The Republican leader of the California Assembly says he will be presenting a resolution to split the state into two distinct parts.
State Assemblymember James Gallagher (East Nicolaus) plans to hold a press conference on Wednesday to propose a plan, which he claims is a response to California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s initiative to reorganize the state’s congressional districts.
Gallagher, who is the Republican leader in the State Assembly, will introduce Assembly Joint Resolution 23, a proposal advocating for the creation of a new U.S. state made up of 35 inland California counties, including much of Northern California, the Sierra Nevada, Central Valley, and Inland Empire.
Referring to it as a “two-state solution,” Gallagher argues that the resolution will safeguard rural voters who, according to him, would be marginalized by Newsom’s redistricting plan.
“The people of inland California have been overlooked for too long,” Gallagher said in a news release issued Tuesday.
The second state proposed by Gallagher would encompass more than 10 million residents, instantly ranking it among the most populous states in the nation and significantly diminishing California’s political clout nationwide.
Newsom’s redistricting plan is central to this influence, as it is a countermeasure to a similar initiative in Texas that potentially threatens to alter the congressional power balance.
Gallagher intends to hold a press conference Wednesday morning at 10 a.m. to discuss his plan, with support from other Republican legislators.
The suggested state map includes neighboring counties of Los Angeles, such as Kern, Riverside, and San Bernardino counties, the latter of which has previously considered the idea of separating from the rest of the state.
