South California Secession: Jeff Stone Riverside Plan Continues Tradition Of State-Splitting Proposals (PHOTOS)

Republican Riverside County Supervisor Jeff Stone has been pushing a plan which would divide California in two, allowing the state's 13 most conservative southern counties to declare independence and form a separate state of "South California."

Stone claims the move is the only way to free the region from the "completely dysfunctional” and “totally unresponsive,” halls of power in Sacramento, which he says are placing an undue financial burden on the area.

It's unlikely that the 51st state of "South California" will be created anytime soon, but on Tuesday, county supervisors voted to host a statewide summit to allow city and county officials discuss state budget issues and policies that hurt local services and jobs. According to the Associated Press, the summit may include discussions of Stone's secession plan.

Stone's plan may sound peculiar, but states have grappled with secession as a solution for their grievances since the nation's birth -- though action is rarely taken except in the most extreme circumstances (remember the Civil War?). Here are some of the of the more notable secession proposals put forward in recent years.

1 of 9

Baja Arizona

1 of 10

First Slide

Previous Slide

@

Left-leaning Arizonans are attempting to get a measure on the ballot that could create a new bastion for liberals in the state. If they succeed, voters would decide whether to chip off Pima County from the rest of Arizona, creating another state: Baja Arizona. It's an idea that's long been discussed, but The Tucson Sentinel reports that the current action is being spurred by a desire for greater control over local issues and discontent with proceedings at the Phoenix statehouse. "Every bill we've heard about here is either anti-abortion laws or anti-Mexican laws. These are not laws that are geared toward solving the real problems that we have," David Euchner, treasurer of Start Our State, the group behind the secession push, told the Arizona Daily Star.

John Edwards Trial: Jury Resumes Deliberations On Former Presidential Candidate's Fate

Dick Cheney Raising Money For Mitt Romney's Campaign

Obama Air Force Academy Graduation: President In Colorado For Commencement Address

gadgets/slideshows/218103/slide_218103_830691_small.jpg

Andy Gipson, Mississippi GOP Lawmaker: Gays Are Still Sinners, But I Don't Want Them Dead

Sarah Palin: Jeremiah Wright Is Fair Game (VIDEO)

Scott Walker Recall Leaders Prep Final Push In Effort To Regain Momentum

Left-leaning Arizonans are attempting to get a measure on the ballot that could create a new bastion for liberals in the state. If they succeed, voters would decide whether to chip off Pima County from the rest of Arizona, creating another state: Baja Arizona.

It's an idea that's long been discussed, but The Tucson Sentinel reports that the current action is being spurred by a desire for greater control over local issues and discontent with proceedings at the Phoenix statehouse.

"Every bill we've heard about here is either anti-abortion laws or anti-Mexican laws. These are not laws that are geared toward solving the real problems that we have," David Euchner, treasurer of Start Our State, the group behind the secession push, told the Arizona Daily Star.

comments(446)

Total comments: 446 | Post a Comment

1 of 10

Rate This Slide

Rank #2  |  Average: 4

Good Idea Really?!

• 
  1
• 
  2
• 
  3
• 
  4
• 
  5
• 
  6
• 
  7
• 
  8
• 
  9
• 
  10

Efforts

loading...

Efforts

UserName

 | Become a fan

Picked These as the Top 5 Slides in the Slideshow

loading...

Top User Slides

← Prev|Next →

 | Become a fan

Picked These as the Top 5 Slides in the Slideshow

loading...

Users who voted on this slide

← Prev|Next →

loading...

Comments

[vanke62525]

05:05 PM on 07/27/2011

He should be tried for Treason. Splitting up the State is unAmerican and moronic. No one should be tolerated who manifests secession. This is exactly why the fool Rick Perry should never be an acceptable candidate for the Presidential Office. If you can't see this country as a whole, you don't deserve the opportunity to run. It is Treason pure and simple.
Grand standing fools.

[gregory57]

04:26 PM on 07/24/2011

One of my greatest fears is that the USA is heading down the same road that the former USSR followed to it's bitter end. All this, and more, may soon come to pass.

[gsocratesasks]

01:58 PM on 07/19/2011

It's a good idea. To lower the power of the population centers which are now just taking the county's money, and the state is trying to take the unversities money next. Plus westcoast could get moresenators for DC,

[mediamarv]

01:14 PM on 07/19/2011

Where will their water come from?? Surely not the liberal North CA!
Hee, hee.

