"I am a Northern Californian by birth. No one I know in Northern California would oppose getting rid of Southern California."
-SoCal Economist John Husing
Fed up with high taxes and continued raids on local government funds, Riverside County Supervisor Jeff Stone proposed on Thursday that his county should lead the way in getting the counties of Riverside, Imperial, San Diego, Orange, San Bernardino, Kings, Kern, Fresno, Tulare, Inyo, Madera, Mariposa and Mono to secede from California to form the new state of South California.
"We have a state Legislature that has gone wild. They just don't care. Their goal was to get a balanced budget so they could continue to get a paycheck," Stone said by telephone late Thursday. "There is only one solution: A serious secession from the liberal arm of the state of California. I know the state of California can do better."
The proposal came the same day Brown signed budget legislation that will divert about $14 million in 2011-12 vehicle license fee revenue from four new Riverside County cities: Eastvale, Jurupa Valley, Menifee and Wildomar. Officials said the cut would cripple the new cities and possibly force them to disincorporate.
The Press-Enterprise
Not many people think the suggestion has a chance of success. Without Los Angeles county added to that mix, the new state of South California still wouldn't have any money.
