Could we soon have 55 states? A California venture capitalist wants to make this so by breaking California into six separate states.
Timothy Draper has collected enough signatures to put his initiative on the 2016 state ballot, but state officials still need to make sure it can qualify. And even if it makes the ballet and voters approve it, the measure would still need to pass Congress, which would be unlikely.
However, Draper stands by his plan, in which he invested $2 million. He said splitting California will lead to more representation and less regulation, which will attract more business.
“California needs a reboot,” Draper’s campaign said in a statement. “With six Californias, we can refresh our government.
Others are fiercely opposed. “This is a colossal and divisive waste of time, energy and money,” said Steve Maviglio, a spokesman for a campaign group opposing the initiative.
Maviglio is not alone in his sentiments; a poll found nearly 60 percent of Californians are against it.
In the proposal, the new states would be Jefferson in the north; North California, which would include Sacramento; Silicon Valley, which would include San Francisco and San Jose; Central California in the inland west; West California, which would include Los Angeles and Santa Barbara, and South California.
