Silicon Valley deserves its own state, according to one wealthy tech investor’s proposal to partition the state of California into six pieces.
Venture capitalist Tim Draper shared his proposal with TechCrunch on Thursday and said he planned to submit a formal ballot proposition to California’s attorney general within 48 hours.
Draper detailed the reasoning behind the “Six Californias” initiative in an email to TechCrunch:
“1. It is about time California was properly represented with Senators in Washington. Now our number of Senators per person will be about average.
2. Competition is good, monopolies are bad. This initiative encourages more competition and less monopolistic power. Like all competitive systems, costs will be lower and service will be better.
3. Each new state can start fresh. From a new crowd sourced state flower to a more relevant constitution.
4. Decisions can be more relevant to the population. The regulations in one new state are not appropriate for another.
5. Individuals can move between states more freely.”
Northern California’s Siskiyou and Modoc counties voted to explore secession earlier this year, citing a lack of representation in the state legislature. Those efforts would require the state legislature’s and U.S. Congress’ approval to advance, however, as presumably would Draper’s plan.
The “Six Californias” proposal places several northern counties, including Siskiyou and Modoc, in a state called “Jefferson” — the same name floated since the 1940’s by secessionists in Northern California and Southern Oregon.
TechCrunch has a copy of Draper’s proposal and a map of the new state lines.
Image via Six Californias Initiative
