San Bernadino votes to study option of seceding from California

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
20 Dec 2022 20:05
1 Shares

The county comprises substantial metropolitan regions to the east of Los Angeles, as well as rural areas between Los Angeles and the Nevada state line.

A ‘Welcome to California’ sign stands at the California-Nevada state line. (Reuters)

A 2.2 million-person county has chosen to investigate the possibility of splitting from California and forming a new US state.

Voters in San Bernadino County, the largest county in the nation by area and the fifth most populous in the state, are so dissatisfied with the state's leadership that they voted to secede, AP reported. Californians as a whole went forth with the Golden State trend of electing progressive leaders and issues in November's midterm elections.

By the slimmest of margins, county voters approved an advisory ballot initiative that instructs local authorities to investigate the possibility of splitting from California.

It is worth noting that the county comprises substantial metropolitan regions to the east of Los Angeles, as well as rural areas between Los Angeles and the Nevada state line.

Since Hawaii's admission as a US state in 1959, no additional states have been added.

The county has struggled with the rising cost of living for a very long period. The requirement for approval by both the California Legislature and Congress renders a state's secession unlikely.

The big picture

The AP emphasized the importance of such a vote coming from a politically diverse region with a mixed racial population.

San Bernadino is larger than nine other US states at 20,000 square miles (51,800 square km).

The vote illustrates how many people in the county feel cut off from the Democratic-controlled state legislature in California, which has struggled to address issues like homelessness and rising housing costs, not to mention increased violence despite inhabitants paying high taxes relative to the rest of the country.

The economy of California is predicted to grow to be the fourth largest in the world, although many interior regions are having difficulties.

According to a Hoover Institution study, as many as 352 businesses relocated their corporate headquarters out of the state between 2018 and 2021. As some residents look for less expensive housing and fewer taxes, the 39 million state population is declining for the first time in decades.