Republican makes push to split California in two

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (CN) — A top California Republican on Wednesday called for the state to split into two, pointing to what he called Democrats’ recent efforts to strip the North State of its political voice.

However, two political science professors see the effort by Assemblymember and Minority Leader James Gallagher as little more than performative politics with little, if any, chance of success.

Gallagher, a Yuba City Republican, called for a “two state solution.” His legislation, Assembly Joint Resolution 23, would make a new state out of 35 inland counties. He said the new state, not yet named, would have a population of some 10 million people and be an economic juggernaut.

“Maybe gas will be $10 a gallon by the time you’re done,” Gallagher said of Democrats. “But we’d like to pursue different policies.”

Gallagher pointed to a growing dissatisfaction in inland counties with the Democratic-controlled Legislature. Governor Gavin Newsom’s push to redraw the state’s congressional lines, passed by Democrats and signed last week by the governor, was a step too far.

Newsom pushed for a special November election to set aside the state’s independent citizens redistricting commission in favor of maps that skew toward Democrats through the 2030 election. The move came after President Donald Trump asked Texas Governor Greg Abbott to redistrict his state to give Republicans another five seats in the U.S. House of Representatives.

For Gallagher, it comes down to two arguments: representation and self-determination. The gerrymander of California’s congressional districts takes away the political voice of rural California, which already faces a Democratic supermajority in the Legislature.

That leaves the politically voiceless with the option to form their own state.

“I’m saying, Gavin, let my people go,” Gallagher said.

Creating a new state is process found in the U.S. Constitution. However, it requires the Legislature of the state affected and Congress to approve it.

Wesley Hussey, a political science professor at Sacramento State University, told Courthouse News that Gallagher’s effort is more a political maneuver to gain attention and draw a bright line between Democrats and Republicans.

The minority party already has tried to stymie the special election. First, they asked the state Supreme Court to stop the process because lawmakers failed to provide a required 30-day public review period. Then they filed another suit arguing, among other things, that a ballot question can’t propose a question about two different subjects.

The November measure would ask voters whether they want the new maps approved and if they want the state to ask Congress to promote independent citizens commissions.

“I don’t think we should take it too seriously,” Hussey said. “I don’t think the minority Republicans are taking it too seriously.”

Hussey noted that the process of forming a new state is not easy. He questioned why any state would permit part of its population to leave, as that equates to federal dollars it can receive. He added that Congress also has no desire to see the creation of another California.

James Adams, a UC Davis political science professor, called Gallagher’s proposal the political equivalent of junk food.

“It’s empty calories,” he said, adding later: “I don’t think it’s serious.”

Politicians have always jockeyed for advantage, Adams said, though the formula has changed in recent years. They used to have a semblance that their policies served some public good. Now, even that’s been stripped away.

“They strike me as power grabs pure and simple, and they’re basically presented as such,” Adams said.

He compared the odds of Gallagher’s proposal becoming reality to Trump marrying Taylor Swift.

Contacted by Courthouse News, Newsom’s press office said that someone seeking to split California into another state doesn’t deserve to hold office in the Golden State.

“This is a stunt that will go nowhere,” a spokesperson said in a statement.

Gallagher said Newsom is pushing a ballot measure that, if successful, will remove the North State’s congressional representation. When pushback occurred, the governor then said Gallagher shouldn’t hold office.

“That is precisely the problem,” Gallagher said.