California lawmaker proposes splitting state in two amid redistricting fight

Could California be split in two? Lawmaker discuses reason for dividing state

"Gavin, let my people go," Assemblymember James Gallagher is proposing a controversial move to split California in two. This is in response to the state's redistricting plan.

SACRAMENTO - A top California lawmaker is proposing the Golden State be split in two in response to Gov. Gavin Newsom's plan to redraw the state's congressional maps.

What we know:

Assembly Republican Leader James Gallagher held a press conference on Wednesday to announce Assembly Joint Resolution 23, which calls for the creation of a new U.S. state comprising 35 inland California counties. 

The proposed new state would include most of Northern California, the Sierra Nevada, the Central Valley, and the Inland Empire.

SUGGESTED COVERAGE: California GOP challenges redistricting plan

The proposed state would have an estimated population of over 10 million people, placing it among the top ten most populous states in the nation.

Assembly Republican Leader James Gallagher will propose a "two state solution" that would split the state in two amid the ongoing battle over redistricting. / Assemblyman James Gallagher

The backstory:

The resolution comes in response to Newsom's push for a ballot measure that, if passed by voters in November, will temporarily suspend the congressional map passed by the state's independent redistricting commission and draw a new partisan map that eliminates up to five Republican seats in retaliation for a GOP redraw of the Texas map that does the same to Democrats.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE: California lawmakers approve special election on new congressional maps

What they're saying:

Gallagher asserts that this action would "silence rural voices and rig the political system forever."

"The people of inland California have been overlooked for too long. It’s time for a two state solution," he said in a statement.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE: San Bernardino County would become its own state under new proposal

Dig deeper:

This is not the first time a proposal to split California into multiple states has been introduced.

Earlier this year, Marcus Evans of Fresno introduced a ballot initiative that would create a 20-member commission to study whether California could govern itself as a separate nation. The secession would require a constitutional amendment which would need approval from two-thirds of the states. The measure was required to have more than 500,000 signatures by late July. It's unclear if it met that requirement.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE: California could become its own independent country

In 2014, billionaire venture capital investor Tim Draper introduced a proposal to split California into six states. It also did not meet the number of signatures required to qualify for the ballot.