.
Furthermore, the process of dividing California into three states doesn’t stop at the legislature.
Article IV of the U.S. Constitution states, “new states may be admitted by the Congress into this union; but no new states shall be formed or erected within the jurisdiction of any other state; nor any state be formed by the junction of two or more states, or parts of states, without the consent of the legislatures of the states concerned as well as of the Congress.”
Hence, while the ballot measure would gain the legislature’s approval, the governor of California would need the approval of Congress, which will be yet another check mark that needs to be applied — and yet another unbelievable challenge in itself.
Californians, despite their seemingly vast differences, have already embraced a unique ambiance created by its beach towns, mountain areas and city life. They have grown up in a large roaming state where they can go from San Francisco to San Diego to Los Angeles using ever-so-popular (and ever-so-annoying) highways.
To take all of that away in the way that Mr. Draper proposes is not only a poor choice, but it reshapes California’s identity by dividing it into three states that only make sense numerically — with roughly 13 million people in each new state.
For a billionaire who honestly must have nothing else better to do, this may not matter much, but for all those who live there, this isn’t something to lightly dismiss.
Rather than be mesmerized with empty phrases or seemingly good ideas, Californians must realize that the ballot option isn’t anything remarkable or different from anything of the past. If the state wants to get better, it has to do it all as one state.
• Sophia Acevedo is a sophomore at the University of California, Fullerton, and a summer intern at The Washington Times.
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