With Prop 50 in place, Shasta votes to support forming a new state
Assembly member James Gallagher visited Shasta County to present his plan for forming a new state. A majority of supervisors got behind it. Their symbolic support could help strengthen a larger movement.
Earlier this summer as California Democrats unveiled a plan to disempower conservative voters at the congressional level, state Republican Assembly member James Gallagher, who represents California’s District 3, came up with a plan of his own.
Building on years of resentment felt by rural Californians towards the state’s Democratic majority, Gallagher created and presented to the California legislature, Assembly Joint Resolution 23 or the “Two State Solution,” as he calls it. The proposal advocates for splitting California into two states, one coastal and the other inland.
On Thursday, Nov. 6, just two days after Prop. 50 was successfully passed by voters, Gallagher presented to Shasta supervisors what he refers to as a “ground-up movement,” that he hopes will one eventually create enough momentum to present the real possibility of autonomy for rural Californians.
The splitting of California is not without historical precedent. As mentioned by Shasta Supervisor Allen Long during this week’s board meeting, there have been hundreds of past attempts to redraw the state’s borders. While some at the meeting saw that history as an argument against attempting yet another split, Gallagher said the sheer number of partitioning attempts “actually underscores the fact that the California government is not working very well.”
Supervisors eventually passed a resolution in support of two states, but with only three of the five board members supporting it. Supervisor Chris Kelstrom was the strongest advocate for Shasta to join the two state movement, but took issue with the word “secession” being included in the resolution. He successfully lobbied for the language of the board’s statement to be changed to “split.”
He noted concerns with the new geographic configuration such as Shasta’s dependency on statewide agencies like CalFire but suggested such programs could be run more locally instead. “Will we get some hurdles? Yeah, absolutely. But, I mean, this is the first step,” Kelstrom concluded.
Supervisor Kevin Crye, who sponsored Gallagher’s visit on the agenda for the board meeting, felt similarly, saying his motivation was due, in part, to his concerns about the county’s dependency on non-local revenue and resources. “Our government is really set up to make us reliant on the state of California,” he said.
Gallagher’s presentation focused on the need to follow the constitutionally outlined process for forming a new state which requires obtaining the blessing of both the state legislature and Congress something Supervisor Corkey Harmon pushed back on saying, “We can’t figure out how to go straight to Congress?”
Supervisors Long and Plummer — who both eventually voted against supporting the plan — probed Gallagher on a number of pragmatic issues that could develop should their support for the proposal now help his plan come to fruition later. Long said he believed the process of trying to recreate infrastructure for a new state would cause chaos. He was also skeptical that an inland state, saddled with some of California’s most underserved in impoverished counties, would realistically be able to fill the gaps in service left behind.
“What about all the infrastructure we have? Cal Fire, CHP, the AG, the hospitals, the schools, everything would have to be reinvented,” Long said, wondering aloud whether these kinds of details should be worked out before determining a plan for “secession.”
“Absolutely, those are all discussions that [we’d] have,” Gallagher responded. “They become part of the discussion as we separate the state. There would be committees set up to do just that.” Gallagher speculated that high rates of rural poverty are caused in large part by current legislation that is not well suited to the economies and lifestyles of inland California.
“Our fuel costs are at least $2 more a gallon because of a policy out of Sacramento, right? That’s impoverishing people,” he said, referring to recent legislation affecting the price of fuel. Plus in a new state, he said, a “responsive” government could more lucratively manage inland California’s resources like agriculture and timber — helping build revenue potential.
Supervisor Plummer acknowledged that Gallagher’s map was “more intuitive” than other maps he’s seen in similar attempts to create a new state, but was skeptical of how supportive some inland counties would actually would be of the proposal. Using the latest election as a litmus test, Plummer pointed out that a significant number of voters in the more wealthy and populous inland counties on Gallagher’s map, such as Fresno, San Bernardino, and Riverside, supported Prop. 50. And “if they’re willing to go as far as voting in favor of Prop. 50, the likelihood that they would then be interested in seceding from the state of California seems low,” Plummer said.
Gallagher disagreed, predicting that once the vote count for the Nov. 4 election is complete, the results on Prop. 50 may skew a little farther toward opposition in those places. Anyway, he added, the two-state map as currently outlined is not set in stone. “It’s going to be up to those local jurisdictions,” Gallagher said. “You know, those counties decide, hey, do we want to be part of this?”
Do you have information or a correction to share? Email us: editor@shastascout.org.
Comments (27)
Comments are closed.
