Northern California Politician James Gallagher aims to split California with a new proposal. Gallagher said inland counties do not get voice in elections
The recent passage of Proposition 50, which opens the door for Democrats to win five new congressional seats in next year’s midterm elections, has served as a catalyst for a new proposal.
Republican state lawmaker, James Gallagher (R–East Nicolaus), is advancing legislation, Assembly Joint Resolution 23, to split California into two states. The proposed inland state would encompass 35 counties, including much of Northern California, the Sierra Nevada, the Central Valley and the Inland Empire.
🚨BREAKING: The California Republican Assembly leader has just proposed splitting California into TWO STATES to protect rural voters who will be “silenced” by Gavin Newsom’s gerrymandering plan.
What’s your response? pic.twitter.com/NavJ7auL34
— Elephant Signal 🐘🇺🇸 (@ElephantSignal) November 10, 2025
Gallagher told the Shasta County Board of Supervisors on Nov. 6 that coastal regions have the majority of representatives and said it was unfair for the inland counties.
“When they vote, they vote for their own interests, with little regard for inland California,” Gallagher said.
Under the map released with the resolution, Shasta County would be part of the new inland state.
Gallagher argued the coastal‑inland division addresses pressing issues such as soaring utility bills, crime, homelessness and wildfire migration that leave interior counties behind. Yet, the split could bring serious economic challenges, as the inland region would effectively become landlocked in terms of maritime exports.
Landlocked economies today face transport costs approximately 50% above the global average and wait double the time for imports, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development reported.
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If California’s inland region were separated from the established seaport infrastructure of the coast, local agriculture and manufacturing sectors could face steep new hurdles. Extended distances to ports, lack of direct maritime access and reliance on transit through other jurisdictions could drive up shipping costs and slow delivery times.
Considering California exported $183.3 billion of goods to the world last year and is the country’s second-largest state exporter, according to the Office of the United States Trade Representative, this split can have a harrowing effect on the state.
If the proposal is approved, this would be monumental, as the last time a state was split was in 1863, when West Virginia seceded from Virginia during the Civil War.