From time to time, I have covered the CalExit movement at Legal Insurrection.
In a nutshell, back in 2017, in a wave of euphoria over Brexit, there was a move for California to become an autonomous region.
The move was driven by Trump-hate and run at that time by an American living in Russia.
The movement fizzled. While it was a very popular idea among people across the country, only 32% of Californians were game to give up their citizenship. Also, the backer decided he wanted to seek permanent residence in Russia.
Now CalExit may be back on the ballot.
California is currently in the process of potentially putting a measure on the 2028 ballot that would ask voters if the state should leave the United States and become an independent country. This initiative has been cleared by California Secretary of State Shirley Weber for signature gathering.
Secretary of State Shirley Weber announced Thursday that a measure introduced by Marcus Evans of Fresno must receive more than 500,000 signatures by late July.According to the text of the measure, the state would be required to create a 20-member state commission to study California’s viability as an independent country in 2027 and to publish a report the following year.Members of the commission, who would be picked at random by the Secretary of State, would have to meet certain requirements, such as being nominated by 100 registered voters and must have California residency for at least five years.
Like the 2017 attempt, this one is fueled by Trump-hate.
This time around, people were still watching votes come in on Election Day when Marcus Ruiz Evans, the movement’s founder, filed paperwork to start the succession process.“Trump’s face makes it real in a way that we can’t explain to the average Californian… his reelection absolutely has something to do with this,” Ruiz Evans said.Chris Micheli, a McGeorge School of Law professor and a California Capitol inside, suggests President Trump’s recent actions could help proponents gather enough signatures.“I think a proposal like this becomes more mainstream and takes on more legs the more that Californians feel disenfranchised or otherwise at odds with what is going on at the federal level,” Micheli said.
That was before Trump came to town to help push the recovery efforts from the Greater Los Angeles Wildfires. The state has likely been a little redder as a result of that disaster.
While the effort is likely to be as fruitless as the last attempt, I could see it meeting the requirement that 2/3rds of the other states would agree to the exit.
The secession would require a constitutional amendment which would need approval from two-thirds of the states.The proposal would declare a “vote of no confidence in the United States of America” — without changing the state’s government or its relationship with the U.S.Keep in mind that Section 1 of Article III of the current State Constitution states that California “is an inseparable part of the United States of America.”
I know I shouldn’t threaten Legal Insurrection readers with a good time.
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