Backers Of Initiative To Split California May Begin Gathering Signatures

Backers of an initiative to break up the state have been cleared by the Secretary of State to gather signatures to try to get the measure on the ballot.

The initiative seeks to divide California, subject to approval by Congress, with each state responsible for its own finances.

The backers must gather more than 800,000 signatures to qualify for the ballot.

According to the initiative, the breakdown of the state would look like this:

• A new state named Jefferson would include the following counties: Butte, Colusa, Del Norte, Glenn, Humboldt, Lake, Lassen, Mendocino, Modoc, Plumas, Siskiyou, Shasta, Tehama, and Trinity. 
• A new state named North California would include the following counties: Amador, ElDorado, Marin, Napa, Nevada, Placer, Sacramento, Sierra, Solano, Sonoma, Sutter, Yolo, and Yuba
• A new state named Central California would include the following counties: Alpine, Calaveras, Fresno, Inyo, Kern, Kings, Madera, Mariposa, Merced, Mono, San Joaquin, Stanislaus, Tulare, and Tuolumne
• A new state named Silicon Valley would include the following counties: Alameda, Contra Costa, San Benito, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, and Monterey
• A new state named West California would include the following counties: Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, Los Angeles, and Ventura
• A new state South California would include the territory of Imperial, Orange,
  Riverside, San Bernardino, and San Diego

Text of Proposed Six Californias