A measure that will enable San Bernardino County supervisors to discover secession from the state of California could be put to county voters in November.
The Board of Supervisors accredited the ballot measure at a gathering Wednesday night time after the problem had been raised at a number of board conferences. Wednesday’s vote was step one in including the measure to the ballot, to be adopted by a second and closing studying and vote scheduled for subsequent week.
“Do the citizens of San Bernardino County want the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors to study all options to obtain its fair share of state and federal resources, up to and including secession?” the proposed measure reads. Voters would choose sure or no.
Even if accredited by voters, the county’s secession from California, whether or not to grow to be its personal state or to grow to be part of a neighboring state, is extraordinarily unlikely. The transfer would want to be accredited by state legislators, Congress, the Senate and, finally, the president.
At final week’s board assembly, audio system and board members expressed frustration on the quantity of funding San Bernardino County receives from the state, a degree that made its means into the proposed ballot language.
“Our Sheriff’s Department, our judges, are constantly taxed with too much with not enough resources,” Jeff Burum, chairman of growth agency National Community Renaissance, mentioned on the assembly.
Burum urged the board to put a secession measure on the ballot and was backed by Fontana Mayor Acquanetta Warren and Upland Mayor Bill Velto.
“The last line is the most controversial because the rest of it’s like a no-brainer,” board Chairman Curt Hagman mentioned Wednesday, referring to the clause about choices “up to and including secession.”
The measure would enable the board to expend employees assets to research the funding San Bernardino County receives from the state.
“Then we can look at options,” Hagman mentioned. “How do we lobby for more? How do we put our state representatives on notice that, hey, we’re not getting our fair share?”
The risk of secession has lengthy been a weapon for dissatisfied political minorities in California, probably the most populous state within the nation and one of the crucial liberal. Conservative forces in far Northern California have tried repeatedly to create their very own state with no success. A proposal to break up California into a number of states additionally foundered. There isn’t any indication this one would prove any in another way.
Hagman advised The Times {that a} vote on the problem would present “the seriousness of the public.”
Supervisor Dawn Rowe referred to as secession an “extreme example” of an motion that could be taken and expressed skepticism that splitting from the state would be possible.
“I received an overwhelming support in favor of looking at all of our options, [and] several that told us that we were crazy for considering such a thing,” Rowe mentioned. “They were interested in basically having a voice and having hope that their elected representatives were listening to them and that they were frustrated.
“I do have significant concerns about what it would mean if we were to look at going off on our own independently,” she mentioned, citing considerations about secession’s results on college and psychological well being funding.
Supervisor Joe Baca was extra blunt in his evaluation.
“I am not in favor of secession,” he mentioned. “I just don’t believe that we have the resources or wherewithal, the staff or ability to create our own state.”
“I’m proud to be from California. I love California,” he mentioned.
Baca nonetheless voted in favor of placing the measure on the ballot, saying he supported taking a look at funding ranges.
“It’s clear that people are hurting; let’s go out and get more [funding], and let’s make sure we help them,” he mentioned.
Supervisor Janice Rutherford considered the vote as a means for constituents to categorical “a growing palpable anger” on the state, whereas additionally including that secession would be unfeasible.