That ridiculous ballot proposal to divide California into six states, which SFist told you about back in December, could be put before state voters in two years. Its billionaire backer, Tim Draper, a Silicon Valley venture capitalist who has invested in the likes of Twitter, Skype and Tesla, claims he and supporters have collected more than 800,000 signatures for the ballot proposal, which would turn Silicon Valley into its own state.
As the Chronicle reports, the measure needs at least 807,615 valid signatures because it’s considered a constitutional amendment. Draper and his team are headed to Sacramento today, July 15, to submit the signatures to the Secretary of State and hold a press conference. “Six Californias” could then end up on the November 2016 general election ballot.
Draper has poured $5 million into his libertarian concept of California, a state which he says has become ungovernable and no longer meets the needs of its citizens. And by citizens, he means businesses.
As Draper told TechCrunch last year, “Competition is good, monopolies are bad. This initiative encourages more competition and less monopolistic power.” And also: “Decisions can be more relevant to the population.”
Under Draper's plan, San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose would be part of the state of Silicon Valley, designated in the above map as — shocker — the gold region. Blue, the Jefferson state, is Northern, rural California; Purple is North California from Sacramento to Lake Tahoe and wine country; Red is Central California, encompassing most of the Central Valley; Green is West California, all of Los Angeles County; and Orange is South California, running from San Diego to the desert.
When Draper first announced the idea, New York Magazine wrote: "[I]t's a passive-aggressive swipe at the less economically productive regions of California, cloaked in a measure that purports to be good for all citizens of the state. Tim Draper wants the protection afforded by the United States government, without having to submit to the taxes and regulatory slow-footedness coming out of Sacramento."
Among our favorite responses came via Twitter from writer Tim Carmody, who a dug up videos of Draper, who calls himself the Riskmaster, performing songs about himself. Enjoy below.
"Lives fast, drives faster; skates on the edge of disaster"; Is this the man you want to name & subdivide your state? http://t.co/LZwFg6zPpf
— Tim Carmody (@tcarmody) July 15, 2014
Previously: Tech Investor's Ballot Initiative Wants To Split California Into Six States