Supporters of Californian independence have taken the first step towards secession from the US by submitting a ballot proposal to the state attorney general.

A group called called the ‘Yes California Independence Campaign’ submitted their proposal for a ballot measure on removing a piece of the state’s Constitution that describes it as an “inseparable” part of America.

The group has been around since 2014, but the idea of California’s secession gained momentum since President-elect Donald Trump’s victory.

On Monday, the Yes California Independence Campaign proposed to include the matter on the ballot during the November 2018 gubernatorial elections across the US, where 39 state and territorial governorships as well as numerous other state and local elections would be contested.

The request was filed with the attorney general’s office, asking it to “prepare a circulating title and summary of the enclosed ballot measure: “Calexit: The California Independence Plebiscite of 2019.”

The independence vote would be held sometime in the spring of 2019, provided that the group changes the California Constitution and then collects the number signatures required to put the measure on the 2018 gubernatorial ballot.

The idea of a so-called “Calexit” was first brought up by the group more than two years ago but it only gained traction after Republican President-elect Donald Trump’s election victory on November 8.

According to Marcus Ruiz Evans, the group’s vice president, the Yes California Independence Campaign has thousands of followers on various social media websites and some 13,000 people have volunteered to collect signatures.

Evans said that Trump’s election showed that his organization was right in doubting the current electoral system’s ability to bring real change.

With a population of nearly 38.5 million people, California has 53 electoral votes, more than any US state. All of the state’s electoral votes went to Trump’s democratic rival Hillary Clinton.

The final results of the presidential vote in the state would determine how many signature the group needs to place the matter on the ballot.

Evans said if 55 percent of the voters supported a referendum on the secession, the group would be able to take the matter to the United Nations according to the world body’s self-determination treaty.

The majority support would amount to an internationally recognized threshold which in turn requires the state’s governor to ask the UN to recognize “the Republic of California” as a member.

To change the Federal Constitution which does not allow secession, the group needs the approval of Congress and 38 states, experts say. </s> Backers of an effort for California independence gathered outside the Capitol before turning in their initiative on May 19.

Supporters of a bid for California independence are again submitting plans for a 2018 statewide ballot measure to potentially leave the United States.

Members of the California Freedom Coalition gathered outside the state Capitol on Friday before turning in their proposed initiative to the state attorney general’s office for review.

Cindy Sheehan, who gained international attention as an anti-war protestor after her son died during the Iraq war in 2004, told the Los Angeles Times at the gathering that the state should stop subsidizing a federal government that she characterized as out of step with California values.

“We don’t feel like we have a say 3,000 miles away in Washington,” Sheehan said.

The petition, known informally as Calexit, is the second formal bid that secessionists have made since President Trump’s election in November, though numerous organizations have attempted similar efforts over the years. Backers pulled the first initiative after substantial infighting within groups advocating for independence.

The current initiative wouldn't necessarily result in the state exiting the country, but could allow California to be a “fully functioning sovereign and autonomous nation” within the United States.

After receiving the ballot measure, the attorney general’s office will give it a title and summary. Backers will need to collect nearly 600,000 valid voter signatures on petitions to place it on the ballot. </s> Backers seeking to break California away from the U.S. started collecting signatures Friday to get a proposed independence measure on the 2018 statewide ballot.

This isn't the first effort aimed at California secession but leaders say the previous tries were mostly about building awareness of the issue and increasing public support. They say recent polls show more Californians want a divorce from the union and believe that President Donald Trump's election also has boosted their cause.



"We definitely see that there's some newfound support for this and we want to get the signatures out there, especially now because we're in the first 100 days of Donald Trump's presidency when he's going to be aggressively pursuing his policies that the people of California are going to reject — and have rejected," Louis Marinelli, president of the Yes California Independence movement, said in an interview Friday.

However, the state-prepared summary on the petition from California Secretary of State Alex Padilla calls out the uncertain road ahead in this effort, which would have multiple hurdles.

Specifically, the summary said "the fiscal impact of this measure is dependent on various factors, including a vote by the people on this measure, a subsequent vote on California independence, possible legal challenges, and implementation issues. Assuming that California actually became an independent nation, the state and its local governments would experience major, but unknown, budgetary impacts."

In terms of annual GDP, California would rank sixth worldwide if it were a separate nation. California, home to about one out of every eight Americans, voted in favor of Democrat Hillary Clinton in the 2016 election.

Marinelli pointed to a recent opinion poll by Reuters/Ipsos showing one third of California residents now support breaking away from the U.S. The Reuters poll of 500 Californians, which was conducted from Dec. 6 to Jan. 19, found 32 percent support for the withdrawal. That compares with about 20 percent support, or one-in-five Californians, who backed the secession idea in 2014.



