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posted by takyon on Tuesday July 24 2018, @11:00AM   Printer-friendly
from the fault-lines dept.

California Supreme Court blocks proposal to split state in 3 from November ballot

The California Supreme Court on Wednesday blocked a proposal that would split the state into three from the November ballot.

The court wrote that it took the step "because significant questions have been raised regarding the proposition's validity and because we conclude that the potential harm in permitting the measure to remain on the ballot outweighs the potential harm in delaying the proposition to a future election."

Last week, an environmental group sued to have the measure removed from the ballot. To substantially alter the state's governance under the California constitution, the group argued, a constitutional convention would need to be called -- and that requires a supermajority of both houses of the state's legislature. A ballot initiative, the group said, was constitutionally insufficient.

See also: Billionaire Tim Draper Abandons Push to Split California Into Three

Asked if he would continue fighting for the measure, Draper said in an email to Bloomberg News that "the same six lawyers are going to make the decision. What would be the point? They have just proven that California has a runaway government and the people have no say."

Draper, a venture capitalist, sought the initiative because he said the world's fifth-largest economy is "nearly ungovernable" under the current system. Asked if there was anything else he planned to do to make the government more accountable, he said he was "still recovering from the shock."

Previously: Proposal to Divide California Into Three States Could Land on the November Ballot
Ballot Measure to Split California Into Three States Will Appear on the November 2018 Ballot


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  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday July 24 2018, @04:30PM (1 child)

    by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday July 24 2018, @04:30PM (#711770)

    Problem: The legislatures gerrymander to force the majorities the interests of the minorities.
    Solution: Make gerrymandering illegal.
    Problem: Only the legislatures can do that.
    Solution: Have a ballot making gerrymandering illegal.
    Problem: The court said such a ballot is illegal.
    Solution: Break apart the state to three to make gerrymandering impossible.
    Problem: The court said such a ballot is illegal.
    .
    .
    .
    Solution: Pick up arms and kill the judges and legislatures.

    Am I missing anything?

    Your storyline is misleading at best (if not outright deceptive). If the goal is to eliminate gerrymandering, there are far more ways which are far less invasive, dramatic, and extreme to do so.

    For example:
    1) Ballot to change how districts are delineated.
    2) Convene a constitutional convention to amend the California Constitution to change how districts are defined.

    Neither of those would require a literal act of congress by the federal government, and solve your gerrymandering problem.

  • (Score: 2) by HiThere on Tuesday July 24 2018, @10:10PM

    by HiThere (866) Subscriber Badge on Tuesday July 24 2018, @10:10PM (#711978) Journal

    I think he's objecting that the current boundaries are so gerrymandered that a fair result along your proposed route is impossible. I'm not sure he's wrong, but I'm rather certain that his proposed approach would yield a worse result.

    --
    Javascript is what you use to allow unknown third parties to run software you have no idea about on your computer.