State of Jefferson
Source: State of Jefferson.

Could Jefferson Become the Newest State in the United States?

“It’s time to start over! The State of Jefferson would be free of over-regulation, over taxation, and under representation. A new state that would exercise its right under the 10th Amendment to halt the Federal government from over-reaching laws according to the US Constitution. We need to ensure that the income generated in our state stays in our state. We need a state with fewer agencies, less taxes, fair representation, less bureaucracy, state sovereignty, and more personal freedom.”

Could Jefferson Become the Newest State in the United States?

This is the message over at what appears to be the official Internet web site of the proposed state of Jefferson, which would be named after the third president of the United States and consist of 21 counties — 19 of which already have declarations of intention to secede — that are currently part of northern California and southern Oregon.

There are even candidates for office at both the state and county levels.

Supposed issues which have caused residents of this region to support secession from California and Oregon to form the state of Jefferson — as posted on the aforementioned Internet web site — include:

Representation

  • Northern California has three out of 80 seats in the California Assembly
  • Two out of 40 seats in the California Senate
  • Two out of 53 seats in the House of Representatives of the United States
  • Los Angeles Basin and San Francisco Bay Area make all of their decisions — such as a Fire Tax

Regulations

  • California is the second worst tax state in the United States and yet has the largest deficit
  • Personal income tax is the highest in the United States
  • Sales tax is the highest in the United States
  • State gasoline taxes at 53 cents per gallon is the highest in the United States; and this is before “Cap and Trade” hikes them even further
  • Property taxes are the tenth highest in the United States
  • Business taxes rank third worst in the United States
  • Business climate where five percent of businesses in California left the state in 2013
  • Social services are 32 percent of the budget where three million undocumented people enjoy those services

Restoration

  • Correcting the remedy for Reynolds versus Sims and returning to the Federal Model of government which existed in 30 states prior to 1964
  • Electing their own two Senators and Congressional representatives
  • Electing their own governor, State Senate and Assembly based on Article IV, Section 4 of the Constitution
  • Make Jefferson a business friendly state with common sense tax laws and no state corporate income taxes
  • Property taxes will stay in their state; and more specifically their counties
  • Laws that will hold their representatives accountable to us
  • Reduce the 570 state agencies and bureaucracies
  • Constitutionally based laws
  • Utilization of our natural resources — timber, water, farming, mining, hunting and fishing
  • Revamping social services

Not a New Proposal

The movement to create this specific new state named after Thomas Jefferson was first raised in October of 1941; and who was to be the first governor of Jefferson was even inaugurated before the movement suddenly ended — primarily because of the bombing of Pearl Harbor by Japanese forces on Sunday, December 7, 1941, which created a strong sense of unity throughout the United States and propelled the country into World War II.

In 1992, all of the proposed 31 counties of Jefferson involved in an advisory vote had voted in favor of the state of California being split in two — except Humboldt County, which did not have the issue on the ballot — and the legislation which was introduced as a result in an attempt to split the state died in committee.

The movement was launched yet again on Tuesday, September 3, 2013 and is the current call for the formation of the state of Jefferson. Yreka is a candidate to become the state capital of Jefferson; and the state itself would be slightly smaller in area than West Virginia.

Summary

I thought that Independence Day in the United States would be a good time to report on the proposed new state of Jefferson, which wants to gain independence from California and Oregon.

I have driven on United States Highway 101 along the Pacific coast through what would be proposed as the state of Jefferson; and I have even driven through a redwood tree there. The mountainous and heavily wooded terrain and coast are both beautiful and breathtaking; and I would certainly recommend visiting this region of the United States…

…but do you believe that it should become the state of Jefferson, which would be the newest state in the United States? What are your thoughts about what could be state number 51 in the United States? Would you travel there to visit?

Source: State of Jefferson.

  1. As a native of Seattle, I’m pretty sure Cascadia would be more likely than Jefferson. Population, economics, global trade; far more established connections.

    1. What Pacific Northwest Fairytale Year is your observation stuck in??…Seriously…Cascadia would be Dead Last in possible Separatist movements or any ideas of new countries, Federal district, or Collaborative to form any design of a single body…The rural Eastern Counties of both Washington and Oregon are basically always in some form or another of Cold Civil War against the Populous counties and cities of the Coasts. And in the last 5 years this divide has even become “hot” a couple times…

      https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/jun/28/how-republican-senators-killed-oregons-climate-crisis-bill

