Over the years, there have been a number of proposals to split the state of California into a number of smaller states. However, a recent proposal by venture capitalist Tim Draper may actually see some traction in the near future.
Draper has a plan to split the large state of California into a total of 6 new states. He submitted his proposal to California's Attorney General as a ballot proposition. While there have been propositions like this in the past, the main problem is that it takes a lot of money to get these state ballots running. This is the primary reason why many of these initiatives fail. With Draper backing the initiative, however, the proposal may yet see some progress. Aside from the financial capacity to push the initiative, Draper also has enough political clout to support the proposal. In addition to this, California already has a long and varied history of secession, which may add fuel to the fire.
While splitting California into smaller states may seem like a farfetched idea, it actually has quite a following, especially in light of the ambitions of many powerful companies based in Silicon Valley. In fact, the northern part of California will be one of the 6 states proposed and will be named Silicon Valley if the proposition pulls through.
Draper has outlined five main reasons why he's backing the proposal:
1. It is about time California was properly represented with Senators in Washington. Now our number of Senators per person will be about average.
2. Competition is good, monopolies are bad. This initiative encourages more competition and less monopolistic power. Like all competitive systems, costs will be lower and service will be better.
3. Each new state can start fresh. From a new crowd sourced state flower to a more relevant constitution.
4. Decisions can be more relevant to the population. The regulations in one new state are not appropriate for another.
5. Individuals can move between states more freely.
