Voters in Del Norte and Tehama, with a combined population of about 91,000, will decide June 3 on an advisory measure that asks each county's board of supervisors to join a wider effort to form a 51st state named Jefferson. The steps involved in trying to become the country's 51st state are steep, first requiring approval from the state Legislature, then from Congress. "We have the water, forests, timber, we have the minerals. A separate effort by Silicon Valley venture capitalist Tim Draper, borne out of the same belief that the state of 38 million has become ungovernable, would create "six Californias," including a state of Jefferson comprised of 13 counties.
– Could the 51st state be wedged between California and Oregon? Voters in two northern California counties will tomorrow weigh in on the question, Reuters reports. Activists in Del Norte and Tehama Counties want to break away from the Golden State, linking parts of northern California and southern Oregon together as the state of Jefferson. Other nearby counties have already backed the separation effort, the AP notes, though actually seceding would require state and federal approval. And that approval seems unlikely, an expert tells Reuters. "There is no incentive" for federal officials to pass the measure, he says. “If you’re one of 100 senators, you don’t want to become one of 102." Pro-separation activists in the sparsely populated area are tired of having little representation in state government. "We have 11 counties up here that share one state senator," says movement leader Aaron Funk. Some in the conservative region feel disconnected from the state's urban areas. Up to 16 California counties could choose to join the movement, backers say, covering a quarter of the state's land but far less of its population, the AP notes. The name Jefferson is linked to Thomas Jefferson's concept of a possible republic in the west. Click for another proposed split.