Photo: YesCalifornia 
 
 Like the talk of secession in conservative southern states after Barack Obama became president, the idea of a separate California Republic builds on long-standing separatist feelings amplified by a momentous national election. Since Donald Trump became president while securing less than a third of the vote in California, the Yes California campaign — a.k.a. Calexit — has gotten a lot of attention and perhaps even some momentum in getting an initial measure placed on the 2018 general election ballot. An estimated 7,000 volunteers have begun amassing the 585,407 signatures necessary to place a constitutional amendment on the 2018 ballot deleting the state’s adherence to the United States and authorizing a 2019 referendum on independence. 
 
 The arguments for Calexit are pretty simple: The state is drifting ever-further away from the rest of the country in cultural attitudes and public policies, especially with respect to immigration and the environment. California’s size and wealth (its GDP is similar to that of France) make it the one state that might make a go of it alone. It is also a “donor state” when it comes to the relationship of federal taxes collected from Californians to the federal spending conducted there; one recent analysis showed California ranking 46th among the states in relative dependence on Washington. 
 
 But it’s clear the main reason for sudden interest in Calexit is Donald J. Trump, and the possibility a federal Republican regime under his direction would preempt California preferences on a wide range of issues. Even though Governor Jerry Brown and other statewide Democratic elected officials have kept their distance from Calexit, the saber-rattling they have conducted about the state’s willingness to fight Trump and the GOP in court has undoubtedly fed the Calexit sentiment. The latest Trump provocation, threatening sanctuary cities with the cancellation of all federal funds, is being perceived by both his friends and enemies as mainly aimed at the Golden State. 
 
 By some definitions, the entire state of California is a sanctuary state. A law passed in 2014 prohibits local jails from holding immigrants any longer than required by criminal law, with exceptions for violent and other serious crimes. And most counties in the state also prohibit holding immigrants beyond their sentence if federal immigration agents do not have a judicial order. And legislation currently making its way through the Legislature would further expand the law, by prohibiting all state and local law enforcement agencies to respond to requests from immigration authorities. 
 
 Having said all that, the process required to make Calexit a reality is not just daunting: It’s basically impossible. The first part is the easiest: If Yes California can get its initiative onto the 2018 ballot, it needs only 50-percent-plus-one approval to amend the state constitution. But then the 2019 referendum it authorizes is on shaky legal ground, and according to Yes California’s own ground rules, it would only “pass” if 50 percent of registered voters participated and 55 percent voted for independence. The participation standard alone sets a pretty high bar for success in an off-year election; turnout in the last regular midterm election was only 42 percent. 
 
 If a Calexit referendum in California succeeded, of course, it would only take effect if the rest of the country went along with it. That would mean a constitutional amendment requiring two-thirds votes in Congress and ratification by three-fourths of the states, or the first constitutional convention since 1787. The only alternative, unilateral secession, was tried in 1861, as close scholars of history could tell you, and it did not work out well. 
 
 What the whole Calexit movement really represents is a cry of defiance against Trump, and against the temporary national triumph of people who are fine with melting down the polar ice caps to build more strip malls, instituting racial profiling as a cherished national law-enforcement policy, and criminalizing abortion. Any number of developments could take the steam out of Calexit, including the collapse of the Republican Party amid internecine quarreling. In any case, it ain’t happening — but it’s still a convenient lightning rod for real West Coast fury. And interest in the idea will get a boost from contemptuous conservatives who have long regarded the state as a nature preserve for hippies, sodomites, and border-crashers. There’s nothing like the prospect of secession to dramatize Americans’ very real differences. ||||| From his home in Russia, #Calexit leader plots California secession 
 
 This article originally appeared on KQED.org. 
 
 On paper, the leader of the California secession movement lives in an apartment complex near San Diego's Golden Hill neighborhood. But in reality, the Calexit campaign is being run by a 30-year-old who lives and works in a city on the edge of Siberia. 
 
 Louis Marinelli heads the secessionist group Yes California. Following the election of Donald Trump to the presidency, the organization has gone from an unknown fringe group to one discussed seriously in mainstream media. 
 
 What has not been discussed as prominently is Marinelli's deep ties to Russia. 
 
 A former right-wing activist from Buffalo, New York, Marinelli first moved to Russia almost a decade ago. He studied at St. Petersburg State University, the alma mater of Russian President Vladimir Putin. He returned to the United States to campaign against LGBTQ rights as part of the National Organization for Marriage. 
 
 Marinelli then returned to Russia. He would marry a Russian citizen, and the couple moved to San Diego, where Marinelli launched a political career based on a platform of California secession. 
 