Related Articles
New Redding manager announces “assault” style overhaul of city operations
During what was originally planned as a press conference about city electric rates, Redding’s recently-hired city manager William Tarbox announced a “new era” in Redding’s governance. Council members haven’t yet met publicly to discuss such a plan but some say they’re on board.
Get ready for California’s 2026 primary. Your questions about voting, answered
Get answers to your election questions ahead of California’s June 2 primary election.
No state funds for proposed True North Behavioral Health campus
State funding wasn’t awarded to build a proposed behavioral health campus that supporters said would have met intersectional county needs. Local leaders say problems have been identified and solutions are still needed.
As a long-term resident of Shasta county, what I notice is that there are some people who do not like other people to have freedom.
They’re concerned about their own freedom, but not the freedom of anybody else.
These are the same people that tell you what you should or shouldn’t do.
For anybody who knows about history and what it was like under the Puritans, this is the same thing. If you do anything that THEY don’t think is right, then you are a sinner, a heretic, and a pagan.
They’ll burn you alive as a witch if they could.
If you give up the freedoms of others, then you give up your own freedom.
If you know what a Pharisee is, that is them. Laying a burden up on all others, but not daring to lift their own pinky finger in labor.
Be free. Be independent. Think for yourself.
I know people do not understand how taxes work, Really take a classes learn, paying taxes is a right, we vote for leaders to use them wisely, we hope! But I do agree it needs fixing. . Splitting CA is really unsound. Now our leaders need to Make taxes fair and to the right people. But to say we want them lowered is giving up fire department , police, roads, and so much more, Where will this money come from, Our income in Shasta and Northern CA will not support this infrastructure, Wake up! You cant take something down until you know how it is built. Be very very careful what you wish for, and it should be a vote. I hear you say all residents wanting this , Prove it!
Who’s is the Board talking about matters that are not pertinent at this time. Instead of wasting the employees time and the county’s money why don’t you do something to help what is going on now. To Crye-mainly what your felon buddy the president is doing to all the federal workers. You waste money on Chris Street and Clint Curtis, your trip to see the pillow man, just to name a few. The federal employees are hurting, why don’t you do something about that. And, oh yeah, with your private meetings during a regular board meeting is rediculous because then the meetings end up going on until, at times, late at night. Why?? Just so you can have a bs session in private?
I’m wondering if those folks wanting to leave, admittedly for good reason, are aware of several other movements in addition to the state of Jefferson. Probably the most organized and likely to succeed is the New California movement hoping to establish a new state. They are seemingly quite far along in the process.
Why not save a lot of time, money and energy, by joining forces? Also increase the likelihood of success.
Bernice: We shared about these movements, which are certainly aware of each other, in another recent story. https://shastascout.org/amid-passage-of-prop-50-shasta-supervisors-will-consider-supporting-the-formation-of-a-new-state/
Headline is simply wrong: Shasta County did not choose it- 3 deplorable Supervisors did.
There seems to be a very small minority of people in our community that do not want sound fiscal and social policies. The LGBTQ++, George Soros, Antifa, Marxists do not speak for most Shasta County voters or Americans. I wonder who they will live off of when they run out of other people’s money.
I’ve often wondered about that, too: Who they will live off of when they run out of other people’s money.
Well gosh Elizabeth, I don’t know.
As a God fearing Christian, are you not supposed to take care of people in need?
But you’re so concerned about what you get, that you have no concern for other people who might be worse off than you.
I’ve commented back at you several times, and you have yet to respond to any of my challenges.
God bless you, but think about whether God likes what you’re doing.
What an incredibly dumb idea. Even dumber than creating the State of Jefferson, which I didn’t think was possible. But Shasta County is now the official capital of the new Idiocracy.
I want to thank Shasta County Chairman Kevin Crye for his vision and leadership. His views reflect the majority of Shasta County. I understand that some in the community want taxpayers to pay for a host of social programs that do not benefit taxpayers or working families. Kevin is committed to making sure are money is spent wisely.
Yeah! First order of business for State of Jefferson: Lowering the age of consent to 14. Yeehaw!
Thank him for once again wasting staff time and taxpayer money on pipe dreams. Just like lining his buddy Chris Street’s pockets with $40,000 of our money for his worthless report supporting the pipe dream medical school. Or having a presentation on chemtrails and its implications to local childhood cancer, or voting to waste money on the powerless election commission, or inking a deal with the Rancheria absent required approval of any department head, or trying to push a million dollar tourism contract into the hands of his tenant who rents his D4 home, or blackmailing the Shasta County Office of Education into giving him a lucrative contract in exchange for releasing state funds to SCOE, or approving his buddies gun range, and I could go on and on and on!
