‘Three Californias’ plan is dead — and not coming back

The proponent of a plan to split California into three states said a court decision to remove the measure from the November ballot “effectively put an end to this movement.”

Tim Draper, a wealthy investor behind the three California plans, wrote in a letter dated Aug. 2 that he does not intend to appeal the California Supreme Court’s decision from last month.

The environmental nonprofit Planning and Conservation League alleged that breaking up the state was a “revision” of the state constitution and required support by two-thirds of the California Legislature before it could appear on the 2018 ballot.

The court pulled the measure from the ballot on July 9 and gave Draper 30 days to respond.

In the letter, Draper said he “did not qualify Proposition 9 for just any future ballot.”

“I wanted it to be on the ballot this year,” he said. “The political environment for radical change is right now — such change is sweeping the globe. I understand that change is hard, change is scary, but change is evolution and this government is not evolving.”

Draper previously argued in state filings that the split would create a more representative form of government.

“Thankfully for the people of California, Tim Draper has thrown in the towel on his idea to split up our great state,” said Carlyle Hall, an attorney who opposed the measure and asked the Supreme Court to weigh in. “Sadly, he continues to believe the initiative process is simply a forum for a debate on ideas. It’s not. The initiative process is a serious way for citizens to make and change laws.”

This story was originally published August 9, 2018 at 5:43 PM.