[hornedcog]

10:31 AM on 07/23/2011

Trickle down.

[Democratic Warrior]

02:37 AM on 07/19/2011

Only if you add DC and Puerto Rico at the same time; then, as far as I am concerned, I will be very happy to live in a much bluer state, and they can have South California. But I am not in favor of simply adding two more Republican Senators.

[makingfunofthesouth]

01:25 AM on 07/19/2011

Can we please add ventura county. If its already encluded then nevermind the post. ty

[bad spelling grammar]

03:35 PM on 07/18/2011

Just another example of extreme conservatives trying to get attention by the media for their own personal gain, it reminds me of a spoiled child throwing a tantrum to get attention from his/her mother. Both are just funny to watch.

[makingfunofthesouth]

01:26 AM on 07/19/2011

Funny, I was thinking the same thing about lefties.

[bad spelling grammar]

12:58 PM on 07/19/2011

Why? They are not demand to secede from the California like these right wing trolls. Not to mention you always here Texas (red state) wanting to secede as well. I don’t know where you get this nonsense from but it sounds like you just fabricate reality in your own head. Typical Tea Bagger!

[RyanCSmith]

03:18 PM on 07/18/2011

Won't happen. This is purely being pushed by some grandstanding fool who is trying to get his name in the papers and possibly on the ballot for higher office. This will go the same way that Perry's threats of Texan secession did.

[gsocratesasks]

02:17 PM on 07/18/2011

The population centers are taking all the money. The speaker is high school educated.

[lecturenotes2]

04:33 PM on 07/16/2011

South California do not want the majority Hispanic Los Angeles County! How dare you.

[lecturenotes2]

04:32 PM on 07/16/2011

Succession movements throughout American history have always been backed by wealthy Conservatives. The succession of the American South was supported by wealthy plantation owners who wanted to own slaves to preform the labor on plantations. The succession movements in California have been supported by wealthy Conservatives who refuse to pay more taxes. They don't want to pay the taxes to support the government that promoted the policies contributing to their wealth. They complain that Liberals want something for nothing by getting social services from the government. Those Consevatives also want something for nothing. They want to design public policies to promote their business adventure yet they do not want to pay the taxes to support those adventures.

Conservatives are right in one thing--someone must pay for the things everyone use. Who want to pay for those goods and services offered by both government and business?

[gsocratesasks]

02:16 PM on 07/18/2011

Change is conservative?

[Frickett]

01:07 AM on 07/28/2011

It is when it puts money in their pockets. Otherwise, not so much.

[TYRANNASAURUS]

10:32 AM on 07/16/2011

South California' Secession Proposal Continues A Long Tradition......

Riverside is an outback county.....most of these proposals come from the least populated country type republican bible people living in the backwoods.

[forestnfama]

08:07 AM on 07/16/2011

And after splitting the state they can call it Hellifornia. If you ever have been to San Barnardino or Riverside you would know what I am talking about. Both are in contention for being the Assh.....of California.

[TYRANNASAURUS]

10:33 AM on 07/16/2011

And both have a heavy Mexican illiterate peasant population.

[Guy124]

02:27 PM on 07/16/2011

haha yep

[banana republican]

07:27 AM on 07/16/2011

I can understand the south's desire to separate themselves from the chemical-induced insanity of the north.

[p456]

06:56 AM on 07/16/2011

I sure do miss all that good seafood back east. On a lighter note all this talk about succession is hysterical to me we are already hopelessly divided in America. We will never be the so called united states because there is just to much ignorance and h8 here. So find a good network of people you can love and trust and do your best to be good citizens. I would love to think we can do better but we just simply can't. I think to many of us are over medicated or something that keeps us in a pattern of self destruction.

[raynevandunem]

10:14 AM on 07/16/2011

Well, they'll at least be within arm's length of each other, legally. It's just that those who live in either region have little to no regard for each other as residents of the same state and are all too willing to disparage the regions or their residents, on a constant basis.

A manageable, if not amicable, separation for autonomy's sake would do both parties some good by a greater degree of self-determination within the framework of the federal government.

[webcrawler]

06:37 PM on 07/18/2011

Must be all the fast food and lousy television. Idiocracy at it's finest.

[p456]

06:43 PM on 07/18/2011

Well most Americans don't have to think or remember anything anymore. Computers, Cell Phones and all the other technical advances were good for those who understood how to invest in them. But it deleted the data bank of the masses.