Thread: 6 Californias Initiative Fails To Qualify For 2016 Ballot

Secretary Of State: 6 Californias Initiative Fails To Qualify For 2016 Ballot

September 12, 2014 2:14 PM



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6 Californias, Jefferson


SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) – A ballot initiative that calls for splitting California into six separate states has failed to qualify for the ballot in 2016.

The secretary of state’s office reported Friday that only 66 percent of the 1.37 million signatures submitted in the effort were projected to be valid.

Silicon Valley venture capitalist Tim Draper submitted the signatures in July as part of an effort he says would give better representation for California’s 38.3 million residents.

He wants to split California into six states called Jefferson, North California, Silicon Valley, Central California, West California and South California.

Critics had noted that the plan would have separated the wealthiest and poorest Californians, potentially creating some of the poorest states in the nation.

http://sacramento.cbslocal.com/2014/...r-2016-ballot/

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By Valerie Richardson - The Washington Times - Friday, September 12, 2014

It looks like there may be only one California for the foreseeable future.
The proposed “six Californias” initiative failed to qualify for the November 2016 ballot after coming up short on a sampling of the submitted signatures, according to figures released Friday by the California Secretary of State.

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PHOTOS: What are the chances?

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Proponents, led by Silicon Valley venture capitalist Tim Draper, submitted 1.137 million signatures, but the sampling found that only 752,685, or 66 percent, were valid. The measure needed 807,615 valid signatures from registered voters to qualify.

But Mr. Draper isn’t giving up. He issued a statement Friday saying that he was confident that a “full check” of the signatures would show that the campaign had cleared the threshold, and that he will decide how to proceed after reviewing the petitions.

“It is unfortunate that the current, archaic, system has delayed this process. It is yet another example of the dysfunction of the current system and reinforces the need for six fresh, modern governments,” Draper said.

“In the meantime, we will work with the Secretary of State to verify all of the signatures gathered during the petition process.”

Mr. Draper had spent $5.2 million on the Six Californias initiative, which would have divided the nation’s most populous state into six smaller states: Jefferson, North California, Silicon Valley, West California, and South California.

Mr. Draper had argued that the six states would better represent their residents, but critics argued that the proposal was unrealistic and took attention from more realistic solutions to California’s problems.

“Six Californias was a solution in search of a problem that didn’t address any of our state’s challenges,” former Assembly Speaker Fabian Nuñez, chairman of One California, told the Sacramento Bee. “The implosion of this ballot measure spares us from a two-year campaign of bashing our great state, which continues to be the nation’s bastion of innovation, diversity, and progress.”

A recent Field Poll found that most Californians weren’t yet sold on the idea, with 59 percent saying they opposed the split.

Read more: http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/...#ixzz3DEBpIgh4