In the wake of a contentious redistricting effort by Democrats, California Governor Gavin Newsom has sharply criticized a leading Republican's proposal for a "two-state solution.
".
Newsom's comments were directed at California Assembly Minority Leader James Gallagher, who has put forth a bill to divide California into two separate states along a north-south line.
"Anyone who seeks to divide California is unfit to hold office in the Golden State. This is a ploy that will lead nowhere," Newsom declared in a conversation with Nexstar Broadcasting and FOX-40 reporter Eytan Wallace, as reported by Fox News.
Gallagher's proposed legislation, which will be filed as AJR-23, aims to create one state encompassing the liberal coastal regions and another uniting the conservative inland counties of California. Gallagher has termed this a "two-state solution," a phrase typically associated with territorial disputes in the Middle East, as a counter to Newsom's redistricting effort, which he perceives as a reaction to similar actions in Texas.
Gallagher stated, "The people of inland California have been neglected for too long. It's time for a two-state solution." He later responded to Newsom's criticism on Twitter, asserting that he has been "duly elected six times over and I assure you my actions represent exactly how my people feel."
The Republican leader's resolution is a response to the Democrats' attempt in Sacramento to permanently redraw Californias congressional maps, an action Gallagher believes would suppress rural voices and manipulate the political system indefinitely. "We will not allow you to strip us of representation," Gallagher told Newsom.
The proposed "Inland" California, despite reducing the political influence of the current state's total land area, would be one of the largest states by population in the country and would lean reliably to the right. The new coastal state, following a series of county lines slightly west of Interstate 5, would retain left-leaning communities such as San Francisco, Oakland, Los Angeles, Silicon Valley, and Sonoma, along with the relatively center-right Orange County and San Diego County.
State Senate Republican Leader Brian Jones, who is from San Diego County, criticized Newsom earlier this month for engaging in "gerrymandering games to boost his presidential campaign" instead of addressing domestic issues. Fox News Digital reached out to both Jones and Newsom for comment.
The new conservative inland state would include Gallaghers home county of Sutter, located north of Sacramento, and right-leaning regions such as Truckee, Kern County, San Bernardino, Riverside, and Imperial counties. The 17 coastal counties would form a state of 29.5 million people, while the inland state would house 10 million, according to the Manteca Bulletin.
Gallagher has denounced Newsoms "mid-decade power grab" as a "mockery of democracy." He stated, "Dont p--- on my boots and tell me its raining. These are rigged maps, drawn in secret to give Democrat politicians more power by dismantling the independent commission Californians created to keep them out of map-drawing."
State Senator Megan Dahle, who represents a large portion of rural northeastern California, also expressed support for Gallagher's proposal. "I don't have any illusion that this plan to split California will succeed where the many previous efforts have failed, but I signed on as a coauthor of this resolution to share the frustration of more conservative rural Californians that their voice goes unheard in Sacramento," Dahle told Fox News Digital.
State Senator Roger Niello has also expressed opposition to the redistricting process, accusing the majority party of drafting new congressional districts behind closed doors with D.C.-based political operatives to undermine the work of Californias citizen-led commission in charge of redistricting.
In a recent statement, state Senate GOP lawmakers accused Democratic legislators of having a "mysterious case of collective amnesia" about their previous support for independent redistricting. They argued that the Democrats' actions contradict their own words from as recently as July.
The proposed division of California into two states is a bold move, reflecting the deep political divide within the state. While the feasibility of such a split remains uncertain, it underscores the ongoing struggle for representation and the clash of ideologies within the Golden State.
Login