(RNN) – Will there soon be three Californias? Voters will decide this fall.
The Cal 3 initiative, which would split the state into North California, California and South California, collected more than 400,000 valid signatures, more than double the amount needed to qualify for the ballot.
“This milestone is a testament to the energized spirit of Californians wanting to create a better future for themselves and their communities,” said Citizens for Cal 3 spokeswoman Peggy Grande.
“This November, all Californians have the opportunity to send the message they are ready for solutions to our most pressing state issues in failing education, crumbling infrastructure, sky-high taxes and stagnation in state government.”
Each proposed state would have from 12 to 14 million people.
Northern California - This would include 40 counties including the San Francisco Bay Area and the remaining counties north of Sacramento.
California - This would include six counties: Los Angeles, Ventura, Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, Monterey and San Benito counties.
Southern California - This would include 12 counties: San Diego, San Bernardino, Orange, Riverside, Mono, Madera, Inyo, Tulare, Fresno, Kings, Kern and Imperial counties.
“The growing discontent with the ineffectiveness of the current state government system is apparent with the success of this first step,” Grande said. “All Californians deserve more from their state, and with Cal 3, more regional responsiveness and more meaningful results will create a promising future for everyone.”
If voters approve the measure, it would still have to be ratified by Congress.
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