Proposal to split California into three states earns spot on ballot

A proposal to split California into three separate states got enough votes on Tuesday to be added to the midterm ballot in November. Tim Draper, a venture capitalist, was the proponent of the long-shot initiative to split the state, which got nearly 420,000 valid signatures, more than enough to be included in the General Election ballot in November, according to California's secretary of State. Adding the proposal to the ballot is the first in a long number of steps that would be required to actually split the country's largest state. Even if California voters supported the proposal in November, the California legislature would still have to vote in favor of it. The breakup would also likely be challenged in court and would need congressional approval, a tough get in today's hyperpartisan Washington. The initiative proposes the state to be split into three new states: California, Northern California and Southern California. Each state, though different in size, would have roughly the same population, according to the proposal. Voters supported breaking up California into two states in 1859, but Congress never moved forward with the proposal...MORE