 "I immigrated to California, and I consider myself to be a Californian," Marinelli says from his apartment in Yekaterinburg, a city of about 1.4 million just east of the Ural Mountains and about 1,000 miles from Moscow. 
 
 In an interview with The California Report, Marinelli confirms he's living and working in Russia as a teacher. 
 
 "I wanted to handle some personal issues in my family, regarding immigration," Marinelli explains of his long stay in Russia. "My wife is from Russia. I'm here handling various personal issues. But at the same time, we have some political goals we can achieve while I'm here." 
 
 Those political goals include establishing a California embassy in Moscow, Marinelli says. 
 
 "We're starting a dialogue about California becoming an independent country," Marinelli says. "And I'm able to speak with the media here. I've been in the TV and the radio and the newspaper several times here in Russia." 
 
 In fact, Marinelli's movement was covered almost exclusively in outlets funded by the Russian government and Communist Party before picking up more mainstream attention in the past few months. The ascendancy of his secessionist organization says just as much about the state of media as it does about the Russian government's ability to sway U.S. public opinion. 
 
 Russian Coverage Turns Into American News 
 
 The Yes California campaign aims to get a referendum question on the primary ballot in 2019. It would ask voters to strike language in the state Constitution that recognizes the supremacy of the U.S. government. It would also ask voters whether California should secede. 
 
 Similar proposals to split up the state or have it withdraw from the Union have failed to make the ballot on legal grounds. Prior to November, the Yes California campaign had not filed required paperwork with the state, let alone started the signature-gathering process. 
 
 Despite these significant obstacles for the group — and with little, if any, grass-roots support for the campaign — Russian media outlets covered Marinelli's effort in earnest. Several times, the Communist Party's Pravda newspaper covered the Yes California campaign, including this September, when he met with other secessionists at a conference sponsored by the Russian government. 
 
 "[Marinelli] is sure that his organization will manage to carry out a referendum and attain California's independence," a Pravda story said. 
 
 The Yes California group has also been profiled several times on RT, Russia's government-funded, globally focused TV network. 
 
 "Is secession possible?" an RT host asked during a segment in July. "Could that ever occur under [U.S] laws?" 
 
 As for U.S. outlets, those that covered Marinelli and Yes California did so with a tone reserved for weird and outlandish stories. 
 
 In August 2015, the Los Angeles Times did a light Q&A with Marinelli during his quixotic run for the state Assembly (when Yes California was called Sovereign California). And Newsweek profiled Marinelli in June, after the United Kingdom's Brexit vote. 
 
 "By the year 2020, Louis Marinelli hopes to be the Alex Salmond of California," Newsweek wrote, referring to a leading proponent of Scottish independence from the UK. 
 
 It wasn't until Trump's victory last month that mainstream U.S. outlets — including the Sacramento Bee, the L.A. Times and NPR — covered the group more seriously. 
 
 The story got new legs because several influential tech figures took to Twitter to voice their desire for California to leave the union after Trump's election. Among them was Shervin Pishevar, an investor and co-founder of Hyperloop One, a startup promoting a futuristic new transportation technology. 
 
 "If Trump wins I am announcing and funding a legitimate campaign for California to become its own nation," Pishevar tweeted. That message would be retweeted almost 2,000 times, and soon the idea was trending on social media. 
 
 1/ If Trump wins I am announcing and funding a legitimate campaign for California to become its own nation. — Shervin (@shervin) November 9, 2016 
 
 Business Insider picked up on the social media fervor and published a story mentioning both Yes California and Pishevar. Soon, Pishevar was linked to Yes California, bolstering the movement's credibility. And as people, including journalists, searched for terms like "California sovereignty" or "Cal Exit", they found the 
 
 Russian coverage of Louis Marinelli's fringe movement. 
 
