Chico >> Citing the number of Californians who are unhappy with the state and leaving is just one plank for supporters of New California State, another effort to form the 51st state.
Unlike others before it, New California is not about leaving the union, but about leaving “old” California.
Supporters say there’s too much wrong to fix, so they want to start over, with New California State.
What’s behind New California State will be the focus of a meeting from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. Sunday in the Chico library conference room, 1108 Sherman Ave.
Objections range from taxation and regulation, to education, law enforcement, and housing.
“We want to educate people about what’s we’re trying to do and how we’re doing it,” Ruth I. Haring of Chico told this publication.
She identified herself as among the founders, as well as chair of the Butte County committee. She said the committee has been meeting for more than a year, holding gatherings in Oroville, Paradise and Chico.
“We want to bring about the conditions to get a new state,” Haring said. On Monday, the group read its declaration of independence from California in a meeting in Marysville, catching the media’s attention.
Reshaping
Different from other groups, New California State suggests leaving coastal counties part of the old state, with the other counties uniting as a new one, with support for rural areas.
New California would not include Sonoma, Napa, Solano, Sacramento, Marin, San Francisco, Alameda, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, San Benito, Monterey, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Ventura and Los Angeles.
The line of division roughly follows the liberal versus conservative areas, as well as the coastal wealthiest from the valley middle class and poor.
Contrary to other efforts, New California State wants to work within the state and national constitutions. It wants Californians to prompt their legislators to support a bill to allow the 41 counties to withdraw, and then approach Congress, Haring said.
Citing their young age, Haring said no legislators have signed on to the idea of the New California State, nor said they’d be willing to carry legislation to Sacramento.
What’s wrong
What the group hopes, Haring said, is that California will reach a point of fiscal collapse and the Legislature will agree to let the majority of counties leave.
“Basically we see a fiscal crisis. There are unfunded liabilities. We’ll say let us go, it will save you money.”
Haring said the movement isn’t politically based.
“We think the public good requires change.
“We’re not a secessionist movement. We’re more of a patriotic movement. We want to do it by the Constitution.”
Haring said it could take a few years for the group to make its mark.
In its meeting notice, New California State says it has involvement from 22 counties. While that’s not support from boards of supervisors, it means there are organizations in place.
Its website https://newcaliforniastate.com cites a number of reasons to leave.
A press release noted, “After years of over taxation, regulation, and mono party politics the state of California and many of its 58 counties have become ungovernable. The nature of the state becoming ungovernable has caused a decline in essential basic services such as education, law enforcement, fire protection, transportation, housing, health care, taxation, voter rights, banking, state pension systems, prisons, state parks, water resource management, home ownership, infrastructure and many more.”
It also cites several studies and reports that track the departure of Californians for other states from the Census Bureau to US News. It also cites reports of California’s unfriendly approach to business.
Haring said the Butte County group tries to meet monthly.
Questions can be sent to her email at riharing@gmail.com
Legality
The group cites Article 4, Section 3 of the U.S. Constitution, giving it the right to form a new state but acknowledges approval needs to come from the California Legislature. However, New California leaders are determined to convince state lawmakers to split the state before pushing the national envelope. A document points the way as how it can proceed.
Behind the movement are a number of “founders,” including Haring, but Robert Paul Preston of Marysville, and Tom Reed of Hopland, have been featured in the media.
Reed’s facebook page includes support for the State of Jefferson movement.
The State of Jefferson movement wanted to divide California into north and south sections,with the far north aligning with southern Oregon.
After that, venture capitalist Tim Draper came up with Six Californias, dividing the state into different geographic areas, but was unsuccessful in gathering enough signatures to put it on the ballot. He’s now behind an effort to divide the state in three parts.
Then Calexit or “Yes California” has been about California becoming its own nation, leaving the Trump-led United States, and following Jerry Brown’s political agenda. However, the group has been silent over the past months, but was trying to put a ballot issue up for 2018.
Contact reporter Laura Urseny at 896-7756.