      Meanwhile here in Idaho where I live our Current brand New Male Republican Governor and brand New first ever-Female Republican Lieutenant Governor saw All relations and cooperation collapse to Absolute Zero communication whatsoever between the 2 leaders and their respective Offices during the Lockdown for the Pandemic in early 2020…She then started popping up all over the State in all efforts large or small Protesting the Lockdowns and Government overreach…Including the Armed Right-Wing Militia ones…Idahoans clearly Learned what the Party didn’t want to admit or be publicly known that obviously they were experiencing an Idaho Specific Republican Civil War between the more civil moderate Governor and his traditional conservative and the Lieutenant Governors Radical Faction which defiantly had been growing over the years and clearly had Snuck in a Major leadership candidate who didn’t reveal these loyalties till in office!!…We Were actually nationally Publicizing the historical election of Idaho’s First Female To A High office and that We Aren’t The Uneducated White Men-Only Red State Religious Fanatics commonly associated with Southern Red States…BUT in the Bizarre turn of events that First Female holding High Office in Idaho will actually be very much Historical but not so much as the once thought Female role model for young girls or her Strong activism in #MeToo…But relegating the entire State into a similarity of Unknown Future amid such confusing politics and leadership just normal routine for Portland and the Week in Week out Civil issues from grouses ranging from White Supremacists who get lost and end up there for Protest or trying to find some apparent rival group for some type of fight they promised on Facebook they would shoe for, to the Next week having a Naked bike parade for good or bad reasons, at least it’s Peaceful, then the Next week Entire Downtown area descending into Full Riot and the Mayor making it Illegal and arrest-able offense if any of his Own city Police department members attempt to impede, interfere, or question Rioters on their destruction of Private and public property and Ensure 1st Amendment Speech protection for Said Anarchist movements…Which are largely just Portland’s own Citizens who live in the outlying burbs and neighboring townships…It’s pretty much just Portland being Portland…I spend My Oregon Time in Bend……Seattle sadly has become No Picnic of a City itself over the last 15 years, and most likely wouldn’t meet “Cascadia” Standards just the same as the Rest of the Pacific Northwest these days!!…Don’t look for stability out coming out of Western Montana anytime soon either….Their still trying settle the Fights over Wolf reintroduction and fights with Native Americans over LOTS of Nastiness I don’t want to explain…Possibly a Cascadia Candidate 15 years from Now when they finally learned where all the water in their snow and rivers actually did end up after grasping concepts in Preserving their Resources, and not destroying letting them be destroyed and exploited. Your Only Hope for the Peaceful Environmentally-Focused Regional Collaborative into a Single Entity of Authority and Governance of the Entire Colombia River watershed and the people and places of the lands in such a vast region of influence probably lies in a possible flicker of light and small hope with the Small strip of Extremely Western Wyoming which would give ya Jackson Hole and it’s Greater Yellowstone Ecosystems and Stronghold Of Powerful Environmental Groups, with their Extremely Well Funded Backers and large initiatives Succeeding in Large Protections and Actual Benefits for EnvironmentL Justice and Stewarship of Natural Resources…Your Dreams of Cascadia would Probably Start there…I could go, but you probably get the points I’m making…But also a lot of those points are Simply Facts as well…just not quite of exposed or noticed by many….BUT make NO Mistakes Friend…The Pacific Northwest is probably observed by others not from the region and even the entire Country of USA as a whole like say Canadian Border Agents and Authorities as Reversing progression and moving into the Lawlessness of the post-civil way American “Wild West” Decades…Once again…Maybe For Good or Bad reasons…We’ll see where it all goes…Cheers!!

  2. *eyeroll*
    It’s all fun and games until they actually realize that running a country takes more than a bunch of gun-toting yokels with bad attitudes. Even if they were to become the 51st state, they are still beholden to the Federal Government and their sovereign citizen nonsense would not fly. Just ask those jerks that took over a bird sanctuary. Well…the ones who didn’t get shot when they tried to fight their way out. LOL

  3. I live in Mendocino county in what is the proposed state of Jefferson, people in Northern California are just sick of how the rest of the state pass laws that they think benefit the whole state but they don’t think on how this effects the North. I work in Timber industry and just to get trees cut in private land for lumber the process can take 6months to over a year! Their is just to many laws that are good for so-cal that just make things tougher for nor cal

  4. If they can achieve and maintain al the goals stated, even if they can’t achieve the level of independence from the Federal Government that seems to be the biggest hurdle – I would be all for this.

    Our political system only works if policies (both good and bad) are allowed to follow their natural course. If California’s Political direction is screwing a portion of its citizenship, and those passing the laws cannot be reasoned with, more power to them in getting out and letting the lawmakers figure out how to fix their own mess.

  5. This is technically called partition, not secession, if they are becoming the 51st state. While unlikely, these counties would need the approval of both state legislatures (unlikely) and Congress (probably more unlikely).

    Article IV, Section. 3, Clause 1 of the United States Constitutions provides:

    New States may be admitted by the Congress into this Union; but no new States shall be formed or erected within the Jurisdiction of any other State; nor any State be formed by the Junction of two or more States, or parts of States, without the Consent of the Legislatures of the States concerned as well as of the Congress.

    There is precedent (i.e. Maine, West Virginia), but it hasn’t happened since the Civil War when West Virginia broke off from Virginia.

    Good luck getting six legislative bodies (CA House/CA Senate/OR House/OR Senate/US House/US Senate) to agree on that.

  6. Your fundamental facts are inaccurate. If this is indeed purports to be a credible news source, you may want to double-check the information, rather than just relying some listserve or Facebook page.

    1. I attempt to be as accurate as possible with the articles which I write, four waters; but I am always open to suggestions.

      Where would you suggest I find what you consider fundamentally factual information pertaining to the proposed state of Jefferson?

  7. Is anyone aware of a reason the Jefferson Movement is a fundamentally bad idea? I understand there would be a large initial cost, and the potential prosperity of such an endeavor is unclear, however if it is what a majority of the residents want, why should they remain beholden to a state that legislature that is dominated by representation of distant (both geographically and figuratively/philosophically) communities?

    Corruption is inherent in society, and the best we can hope to do is to be involved in our communities to ensure things are done in the best interests of the masses, not just those in power. The best way I can see to do this is to divide power, so no single entity has too much control. California in particular has become so big that it seems prudent for the state to relinquish control of the under-represented areas up north to authorities who can focus on local interests.

    I suggest anyone who opposes such an effort fears they will lose out on some financial benefit of the current structure of governance, whether that be direct or indirect, and am interested to hear if anyone disagrees.

    1. Interestingly, Jamudda Dragoon, I am based in a county in which suddenly no fewer than four unincorporated entities are lobbying to become their own cities…

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