A major population center in progressive haven California is considering a peaceful alternative to the state’s culture and governance wars. San Bernardino County appears to be reaching a real crossroads in its relationship with the super-liberal state government. It has voted to study the prospects of seceding from California.
San Bernandino is the fifth-largest California county by population. In last month’s general election, county voters approved a local ballot initiative that directs officials to formally study the issues involved in leaving the state.
Local voters in San Bernardino County do not have the authority on their own to pull out of California to form the 51st state in the union. Under the U.S. Constitution, the county would have to have the approval of the California legislature and Congress to create a new state. The likelihood of such consent is a longshot under current political conditions.
However, San Bernandino residents are nearing a breaking point with their frustration over California’s crippling tax policies, skyrocketing crime and surging homelessness.
San Bernardino County to Study Secessionhttps://t.co/TMeutircjz
— Timcast News (@TimcastNews) December 16, 2022
Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) lost San Bernardino County by five percentage points in last month’s election even as he was easily reelected as governor on a highly progressive platform.
As the third-largest U.S. state with a diverse population of urban and rural residents, California has seen 220 attempts at various types of secession since the state was founded in 1850. Of course, every one of the previous attempts has failed.
California’s state government in Sacramento has been highly frustrating to conservative and even moderate residents in recent years. The state has taken a soft-on-crime approach to law enforcement while at the same time clamping down on fundamental freedoms with some of the nation’s most strict COVID-19 restrictions.
Many residents have lost patience with the state’s open borders and “sanctuary” approach to illegal migration. While record numbers of migrants have been illegally crossing through Mexico into the U.S. at the southern border, California’s state government has been spending taxpayer money lavishly to incentivize migrants to come there.
Record numbers of California residents who have had enough have moved away to more freedom-friendly states like Texas, Arizona, Florida and Tennessee. Those who have remained are becoming more motivated daily to look into new political solutions.
