California Supreme Court Squashes Bid To Split State Into Three

California will be staying in one piece, at least for now, after the state's supreme court ruled that a proposal to divide California into three cannot be placed on the ballot in November. 9 is “a costly, flawed scheme” that would “waste billions of California taxpayer dollars, create chaos in public services including safeguarding our environment and literally eliminate the State of California — all to satisfy the whims of one billionaire.”

The measure outlines creating three smaller state governments: Northern California, encompassing San Francisco and 39 other counties; California, covering Los Angeles and five other counties; and Southern California, accounting for areas including Fresno and San Diego. If the state gets split up into three parts, it would be like hitting the reset button and starting over… you won’t know what you’ll get with three new states.”

The Supreme Court ruled on Wednesday in PCL’s favor: “Because significant questions have been raised regarding the proposition’s validity, and because we conclude that the potential harm in permitting the measure to remain on the ballot outweighs the potential harm in delaying the proposition to a future election, respondent Alex Padilla, as Secretary of State of the State of California, is directed to refrain from placing Proposition 9 on the November 6, 2018, ballot.”

Draper responded in a Facebook post, accusing “insiders” of being “in cahoots.” He added:

“The whole point of the initiative process was to be set up as a protection from a government that was no longer representing its people.
The Supreme Court of California blocks Tim Draper's proposition to break California into three states, stating that "significant questions have been raised regarding the proposition's validity".