Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility

Prime Minister of Yemen’s Houthi Government Killed in Israeli Strike

21 hours ago

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott Signs Law Redrawing Congressional Maps

2 days ago

US Air Force will Offer Military Funeral Honors to Slain Capitol Rioter

2 days ago

US Republican Senator Joni Ernst Will Not Run for Re-Election, CBS News Reports

2 days ago

Wall Street Falls as Dell, Nvidia Drive Tech Losses

2 days ago

US Denies Visas to Palestinian Officials Ahead of UN General Assembly

2 days ago

Minneapolis Children Revealed Courage, Absorbed Fear During Church Shooting

3 days ago

Ford Recalls Nearly 500,000 Vehicles Over Brake Fluid Leak

3 days ago

Fresno-Bound Passenger Says Delta Attendant Slapped Him, Seeks $20M

3 days ago
Will You Get To Vote on 3 Californias? Maybe Not.
BILL NEW PROFILE IMAGE
By Bill McEwen, News Director
Published 7 years ago on
July 10, 2018

Share

SACRAMENTO — Opponents of an initiative to split California into three states asked the state Supreme Court to pull the measure from the ballot, arguing it’s too drastic a change to state government to go through the normal initiative process.
A lawsuit filed Monday by the Planning and Conservation League argues major changes to the state’s government structure require approval from two-thirds of the Legislature before going under consideration by voters or a state constitutional convention.

“It would not surprise me if the court took this off the ballot.” — UC Hastings law professor Michael Salerno
The initiative would break the state into Northern California, California and Southern California.
Northern California would comprise the Bay Area, Silicon Valley, Sacramento and counties north of the current state capital. California would be a strip of land along the coast stretching from Los Angeles to Monterey. Southern California would include Fresno and the surrounding farming communities, reaching all the way to San Diego and the Mexican border.

State’s High Court Has Derailed Other Initiatives

The California Supreme Court has tossed initiatives in the past after ruling they went too far in changing government structure.
For example, in 1990 the court got rid of part of a measure to reform the state’s criminal justice system after voters passed it because the court found it revised the state Constitution beyond what could be done through an initiative.
In another case in 2000, the court struck a measure on lawmaker compensation and redistricting from the ballot before it went to voters because the justices found it violated the state’s single-subject rule, which requires that initiatives deal with just one issue.
Venture capitalist Tim Draper is financing the “Cal 3” initiative in his latest attempt to divide the state. He has spent more than $1.7 million supporting it. The nation’s most populous state has become too difficult to govern because of its size, wealth disparities and geographic diversity, Draper and the initiative’s supporters argue.

No Comment From Draper

Draper did not comment on the lawsuit because he had not seen it. A spokeswoman for the initiative also did not comment.
Draper’s measure is an abuse of the ballot initiative system, said Carlyle Hall, a lawyer working on the lawsuit.
“The dislocation and the disruption that would be caused by something as great as this just can’t be understated,” he said. “This will not make things better.”

Law Professors React

Michael Salerno, a law professor at UC Hastings, described the change that the initiative is trying to make as profound.
“It would not surprise me if the court took this off the ballot,” he said.
Loyola law professor Jessica Levinson said it makes sense for opponents to argue that the initiative substantially revises the state’s governing structure, but she added that judges are often reluctant to pull measures from the ballot.
The initiative could harm the environment if California’s strong environmental protections are scrapped and replaced with something weaker, which could happen if the state were split, Hall said.
Draper’s last attempt to divide the state in six didn’t gather enough signatures to make the ballot in 2016.
Although California, as it exists today, is heavily Democratic, the newly proposed Southern California might not be. Democrats have only a slim registration advantage over Republicans in that region.

DON'T MISS

What Are Fresno Real Estate Experts Predicting for 2025 and Beyond?

DON'T MISS

First California EV Mandates Hit Automakers This Year. Most Are Not Even Close

DON'T MISS

Bulldogs Check All the Boxes in Runaway Win Over Georgia Southern

DON'T MISS

Judge Blocks Pillar of Trump’s Mass Deportation Campaign

DON'T MISS

Classic Cars Will Still Need a Smog Test in California After Lawmakers Reject Jay Leno Bill

DON'T MISS

Visalia Driver Arrested for DUI After Multiple Crashes and Pedestrian Injured

DON'T MISS

Dollar Trades Lower With Fed Cut In View, On Course For Monthly Drop

DON'T MISS

Visalia Semi Crash Injures Amazon Truck Driver After Red Light Collision

DON'T MISS

Evacuation of Gaza City Would Be Unsafe and Unfeasible, Says Head of Red Cross

DON'T MISS

A Goodbye Love Note to My Dog: Remembering My Best Friend Harriet

DON'T MISS

Most Trump Tariffs Are Not Legal, US Appeals Court Rules

DON'T MISS

New $250 Visa Fee Risks Deepening US Travel Slump

UP NEXT

Dollar Trades Lower With Fed Cut In View, On Course For Monthly Drop

UP NEXT

California Schools Reverse Truancy Trends. Improving Reading Scores Could Be Next