According to Marinelli, the so-called Calexit backers have about 7,000 supporters mobilized to gather signatures statewide for the new California nationhood initiative. The California Secretary of State's office said Thursday the backers of the measure must collect the signatures of 585,407 registered voters to qualify for the ballot. Organizers have until July 25, 2017, to meet the requirement.

"We think it's going to be quite easy for us to make the sell," said Marinelli. "California is a different place and has its own culture, its own history, its own identity, its own world view, and its own ideology in a large respect. So we would feel better off if we can set our own destiny, set our own path forward and not be connected to a lot of these obsolete policies of the American system."

Added Marinelli, "There's a lot of this dysfunction going on in the American system, the corruption in Washington, the animosity within the United States as a whole. So we want to break away from all that and set a new path forward. To establish for ourselves some kind of progressive republic on the western shores of North America."

The referendum aims to repeal a provision in the state's constitution that reads "California is an inseparable part of the United States of America, and the United States Constitution is the supreme law of the land."

"What we want to do is give the people of California the chance to vote yes or no on independence," said Marinelli. "If the people want to stay in the country and they want to remain a state they can vote no. We're certainly going to be focusing on the argument about convincing people why it's better for us to become our own country."

Calexit backers see divorce from the union as a two-step process — first the vote in 2018 to repeal the "inseparable" provision from the state constitution and then a special election in 2019 for the independence vote itself. </s> California secessionists launched their CalExit signature-gathering drive Friday, riding a wave of momentum churned up by the inauguration of President Trump.

Organizers of the Yes California Independence Campaign posted on their website a downloadable online petition for volunteers circulators a day after the proposed ballot measure was cleared by the California Secretary of State Alex Padilla.

The committee has 180 days to collect at least 585,407 valid signatures to qualify the initiative for the November 2018 ballot.

Recent polls show support for California nationhood falls well short of a majority, but that the idea is catching on with voters.

A Reuters/IPSOS poll released Tuesday found 32 percent of California residents surveyed support seceding from the union as the state’s staunchly liberal voters recoil from the Republican president.

“A third of Californians support #Calexit, Trump is coming after our undocumented immigrants & sanctuary cities,” said Yes California in a Friday tweet. “Come on Sacramento! Join us!”

The 1 in 3 figure represents a surge from a Hoover Institution Golden State Poll released Jan. 19, which found 27 percent of Californians favor CalExit, a term coined after last year’s Brexit vote in which British voters broke from the European Union.

“Among partisans, Democrats were more likely to support Calexit than Republicans, but in the wake of a presidential election, one has to wonder if those partisan differences are driven by dissatisfaction with the outcome of the presidential race rather than anything inherent in the politics of the Golden State,” said Tammy Frisby, a research fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University.

The initiative would repeal a section from the California Constitution that declares the state is “an inseparable part of the United States and that the United States Constitution is the supreme law of the land.”

The measure would also place a referendum on the 2019 ballot on whether to form a separate nation on the November 2019 ballot.

California Democratic legislators have positioned themselves as a bulwark against the Trump administration, releasing a video on Inauguration Day ticking off their policy priorities and describing California as a “light to the nation.”

“California is more than a great place to live; it is a great source of innovation and an unrivaled economic engine. And so, for the next four years and beyond, we will work to be a light to the nation,” the California Democrats said in the video, called a #DearCalifornians letter.

CalExit supporters argue that the state would be better off as an independent nation, given its ranking as the world’s sixth-largest economy and liberal politics. Democrat Hillary Clinton defeated Mr. Trump in California by a whopping margin of 61 to 31 percent.

“In the age of Trump and Brexit, anything is possible, including a democratic and legal method for California to become its own nation,” said Yes California President Marcus Ruiz Evans in a Jan. 21 op-ed in the San Jose Mercury News.

Others have said good riddance, citing California’s $400 billion in unfunded liabilities and debt.

“As long as we can build a wall around you and you promise to keep the Hollywood loonies, I’m all for it!” said Gail Bayne on Yes California’s Facebook page. “Good luck with a hostile nation invades you.” </s> SACRAMENTO -- The California Freedom Coalition gathered at the state capitol Friday to deliver their Independence Initiative to the Office of the Attorney General.

The coalition believes that the will of the majority of Californians has not carried enough weight at the federal level. So, while their initiative does not directly call for California succession, it does push for the governor to negotiate for more autonomy for the state.

Although no legislators have come out in favor of the petition, the organization hopes to see it on the November 2018 ballot.

Those opposed to the initiative showed up to protest. President Donald Trump supporters believed succession would be treason.

However, many vied for rural California to instead pull from the state and become the State of Jefferson. </s> SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Supporters of making California an independent nation are beginning their second longshot attempt to recruit voters by submitting a new proposed ballot measure.

The measure being submitted to state officials Friday by the separatist California Freedom Coalition takes a more gradual approach than one withdrawn by an earlier group last month.