Pauleen:
Lololololololololololol
ROFL
“Kevin is committed to making sure are money is spent wisely. ”
Hahahahahahahaha
Funniest thing I’ve heard in awhile.
Hey Pauleen, if you believe that, I also have a bridge in Florida to sell you for cheap! 😆
I concur completely.
There will never be a split California, BUT if there was: We need to grab more coastline for the new state. Everything south of Del Norte thru Mendo, and then start up again in San Mateo down to Orange county w a jump over LA if needed. People think the coast is blue, it isn’t. Just a few pockets. They kicked London Breed out and it’s a trend. The big shift in America is realizing that accountability and self reliance affects our household finances. As working people are squeezed to provide hand outs to lazy people, you’ll see more and more flock to the conservative party. It’s inevitable. That’s why we hold our nose and vote for Trump.
Orange County may not be blue, but it’s not red either. It is very purple.
Party Counts
DEM 695,134
REP 651,603
AI 77,913
GRN 7,722
LIB 21,230
P-F 9,803
MISC 4,564
NPP 445,821
Good enough. We’ll take it.
I take it you are pro Facism, anti free choice.
Coastal California pays the bills.
You want to be the Mississippi of the west coast.
Good luck with that.
no you won’t
Wait, whatever happened to the whole reviving Alcatraz thing? Maybe they’d be satisfied moving all their families and stuff there instead? They could have their fancy state and the rest of California would be safe from their entitled nonsense? Just spitballing here! No idea is too dumb (except for splitting the state, of course).
Use it as a reverse Ellis island?
As shown by the Nov. 6 Shasta County Board of Supervisors (SCBOS) resolution to secede from California and another to put an entirely illegal voting measure on the June ballot, too many SCBOS members are under the influence of MAGA. Like Patrick Jones before them, and with Jones’ support, the three far-right SCBOS faux politicians—Crye, Corky, and Kelstrom—use the board as a tool to endorse illegal actions, promote poverty, inadequate healthcare, and divisiveness tied to Trumpism. Trump, a court-adjudicated rapist and 34-count felon, with a national approval rating of 42% and a disapproval rating of 56%, is hailed as the North State MAGA hero/avatar, and they firmly support his scorched-earth policies of authoritarianism. (In Shasta County, Trump received 69% of the vote, and 69% voted no on Proposition 50). The same Trump, who cut SNAP food assistance for 32,000 working families, children, veterans, seniors, and low-income residents in Shasta County, will soon cut Medicaid (health care) for 67,000 Shasta County residents. What solution did Corky, Kelstrom, and Crye come up with? Pipe dreams of seceding from California and placing an illegal Laura Hobbs (Shasta Five) voter initiative on the June 2026 ballot. (Thank goodness Democrats have forced Trump to restart the SNAP payments!) Shasta County Judge Hanna approved an administrative-only ruling to put the illegal Hobbs initiative on the ballot. Yes, County Counsel Larmour knows the initiative is illegal. Indeed, the county could have, but chose NOT to, file a real preemptive motion before the court. It’s also true that Hobbs, a three-time court loser (costing taxpayers over $107,000) and a failed MAGA political candidate, is working for the SCBOS-appointed Registrar of Voters, Clint Curtis. And Curtis, who just mishandled an election with only one or two items, has stated here in Shasta Scout that he is collaborating with Trump’s DOJ to criminally indict former election officials Tom Toller and Joanna Francescut, just as our MAGA leaders have demanded for over a year. And now, Shasta County, a welfare-dependent county facing a disastrous financial crisis, helps Hobbs ensure the county might soon pay many millions to defend her, who will once again lose in court, all while hoping Trump will somehow come to their rescue. The question Jones, Crye, Corky, and Kelstrom really need to ask isn’t about the cost of freedom; we already fought and defeated fascism in the Civil War and WWII. Instead, they should ask what’s the cost of continuing to indulge in MAGA nonsense, financed by Shasta County taxpayers. Is it any wonder we are losing population, and professionals are refusing to consider moving to Shasta County? Nope.
Gallagher has been a tremendous leader for the minority party in the Legislature.
I wish he weren’t finishing his service tunneling down this rabbit hole.
Completely agree. And it’s an old rabbit hole. I guess best case scenario, it is a point of principal— but it’s a huge waste of time.
Well said, Shasta, and with common sense.
Elizabeth, did you actually read what he said??
Do you really know what you’re agreeing to?
Go back, read it, and try again.