“Anyone you ask has a horror story. At some point we have to decide enough is enough and deal with it in a radically new way.”
— Jeff Stone
Indeed.
As the followers of this blog are well aware, I have many such stories.
Jeff Stone, a Republican county supervisor, has proposed that thirteen southern and eastern California counties secede from the state.
And Los Angeles is not invited.
According to The New York Times, this little movement is starting to strike a chord with many Californians. Stone claims “his office has been inundated with thousands of e-mails, letters and phone calls supporting his call for secession.”
Apparently, this is not the first time California counties have discussed breaking away from the Union. There have been more than 200 proposals since 1850.
However, there is one key problem with Stone’s proposal. The counties that want to secede likely contribute to a much smaller percentage of California’s overall GDP than “Blue” California, which would retain the dual dynamos of Silicon Valley and Hollywood.
All kidding aside, the best way to solve California’s problems is to call a statewide Constitutional Convention, in which everything is in play.
That means potentially doing away with California’s referendum system, which has been a failed experiment in direct democracy. It also means potentially abolishing the “popular” Proposition 13, which is effectively a wealth transfer from the poorer, younger generation, to the wealthier, elder generation.
Reflections of a Rational Republican 
I agree Sean – the referendum system is strangling California. Constitutional referendums are a short sighted band-aid approach to governing, by people who don’t get the ‘big picture’. Florida is doing more and more of it. Bad system.
By the way, I forgot to mention another reason why southern secession would be a bad idea for these counties aside from limited GDP. They need our water in Northern California.
Anyway, the referendum system is crazy. Too many bread and circuses.
If Southern California feels that it is overwhelmed by Sacramento and it’s fools, then the threat of secession may be right .
I agree that Sacramento is out of control, but some of the counties that want to secede consume a ton of the state’s resources, but contribute little to the state’s coffers. Take the county of San Bernadino for instance. At one point, the county had over 20% unemployment.
I agree with the sentiment, but not with the solution. These folks really haven’t thought through the implications of this course of action. I think a constitutional convention is the only way out of this mess.