UP NEXT

High-Speed Rail Hits a New Snag as Lawmakers Reject Proposal to Expedite Construction

UP NEXT

Lawsuit Links CA Teen’s Suicide To Artificial Intelligence

UP NEXT

Hearing Ends Without Ruling On Trump’s Firing Of Fed Governor Cook

UP NEXT

Gov. Newsom Launches New Task Force To Clear CA Homeless Encampments

UP NEXT

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott Signs Law Redrawing Congressional Maps

UP NEXT

Fresno vs. Clovis: Which City Is Cheaper to Live in Right Now?

UP NEXT

Kim Harvey Named Executive Producer of ‘CBS Evening News’

UP NEXT

US CDC Director Ousted Weeks Into Job

Bill McEwen,
News Director
Bill McEwen is news director and columnist for GV Wire. He joined GV Wire in August 2017 after 37 years at The Fresno Bee. With The Bee, he served as Opinion Editor, City Hall reporter, Metro columnist, sports columnist and sports editor through the years. His work has been frequently honored by the California Newspapers Publishers Association, including authoring first-place editorials in 2015 and 2016. Bill and his wife, Karen, are proud parents of two adult sons, and they have two grandsons. You can contact Bill at 559-492-4031 or at Send an Email

Visalia Driver Arrested for DUI After Multiple Crashes and Pedestrian Injured

21 hours ago

Dollar Trades Lower With Fed Cut In View, On Course For Monthly Drop

21 hours ago

Visalia Semi Crash Injures Amazon Truck Driver After Red Light Collision

21 hours ago

Evacuation of Gaza City Would Be Unsafe and Unfeasible, Says Head of Red Cross

21 hours ago

A Goodbye Love Note to My Dog: Remembering My Best Friend Harriet

21 hours ago

Most Trump Tariffs Are Not Legal, US Appeals Court Rules

21 hours ago

New $250 Visa Fee Risks Deepening US Travel Slump

21 hours ago

Prime Minister of Yemen’s Houthi Government Killed in Israeli Strike

21 hours ago

California Schools Reverse Truancy Trends. Improving Reading Scores Could Be Next

21 hours ago

High-Speed Rail Hits a New Snag as Lawmakers Reject Proposal to Expedite Construction

21 hours ago

Bulldogs Check All the Boxes in Runaway Win Over Georgia Southern

Matt Entz got his first victory as Fresno State football coach. He called it exciting. The Bulldogs’ offensive and defensive lines sho...

8 hours ago

No. 6 Bryson Donelson celebrates after scoring a touchdown for the Fresno State Bulldogs over the Georgia Southern Eagles on Aug. 30, 2025. (Fresno State)
8 hours ago

Bulldogs Check All the Boxes in Runaway Win Over Georgia Southern

Image of man being detained in Denver by ICE agents
18 hours ago

Judge Blocks Pillar of Trump’s Mass Deportation Campaign

California lawmakers killed “Leno’s Law,” a bill to exempt classic cars from smog checks, despite Jay Leno’s support and bipartisan backing. (Shutterstock)
20 hours ago

Classic Cars Will Still Need a Smog Test in California After Lawmakers Reject Jay Leno Bill

A Visalia man was arrested Friday, Aug. 29, 2025, for DUI and other charges after a series of crashes downtown left a pedestrian with minor injuries. (Visalia PD)
21 hours ago

Visalia Driver Arrested for DUI After Multiple Crashes and Pedestrian Injured

21 hours ago

Dollar Trades Lower With Fed Cut In View, On Course For Monthly Drop

An Amazon semi ran a red light and collided with another truck in Visalia early Saturday, Aug. 30, 2025, seriously injuring the driver. (Visalia PD)
21 hours ago

Visalia Semi Crash Injures Amazon Truck Driver After Red Light Collision

Displaced Palestinians ride on a vehicle loaded with belongings as they flee from one area to another within Gaza City, amid an Israeli military operation, in Gaza City, August 29, 2025. (Reuters File)
21 hours ago

Evacuation of Gaza City Would Be Unsafe and Unfeasible, Says Head of Red Cross

Mell Garcia says a heartfelt goodbye to her dog Harriet after 13 years, cherishing their memories and celebrating the love they shared. (Special to GV Wire)
21 hours ago

A Goodbye Love Note to My Dog: Remembering My Best Friend Harriet

Search

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Send this to a friend