Opponents Praise Supreme Court Decision Removing 3 Californias from November Ballot

SACRAMENTO – Opponents of the ballot initiative to split California into three new states today applauded the unanimous decision by the California Supreme Court to hear its case to prevent the “3 Californians” measure from appearing on the state’s November ballot.

“Proposition 9 was a costly, flawed scheme that will waste billions of California taxpayer dollars, create chaos in public services including safeguarding our environment and literally eliminate the State of California – all to satisfy the whims of one billionaire,” said Planning and Conservation League Executive Director Howard Penn. “It would have dismantled the world’s fifth biggest economy without solving a single challenge facing Californians today. We are thankful to for the opportunity to save Californians from having to vote on a billionaire’s folly.”

“The order is very unusual and dramatic because it takes the opposition off the ballot. The court has done that sparingly in the past,” Penn added. “The only further questions are whether something like this could on future ballots and we are confident we will prevail on that when it is considered in the fall.”

“We thank the Supreme Court for its decision on this straightforward case about a vastly overreaching proposed initiative statute that should be stricken from the November 2018 ballot,” said attorney Carlyle Hall. “We believe is clear that a ballot initiative may not revise the Constitution by making changes in the basic framework of government. And there can be no greater change our framework of government than the total abolition of our existing Constitution.”

“Proposition 9’s built-in post-election uncertainties would have an immediate and adverse impact on the on-going operations of the executive, judicial, and legislative branches, as well as the administrative agencies and the private sector,” noted Hall. “Fortunately the Court has found Prop 9 has no legal place on the November 6th ballot.”

“Putting this unpopular and flawed measure on the ballot in the first place was an act of political malpractice that gives direct democracy a bad name,” noted Fabian Nunez of the OneCalifornia Committee. “We are hopeful that Tim Draper will end his attempts to split up our state and use his resources to help California meet its challenges and become an even better place to live and work.”

The challenge of the decision was led by the legal team of Kirk Dillman, Robby Mocker and Michael Miguel of McKook, Smith Henn, co-counsel with Carlyle Hall.

For more than 50 years, the Planning and Conservation League has been a leading voice in protecting California lands, air, waters, and communities, while building strong coalitions and empowering the public.

Carlyle Hall was co-founder of the highly regarded Center for Law in the Public Interest (CLIPI), one of the first public interest law firms in Los Angeles and in the United States. As co-director and staff attorney of the Center for almost 20 years, Carlyle’s legal work helped create California’s current environmental and land use regulatory framework. He has also litigated landmark cases in civil rights, governmental powers to tax and spend, corporate reform and consumer protection.

OneCalifornia is the official no committee on Prop 9. It is chaired by former Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez.