California to Secede? Petitioners Get the Go-Ahead

Is California set to become a country unto itself? If a group called Yes California gets enough signatures over the next 180 days, residents will be able to vote on that very question in 2019. California Secretary of State Alex Padilla gave supporters the green light this week, allowing them to start gathering signatures for the proposed “Calexit” initiative.

From the L.A. Times:

If the measure gets on the ballot and gains approval by a majority of voters, it would repeal clauses in the California Constitution stating that the state is an “inseparable part of the United States” and that the U.S. Constitution is the “supreme law of the land,” according to the title and summary prepared by the state attorney general’s office.

The measure would place another question on the ballot in 2019, asking whether California should become a separate country. If at least half of registered voters participate in that vote, with at least 55% of those voting to approve, the results would be treated as California’s declaration of independence.

Marcus Ruiz Evans, one of the founders of Yes California, says that his state has grown increasingly distant from the rest of the country in many ways.

“California loses [by] being a part of America culturally and financially,” said Evans. “It could be a nation all its own, everybody knows that. The only question is if they want to break off.”

To get on the ballot, backers will have to collect 585,407 signatures by summer, and they reportedly have done no fundraising yet. Evans says that’s not a problem because his group already has more than 7,000 volunteers standing ready to hit the streets and drum up support for the petition.

Of course, even if California votes to secede, the rest of America would have to sign off on the proposal to make the break legal. Evans told the L.A. Times that he wasn’t afraid of that monumental hurdle, however.

“America already hates California, and America votes on emotions,” he said. “I think we’d have the votes today if we held it.”

This is so silly that it’s barely worth discussing, but it would potentially keep Democrats out of the White House for a very long time. It might also make Trump’s wall unnecessary; illegal immigrants can just go to the country of California, where they will undoubtedly be welcomed with open arms. And it would turn Hollywood liberals into official foreign enemies instead of, well, unofficial foreign enemies.

Hmm, maybe it’s not so silly after all…