Six Californias Measure Heading For 2016 Ballot, Backers Say

[Purveyor]

Silicon Valley venture capitalist Tim Draper will submit signatures Tuesday to put what could be one of the most dramatic startups ever on the ballot - a plan to divide California into six states.

Draper, a multimillionaire known as the Riskmaster, and his team are expected to announce in Sacramento that they've gathered more than enough signatures to put the Six Californias measure before state voters.

The measure, a constitutional amendment, needs 807,615 valid signatures to qualify. Because the deadline has already passed for November, the plan could end up on the November 2016 general election ballot.

Supporters would not say how many signatures they have gathered until Draper holds a news conference Tuesday in Sacramento. But they said they were confident they had plenty to spare.

Democrats have denounced Draper's idea, and worry that an outpouring of conservative support and a lengthy campaign for the proposal could hurt both Gov. Jerry Brown in November and the party's presidential candidate in 2016.

more...

http://www.sfgate.com/politics/article/Six-Californias-backers-say-it-s-heading-for-5621377.php

[sabbat hunter]

1. too bad for the backers

the US House and Senate would never approve it.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

2. Every so often some crackpot proposes this idiocy.

It ain't gonna happen.

Here's a link from the California Group:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10406804

[HooptieWagon]

3. I doubt the ballot measure will pass...

... and I'm sure it won't fly in Washington.

[Glorfindel]

4. What a great idea! Next up: 14 Mississippis....Just imagine 28 US Senators from Mississippi

What could possibly go wrong?

[Adsos Letter]

6. !

[Terra Alta]

5. Pretty sure this would have to pass BOTH houses of Congress

AND be signed by the President, in order to become official. Never going to happen.

[MisterP]

7. I DREW SOMETHING ON A COCKTAIL NAPKIN EVERYONE STOP WHAT YOU'RE DOING

--Bay Area tech mangates

[Galileo126]

8. Perfect!

"Pay attention to MEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!"

[MisterP]

10. the Bay Area/tech world is PACKED with people who think like that

there's even a book on its right-libertarian aspect, "Cyberselfish"
regardless of politics they have a pretty messianic view of technology (I remember George Glider saying we don't need to worry about ozone because by 1997 we'll all be living inside the computers) and think that because they made money in one field they can speechify in all the others
I started thinking on this during the Hyperloop flap: first Musk lies about CAHSR and says "stop everything, I have something that'll cost nothing and never crash," and then it turned out he didn't even have a prototype, and then he quietly gave up in it

[arcane1]

13. It's a small step from a single brilliant money-making idea and thinking "I must be a genius"

Sad but true

[Wounded Bear]

9. Good luck with that...

Article 4, Section 3

1: New States may be admitted by the Congress into this Union; but no new State 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.

I'm not sure a referendum is even binding on something that is Costitutionally a delegated power of the legislature. I'm not so sure it 'hurts' any politicians or parties, but it could cost a lot of money and be a total waste.

[DESchiller]

11. Why do Democrats oppose this?

Why wouldn't this benefit the Democrats? I live in California, and it looks to me like most (possibly all) of the proposed new states would have Democratic majorities. If this went through, the Democrats could easily pick up 6-8 seats in the Senate.

[arcane1]

12. Another question: why does it have conservative support?