Should California split in two?

Historic California road Route 66  Dietmar Rabich | Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

The question is as old as time: would California be better off as two separate states? After another huge win for California democrats as Prop 50 passes, some republicans are proposing to split the state in two. 

The main reason for this is the democratic supermajority that California has. Republicans feel unrepresented and unheard when voicing concerns.

Assemblyman James Gallagher proposed to create a new state comprising 35 inland counties, including most of Northern California, the Sierra Nevada, the Central Valley, and the Inland Empire. Assemblyman Gallagher spoke about the proposal to the Shasta County Board of Supervisors on Nov. 6. Under the proposal, Shasta County would be a part of the new state.

A proposed map of how California would be split into two states  Courtesy | Assemblyman James Gallagher

This would be a drastic change for all Californians, as it would most likely cause economic chaos. But it is not the first time that we Californians have heard this proposal before, as Republicans have been underrepresented in California for years. 

In 2018, there was a bill to split California into three, but it was removed from the ballot by the state supreme court before it was voted on. 

Although republicans would be represented in the new state, it is not guaranteed that there would be a political shift. 

It is crucial to know what Californians think of this proposal, as the public would be the ones who are affected.

I talked with some students around the Saddleback campus, and here is what they had to say when I asked, “Should California be split in two?”.

“No,” says Hudson, an agriculture major at Saddleback, “It’s already a shit show, we don’t need two different states with different laws.” 

I agree with Hudson that splitting the state wouldn’t solve any problems. 

Rex, a music major and aspiring DJ, had a different idea. 

“We should separate Socal from all those socialist liberals up north.” 

From the sounds of it, the bill has at least one supporter from Saddleback. 

If you ask me, splitting California into two would create more problems than it would solve. Yes, it might solve the misrepresentation, but it would create more costs to fund the new administration, split up neighborhoods and could even create economic instability. 

What could solve the unrest in the republican party would be more representation in the current California government, but we all know that’s never going to happen.

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