One year ago, Congress defunded public media. Now that we're 100% community funded, please become a sustaining member or increase your existing membership today.
This is an archival story that predates current editorial management.
This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.
Calexit Moves One Step Closer To Calreality
Photo Courtesy of Yes California Independence Campaign via Facebook
Live in California? Stressed out by President Trump's first week in office? Here's some hopeful news for you: proponents of the so-called "CalExit" are one step closer to seceding California from the United States.
According to City News Service, California Secretary of State Alex Padilla has given the green light to the Yes California Independence Campaign to begin collecting signatures needed to officially put the issue of secession on the ballot.
The petition needs to collect eight percent of the total votes cast for governor in 2014—that's 585,407 signatures— in the next 180 days to make it to the November 2018 ballot, notes City News Service. Once it makes it onto the November 2018 ballot, voters will be asked if they want a special statewide election in 2019 to decide if the Golden State should become an independent nation, according to The Hill
"California is a conquered territory which was annexed and made a state by an act of Congress but the people of California never actually affirmatively voted to join the union like the people of the other states had the chance to do," said Louis J. Marinelli, president of the campaign. "This puts us in a unique position where international law supports our right to self-determination and we designed this initiative to first establish a mandate for independence."
How would California fare? We are the world's sixth largest economy (suck it, France), and our population size ranks us above Poland as number 36, globally.
According to the Los Angeles Times, if state voters approve the secession, it will repeal clauses in the state constitution that designate California as an "inseparable part of the United States" and uphold the U.S. Constitution as the "supreme law of the land".
"The relationship between California and the federal system just isn't working," Marcus Ruiz Evans, vice president of Yes California, said. "Now that America chose Trump, no one is debating with us that America is failing. So then the question becomes, do you want to go down with the sinking ship, knowing that you have a ship that's able to sail the international economy on it's own?"
One year ago, Congress voted to defund public media, eliminating a critical $1.7 million from our budget every year going forward. But they couldn’t silence us, and we’re not going anywhere. LAist is now 100% community funded and that means we’re taking our future into our own hands and turning to you to keep local reporting strong.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Senior Vice President News, Editor in Chief