It would have the governor negotiate with the federal government to give California more autonomy as what supporters call a “nation within a nation.” Or the talks could eventually lead to full independence.
• Calexit group ends effort to break from U.S.

About a dozen supporters gathered outside the state Capitol were met by a nearly equal number of American flag-carrying protesters who want California to remain part of the United States.

The coalition must collect more than 585,000 signatures to qualify for next year’s ballot.

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The secretary of state's office confirmed Monday that Marcus Ruiz Evans, vice president of the Yes California Independence Campaign, notified officials he intends to withdraw the California Nationhood ballot measure.

The group's president, Louis Marinelli, says in a message to supporters that he is seeking permanent residence in Russia. He says supporters may try again to separate California from the United States at a later date.

The movement drew extra interest after last year's election of Republican Donald Trump as president.

Marinelli says the group has nearly 100,000 registered supporters. Supporters needed more than 585,000 signatures by July to put a measure on the ballot. </s> SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) – Supporters of making California an independent nation are beginning their second longshot attempt to recruit voters by submitting a new proposed ballot measure.

The measure being submitted to state officials Friday by the separatist California Freedom Coalition takes a more gradual approach than one withdrawn by an earlier group last month.

It would have the governor negotiate with the federal government to give California more autonomy as what supporters call a “nation within a nation.” Or the talks could eventually lead to full independence.

About a dozen supporters gathered outside the state Capitol were met by a nearly equal number of American flag-carrying protesters who want California to remain part of the United States.

The coalition must collect more than 585,000 signatures to qualify for next year’s ballot. </s> The question could appear on a statewide ballot in 2018 if a group of secessionists has its way.

Yes California has been pushing for the state to break away from the United States and become its own country for several years.

Marcus Evans, the vice president of Yes California, filed a proposed ballot measure with the Attorney General’s Office on Monday that would appear on the November 2018 gubernatorial ballot.

“We always thought that if we just connected with the people who thought about this, but didn’t tell their friends and family because they would be seen as kooky and weird, that the quiet population would become vocal,” Evans said. “If you don’t want to support our suggestion, that’s fine. Let’s just have the conversation and discuss the facts.”

Yes California’s plan to secede is a long shot.

The measure aimed at the 2018 ballot attempts to strike language from the California Constitution that says the state is “an inseparable part of the United States of America, and the United States Constitution is the supreme law of the land.” It also asks voters if they want to secede from the country.

If voters approve the measure, it would establish a special election in March 2019 to ask voters again if they want California to become an independent country, Yes California wrote in a ballot measure filing.

More than half of the registered voters in the state must participate in the special election and at least 55 percent must vote “yes” for the proposal to move forward, according to information submitted by the group. If voters approve the measure, “the governor shall carry and shepherd an application for the newly independent Republic of California to join the United Nations,” they say.

Louis J. Marinelli, president of Yes California, said the group plans to go through the United Nations to seek independence because they don’t believe Congress would sign off on a California exit plan.

“We’re not ashamed about going around Washington to achieve it,” Marinelli said. “Congress can’t tie its shoes. We can wait our whole life while Congress tries to grapple with this, and they won’t do anything.”

But one expert says not so fast.

Daniel Farber is a law professor at U.C. Berkeley and has written about secessionist movements throughout America’s history.

Yes California’s plan to appeal to the United Nations wouldn’t hold up in court, he said. Other countries might hesitate to embrace California as an independent nation anyway, particularly if issues of currency and military were not negotiated with the remainder of the country first. Other nations likely wouldn’t want to “risk the blowback of being on the losing side,” he said.

The only legal avenue for California to secede requires the state to win approval by two-thirds of Congress and three-quarters of the states in the country, he said. Farber pointed to a Supreme Court decision, Texas vs. White, in 1869 that said Texas “entered into an indissoluble relation” when it became part of the United States. The case related to bonds sold by Texas during the Civil War.

“I don’t think it gets to the point where we have to worry about those details and how to make it work,” Farber said. “Many of us have had that thought from time to time, but in the end it’s not really a feasible option as far as I can see.”

Evans said the group filed the ballot proposal in response to an uptick in support in a deep-blue state following the election of Donald Trump.

About 11,000 people liked the Facebook page for Yes California Independence Campaign on election night. The group was nearly to 28,000 likes as of Monday. Supporters have even dubbed the movement “Calexit,” playing off “Brexit,” Britain’s historic decision to leave the European Union in June.

Now the group needs to gather more than half a million signatures from registered California voters for the proposal to qualify for the ballot.

Yes California’s main argument is that California and the U.S. have conflicting values, and the state pays more than its fair share in federal taxes to subsidize other states. Meanwhile, he said, the state’s infrastructure is crumbling, schools are failing and millions of people live in poverty. Evans believes California, which would have the world’s sixth-largest economy if it were a standalone country, would be better off as an independent nation.
The campaign for California secession files a petition to seek signatures.