 "This is what Russia is great at," says Robert English, an expert on Russia and associate professor of international relations, Slavic languages and environmental studies at USC. "Their media apparatus is so good at spreading disinformation. It makes the line between nutsos and normal people hard to draw." 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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 Photo: JIM WILSON /NYT Image 1 of / 9 Caption Close Image 1 of 9 Latino students protest Donald Trump on the steps at Sproul Plaza at the campus of the University of California, Berkeley on Oct. 9. Now that he will soon be President Trump, immigration concerns are front and center. less Latino students protest Donald Trump on the steps at Sproul Plaza at the campus of the University of California, Berkeley on Oct. 9. Now that he will soon be President Trump, immigration concerns are front and ... more Photo: JIM WILSON /NYT Image 2 of 9 555 California Street anti Trump protest on Tuesday, November 22, 2016 in San Francisco, Calif. 555 California Street anti Trump protest on Tuesday, November 22, 2016 in San Francisco, Calif. Photo: Amy Osborne, Special To The Chronicle Image 3 of 9 Student Carmen Ramirez yelled out, during an anti-Trump protest where most of the deonstrators which students, in Oakland, California, on Monday, Nov. 14, 2016. Student Carmen Ramirez yelled out, during an anti-Trump protest where most of the deonstrators which students, in Oakland, California, on Monday, Nov. 14, 2016. Photo: Gabrielle Lurie, The Chronicle Image 4 of 9 Hundreds of anti-Trump protesters, most of which were students, marched the streets of Oakland, California, on Monday, Nov. 14, 2016. Hundreds of anti-Trump protesters, most of which were students, marched the streets of Oakland, California, on Monday, Nov. 14, 2016. Photo: Gabrielle Lurie, The Chronicle Image 5 of 9 Image 6 of 9 A man holds a sign during an anti-Trump protest, consisting mostly of students who marched the streets of Oakland, California, on Monday, Nov. 14, 2016. A man holds a sign during an anti-Trump protest, consisting mostly of students who marched the streets of Oakland, California, on Monday, Nov. 14, 2016. Photo: Gabrielle Lurie, The Chronicle Image 7 of 9 Student Carla Franco holds up a sign during an anti-Trump protest in Oakland, California, on Monday, Nov. 14, 2016. Student Carla Franco holds up a sign during an anti-Trump protest in Oakland, California, on Monday, Nov. 14, 2016. Photo: Gabrielle Lurie, The Chronicle Image 8 of 9 Alondra Navarro (center) yelled out during an anti-Trump protest, primarly by students, in Oakland, California, on Monday, Nov. 14, 2016. Alondra Navarro (center) yelled out during an anti-Trump protest, primarly by students, in Oakland, California, on Monday, Nov. 14, 2016. Photo: Gabrielle Lurie, The Chronicle Image 9 of 9 From his home in Russia, #Calexit leader plots California secession 1 / 9 Back to Gallery 
 
 The Evolution of a Propaganda War 
 
 English, who also serves as deputy director of USC's School of International Relations, worked as a foreign affairs analyst in the Reagan administration Department of Defense. English says during his time there, he would often see outrageous and patently false stories produced by Soviet propaganda outlets. 
 
 Some of them would make their way into Western media outlets. 
 
 "Take the story that AIDS was created in a lab in Fort Detrick," English says. "Not a true story. Horribly offensive. Cited people who didn't exist. The [Soviets] planted that story with friendly Indian newspapers. Soon it was in Latin America, and eventually the AP would pick it up, and then U.S. officials are being asked about it on the record." 
 
 English says Russia has greatly improved its disinformation techniques. 
 
 "But today it's more nefarious because it looks better," English says. "It doesn't look like it's on the fringe." 
 
 English says the goal of Russian propaganda is not to create an instant calamity that leads to revolution. Rather, it's designed to exploit existing tensions in Western and U.S. society. For example, the AIDS-Fort Detrick story was planted to amplify existing distrust between India, Latin America and the U.S. 
 
 English says sowing domestic political divisions in the U.S. appears to be the motivating factor in supporting Yes California. 
 
 Marinelli's effort is endorsed by the Kremlin, which hosted Yes California as part of an anti-globalization conference in Moscow in September. The conference was paid for by the Russian government, and the pictures of Marinelli flanked by other "freedom fighters" from Texas ("Texit," anyone?), Catalonia, Ireland and Puerto Rico provided Yes California a veneer of legitimacy. 
 
 It's a similar approach Russia took when Nigel Farage — the leader of the anti-EU party UKIP — was still considered a fringe character. 
 
 RT even offered Farage his own show on the network. 
 
 These efforts by Putin's Kremlin to prop up fringe causes have been a concern of U.S. officials for several years. In a speech last year at the Brookings Institution, Vice President Joe Biden warned of Russian attempts to influence Western elections in 2015. 
 
 "The Kremlin is working hard to buy off and co-opt European political forces, funding both right-wing and left-wing anti-systemic forces," Biden said. "President Putin sees such political force as useful tools, to be manipulated, to create cracks in the European body politic, which he can then exploit." 
 
 Biden added: "These actions are abetted by a hyperaggressive Russian propaganda machine that actively spreads disinformation, and does it very well." 
 
 USC's English says it's important to remember that the U.S., too, is waging a campaign — against Putin. 
 
 "In 2011, you had President Obama's administration breach the norm and suggest Putin's party committed election fraud," English says. "There couldn't be more direct interference than having the U.S. administration saying, 'We don't want Putin.' " 
 
 English also notes that the U.S. is believed to be behind recent Ukrainian hacks of sensitive Russian government emails. Meantime, the CIA has concluded that Russia was behind the effort to hack and release Democratic campaign emails in an effort to get Trump elected. 
 
