Horrified at the election of Donald Trump, some Californians are openly calling for secession.
The Republic of California is coming back #Calexit
I wonder, as a natural born Californian who now lives in Minnesota, could I have dual citizenship #CalExit
I 100% support this!!! Californian independence!!!!! https://t.co/BREGvCsst5 #Calexit
Some prominent figures in the tech industry have pledged to lead a charge on secession.
Shervin Pishevar, a well-known investor in numerous startups and the co-founder of Hyperloop One, said on Twitter last night that he would put his own money into the effort:
1/ If Trump wins I am announcing and funding a legitimate campaign for California to become its own nation.
6/ Calling for a temporary withdrawal of support during the dark Trump Presidency. Re-entry after a constitutional convention convened.
Dave Morin, a tech investor and co-founder of the social network Path, backed him.
@shervin I was literally just going to tweet this. I'm in and will partner with you on it.
Neither Pishevar nor Morin could be reached for comment.
Some people online seem glad about the possibility of a #Calexit.
#Calexit Please, fucking leave.
Enjoy drinking sand and showering once a month! #Calexit
Meanwhile, an organization dubbed Yes California, which has an official secession petition and policy platform, surged in popularity Wednesday. It is calling for a secession election in 2019, a "Calexit vote."
"In our view, the United States of America represents so many things that conflict with Californian values, and our continued statehood means California will continue subsidizing the other states to our own detriment, and to the detriment of our children," the petition states.
The movement, it said, "is about California taking its place in the world, standing as an equal among nations. We believe in two fundamental truths: (1) California exerts a positive influence on the rest of the world, and (2) California could do more good as an independent country than it is able to do as a just a U.S. state."
Yes California held a meet and greet Wednesday at the Capitol Building in Sacramento and plans a rally at 8 p.m.
Yes California creator Louis J. Marinelli told BuzzFeed News via email that the campaign's Twitter following grew sixfold on Wednesday, adding nearly 4,000 followers and that its Facebook page has received 4,000 new likes. Five thousand new volunteers have signed up on his website, he said, and some people have even sent him their résumés.
Marinelli, who has been pushing for secession since last year, called Trump's election "a disaster" but said he was pleased at the newfound interest in California leaving the union. "From that point of view, we’re happy he has won because we believe in our hearts that California independence is the the best way for us to improve quality of life in California."
Is #Calexit likely to succeed/secede?
To make #Calexit a real possibility, the movement would need to grow from a trending topic into an activist organization with real power in the California legislature and IRL operations.
The movement would also need to overcome significant legal and political hurdles. In 1869 the U.S. Supreme Court, in Texas v. White, found that when Texas became a state, it entered into an "indissoluble relation" with the United States, which the court called "an indestructible union." The only way to secede, the court wrote, would be through "revolution or consent of the States."
When Texas became one of the United States, she entered into an indissoluble relation. The union between Texas and the other States was as complete, as perpetual, and as indissoluble as the union between the original States. There was no place for reconsideration or revocation, except through revolution or through consent of the States.
Meanwhile, others across the state have taken to the streets to express displeasure with Trump's victory. Protests have already erupted in Oakland and Berkeley, with more expected in San Francisco.
Kalila Kirk, UC Berkeley junior
Some protesters even set fires to express their anger.
Hello I found a literal dumpster fire in downtown Oakland