The time has come for 51. That was the mantra of several hundred supporters of the State of Jefferson who gathered for a town hall meeting at the Senior Citizens Hall in Redding on Sunday.
Supporters say California Government has become too intrusive, and the rural north has no representation in a state where most of the population is in the south. Spokesman and Keynote Speaker Mark Baird says that’s what the whole Jefferson movement is about.
“The northern third of California has six state level representatives," Baird said. "The County of Los Angeles alone has 35. This county shares a state senator with 10 other counties. The County of Los Angeles has 11 state senators. Whenever there is a discussion about what Shasta County needs, unless Los Angeles and San Francisco agree, you’re not going to get it, and I don’t care what it is.”
Just last week the Lake County Board of Supervisors became the latest to adopt a resolution asking the Legislature to allow the state to split in two. So far that has not happened in Shasta County, but Baird says the movement will continue with a declaration of the people.
“If we succeed in that, and I don’t have any reason to think we won’t, we’re going to record that with the State of California and Shasta County will be part the legislation to split California," he said.
But it’s a long road. First the California Legislature needs to approve a split, and then both houses of Congress would need to do the same. However, the several hundred gathered on Sunday clearly believe their voice is a loud message their representatives can’t ignore.