 Russia has also been tied to fake news stories that were damaging to Clinton's candidacy. 
 
 "We're in this place where news consumers honestly have no idea what they're consuming," says Kelly McBride, vice president of the Poynter Institute. "Some of the fake news is really bad actors trying to negatively influence the American democratic process in order to change the balance of world events. You know, somebody sitting on the other end, clicking their fingers together, going 
 
 'Mwha-hah-hah-hah.' Like, it's really that bad." 
 
 Russian Influence Seen in Secession Debates Across U.S. 
 
 Russia supports other secessionist efforts in the U.S., including the Free Vermont movement, and the "Texit" movement in Texas. 
 
 In an interview, Texas Nationalist Movement President Daniel Miller says his group got a "small grant" from the Russian government. However, Miller declined to disclose how much money the Kremlin gave his group. 
 
 He does say the cash helped offset costs of attending a Moscow conference of the Anti-Globalization Movement of Russia, a Kremlin-backed group that supports Western separatist movements. 
 
 Miller says he welcomes Russia's — and any other countries' — support in his quest for local "self-determination." 
 
 He also dismisses concerns that Russia is working with a movement that could weaken the United States if its aims are achieved. 
 
 "Our viewpoints are aligned, in that both Russia and us agree that local self-determination is the best form of government," Miller says. "But ultimately, Russia is not our concern." 
 
 While initially dismissed as a fringe group, the Texit movement has come close to inserting secessionist language into the platform of the Texas Republican Party. Miller expects his movement will be successful at the party's next state convention. 
 
 "We also plan on having legislation filed [at the statehouse]," Miller says. "We've been working with a couple prominent Republicans and I expect to see this issue to be talked about in Austin." 
 
 Miller adds that his movement existed long before Vladimir Putin came back to power in 2011. 
 
 "This isn't a Manchurian candidate situation," says USC's Robert English. "There has to be divisions that exist for Putin to exploit." 
 
 Louis Marinelli acknowledges that Putin is helping secession movements –- including his own Yes California campaign –- as part of a broader strategy to curb U.S. influence. 
 
 "I kinda don't blame them," Marinelli says. "Because it's what the United States has been doing to them, and to every country around the world." 
 
 But while the Texit and other secessionist movements may have existed before the Kremlin took the strategy of influencing Western elections, Yes California did not. 
 
 Marinelli denies he has received direct support of any kind from the Russian government, including financial grants similar to those given to the Texit movement. 
 
 Marinelli says he's happy to talk to anyone about California secession –- although while he's in Russia, it will have to be by email or over the phone. 
 
 "I'm a proud Californian," Marinelli says. "And I intend to return to California to help this campaign for independence." 
 
 This article originally appeared on KQED.org. ||||| A group trying to get California to secede from the United States said the results of the presidential election give their cause new momentum. 
 
 Supporters of the campaign for California to secede from the United States can now begin collecting the hundreds of thousands of signatures they need to get a proposed "Calexit" initiative on the ballot. 
 
 If the measure gets on the ballot and gains approval by a majority of voters, it would repeal clauses in the California Constitution stating that the state is an "inseparable part of the United States" and that the U.S. Constitution is the "supreme law of the land," according to the title and summary prepared by the state attorney general's office.
– The far-fetched idea of California seceding from the nation took a tiny step forward this week. California's secretary of state agreed to allow a group called Yes California to begin collecting signatures for a ballot measure, reports the Los Angeles Times. If 585,407 are collected by July 25—a high hurdle for the relatively small group—a proposal will land on the 2018 ballot to erase lines in the state Constitution outlining California as "an inseparable part of the United States" and the US Constitution as the "supreme law of the land." If passed, it would set up a 2019 vote on whether California should become "a free, sovereign and independent country." Even if that passed, huge hurdles remain. Secession would require a constitutional amendment, with two-thirds support in both the US House and Senate and ratification by at least 38 states. "It's basically impossible," notes a post at New York. The idea of a "Calexit" has been in the works since 2014, but the Wall Street Journal notes that it got a boost after Donald Trump's election as a mostly jokey way to register opposition. Seems nuts? "I think we'd have the votes today," says a group co-founder, who argues that California gives the federal government more money than it receives and is "culturally" separate from the rest of the country. "America already hates California, and America votes on emotions." Adds a rep for the California National Party, which supports secession in the long-term but not the current effort, "It's certainly as likely as Donald Trump becoming president." (The movement already has a Moscow "embassy".)