In this Nov. 9, 2016, file photo, Marcus Ruiz Evans, center, vice president of The Yes California Independence Campaign, talks to about California succeeding from the United States and becoming its own nation in Sacramento, Calif. Ruiz Evan's said Monday, April 17, 2017, that he notified officials that he intends to withdraw the California Nationhood ballot measure.

Start the conversation, or Read more at SFGate. </s> 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> New York – California has announced a proposal, called “Calexit” that would establish it as a separate nation from the U.S., officials have said.

The proposal for California to secede from the U.S. was submitted to the Secretary of State’s Office on Thursday, according to a report.

The proposed “Calexit” initiative was a name borrowed from the UK’s “Brexit” departure from the EU.

“Calexit” would ask voters to repeal part of the state constitution that declares California an inseparable part of the U.S.

A recent poll found that one in three California residents would support a possible secession from the U.S. due to their opposition to President Donald Trump, according to the proposal.

No mention has been made of the president in the proposal.

If the proposal qualifies for the ballot and is approved by voters, it could be a step to a future vote on whether the state would break away from the rest of the nation.

Secretary of State Alex Padilla said the group behind the proposal, ‘Yes California Independence Campaign’, was cleared to begin attempting to collect nearly 600,000 voter signatures needed to place the plan on the ballot.

“In our view, the United States of America represents so many things that conflict with Californian values.

“And our continued statehood means California will continue subsidising the other states to our own detriment, and to the detriment of our children,” the Yes California Independence Campaign’s website says. </s> SACRAMENTO - Supporters of a long-shot bid to make California an independent nation are ending their effort to put it to a statewide vote next year.

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.
• 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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• CONTROVERSIAL BILL WOULD END LIFETIME REGISTRATION FOR CERTAIN SEX OFFENDERS </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> A campaign for California to secede from the rest of the country over Donald Trump's election is gaining momentum, with supporters allowed to start collecting signatures for the measure to be put to a vote.

California's Secretary of State Alex Padilla gave the green light on Thursday for proponents of "California Nationhood" -- also known as Calexit -- to start collecting the nearly 600,000 signatures needed for the measure to qualify on the November 2018 ballot.

The 585,407 signatures required by July 25 represent eight percent of registered voters in California -- the most populous state in the country with nearly 40 million residents and the world's sixth-largest economy.

Should the initiative make it on the ballot, a "Yes" vote would repeal clauses in the California Constitution "stating California is an inseparable part of the United States and that the United States Constitution is the supreme law of the land," a statement by Padilla's office said.

Voters would then need to decide in another referendum in 2019 whether California should become a separate country.

Padilla said the independence measure -- deemed highly unrealistic -- would have a deep impact on the state and would likely face legal challenges.

"Assuming that California actually became an independent nation, the state and its local governments would experience major, but unknown, budgetary impacts," he warned.

"This measure also would result in tens of millions of dollars of one-time state and local election costs."

Calexit enthusiasts, whose campaign is called Yes California, are pushing for independence on grounds the state is out of step with the rest of the US and could flourish on its own.

"In our view, the United States of America represents so many things that conflict with Californian values, and our continued statehood means California will continue subsidizing the other states to our own detriment, and to the detriment of our children," according to their website.

The idea of independence became very appealing to many Californians following Trump's shock election.

Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton easily beat Trump in the progressive state, winning by more than 4.2 million votes, almost double the number of ballots cast for Trump. </s> FILE - In this Nov. 9, 2016, file photo, Marcus Ruiz Evans, center, vice president of The Yes California Independence Campaign, talks to about California succeeding from the United States and becoming its own nation in Sacramento, Calif. Ruiz Evan's said Monday, April 17, 2017, that he notified officials that he intends to withdraw the California Nationhood ballot measure. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli, File)

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Supporters of one long-shot bid to make California an independent nation ended their effort on Monday, while another group said it will launch a new campaign for a statewide vote next year.

The drive to make the nation's most populous state its own country, with what would be the world's sixth-largest economy, has drawn extra interest after last year's election of Republican Donald Trump as president.

But the Yes California Independence Campaign faltered after its president, Louis Marinelli, revealed ties to Russia. Marinelli said in a lengthy message to supporters Monday that he is seeking permanent residence in Russia because of his "frustration, disappointment and disillusionment with the United States."

The secretary of state's office confirmed that Marcus Ruiz Evans, the group's vice president, withdrew the California Nationhood ballot measure.

Evans said he was leaving the Yes California group and joining the California Freedom Coalition, which he described as a grassroots organizing effort that evolved since last year's election.

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The coalition plans to file its own ballot measure in coming weeks, without the baggage of Marinelli's Russian ties, said Steve Gonzales, the new group's secretary-treasurer and board member.

"It prevented Yes California from getting any serious money, I can tell you that," Gonzales said, noting that he is a native Californian who has never been to Russia. The group will accept no foreign money, and contributions from other states must be cleared by the coalition's board, he said.

The coalition would need to collect more than 585,000 signatures to qualify a ballot measure declaring California's independence for the November 2018 ballot. The measure is still being written, Gonzales said.

Congress and 38 states would have had to agree to change the U.S. Constitution to permit California to actually secede.

Marinelli said Yes California had fewer than 97,500 registered supporters. About 8,500 signed up as volunteers, but only about 1,200 had contributed money.

Prior to Trump's election, the group had fewer than 100 volunteers, Marinelli said, and the group received a social media boost with Trump's election.

Marinelli and Evans said California's overwhelming support of Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton and measures legalizing recreational marijuana and reducing crime penalties showed how far California voters were removed from the rest of the nation.

They also equated the movement to last year's decision by the United Kingdom to leave the European Union, dubbed Brexit. California, with its 39 million residents, is often compared to a nation.

Their withdrawn ballot measure would have allowed voters to repeal a part of the state Constitution saying that California is an inseparable part of the United States next year, but left the question of whether California should become a separate country to a future ballot.

Both Marinelli and Evans claimed credit for starting the Calexit campaign.

Marinelli cited his struggle with U.S. officials since 2012 over his wife's immigration status. He praised California officials for their attempts to shield immigrant residents from deportation and said his wife now has her green card.

When California one day becomes independent, Marinelli wrote, "I shall look forward with great satisfaction to return to California and to live once again under our bear flag." </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.
Yes California, the campaign to reinstate the independence of California launches its signature campaign.