Politics & Government

Stone Prepares for Upcoming California Secession Proposal

Riverside County Supervisor Jeff Stone, Third District, will present his request to fellow county supervisors next week.

Riverside County Supervisor Jeff Stone on Tuesday is set to detail his reasons for proposing the county and a dozen neighboring counties to break away and form the new state of South California.

Stone filed a five-page memorandum that will be on the Board of Supervisors' agenda for consideration at a July 12 meeting, enumerating what actions he says should be taken to create America's 51st state.   

The supervisor prefaced his de-annexation action plan with a description of things that have, in his opinion, been going wrong in California and pushing the state closer to the brink of financial ruin.

Stone cited a survey showing that California is ranked dead last in business-friendliness nationally and named a number of companies that have moved operations outside the state to escape high taxation and regulation, including Fluor Corp., Intuit, Nissan North America and USAA Insurance.

"As a result of these thousands of jobs leaving our state, those citizens waiting for this economic cycle to turn are in for a very big disappointment,'' the supervisor wrote. "It has been estimated that many businesses can relocate to Texas and expect to save 20 to 40 percent! What will remain here is a 'welfare state.'"   

Stone, a practicing pharmacist who owns several businesses including a pharmacy in Murrieta, said "duplicative" state and federal environmental regulations and high personal and corporate income taxes drive away entrepreneurs.   

He maintains that the state's unfunded public pension liabilities--which a Stanford University study last year estimated as high as $500 billion --are unsustainable and will only worsen as lawmakers and the governor cater to union interests.   

According to Stone, state taxpayers are footing the bill for medical and welfare services for illegal immigrants, subsidizing their college tuition, while legal residents pay their own way.   

The supervisor described California as "too big to govern," a laggard in K-12 education, with one-third of the nation's welfare recipients and only 12 percent of its population.   

He decried the state's raids on funds designated for infrastructure improvements and local programs--without resolving multi-year budget shortfalls.

"It is time to take corrective and decisive action,'' he said.   

Under the supervisor's proposal, first floated a week ago, Riverside,
Fresno, Imperial, Inyo, Kern, Kings, Madera, Mariposa, Mono, Orange, San Bernardino, San Diego and Tulare counties would constitute a new state.

Stone envisions a part-time legislature, with lawmakers meeting for three months every two years--like Texas--and earning $600 per month instead of $400 per day. He said South California's constitution should include a balanced budget provision and property tax protections, akin to those guaranteed under Proposition 13.   

There would be no subsidies for illegals and no legislative term limits, with an emphasis on automating many government functions.

"Ignoring our continuing repetitive plight can only be characterized as insane," Stone said.   

Reactions to the proposals have been mixed.   

Gov. Jerry Brown's press secretary, Gil Duran, told City News Service last week that Stone was engaging in a "monumental waste of taxpayer dollars.''

"Most people are normal and will view this as a very strange publicity stunt that will, mercifully, not go any further,'' Duran said. "It's clearly a joke."   

Assemblyman Brian Nestande, R-Palm Desert, found merit in some of the ideas.

"We've got a state now that is literally unmanageable,'' he said. "The bigger you are, the harder it is to be efficient. The larger you are, the more bureaucracy eats up your tax dollars.''   

Stone is seeking the board's approval for the Executive Office to call a conference at the Riverside Convention Center and invite representatives from all of the counties and cities proposed in the new state to debate the issue and its ramifications.

Murrieta Mayor Randon Lane publicly expressed his support for Stone's proposal. The topic did not come up in a recent City Council meeting, however.

The passage of the state budget could mean a loss of $3.5 million in redevelopment funds for Murrieta, Lane has said.

City News Service and Maggie Avants contributed to this report.


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