KELSEYVILLE, Calif. – Proponents of a plan to splits parts of California – including Lake County – into a new state are holding a town hall meeting in July.
The Jefferson State Declaration Committee will host the town hall at 6:30 p.m. Friday, July 11, at Grace Church, 6716 Live Oak Drive, Kelseyville.
Truman Bernal, one of the committee organizers, said the town hall is estimated to last about two hours, and will include featured speakers and a question-and-answer period for those who attend.
Terry Rapoza will be the master of ceremonies, with the state of Jefferson movement spokesman Mark Baird as the main speaker; along with Kayla Brown, who represents younger people in the movement; and Robert Smith, editor of the Shasta Lantern, Bernal said.
Bernal, who along with wife Sheryl organized the Lake County Jefferson State Declaration Committee last December, said the new state is necessary because Northern Californians have no representation in Sacramento.
He pointed out that in California, Los Angeles has 35 representatives and the northern third of California has five, and that residents are burdened with regulations, taxes and fees that offer them no benefit.
As proposed, the state of Jefferson would encompass Northern California counties including Butte, Colusa, Del Norte, El Dorado, Glenn, Humboldt, Lake, Lassen, Mendocino, Modoc, Nevada, Placer, Plumas, Shasta, Sierra, Siskiyou, Sutter, Tehama, Trinity and Yuba in California, along with several Southern Oregon counties.
Bernal said that, in addition to Lake, the counties of El Dorado, Lassen, Nevada, Placer, Plumas, Sutter and Tehama all have established declaration committees in support of forming the 51st state.
In September 2013, the boards of supervisors for Siskiyou and Modoc counties voted to adopt a declaration and petition to the California State Legislature to withdraw from California to form the state of Jefferson, with the Glenn County Board of Supervisors taking the same action in January and the Yuba County Board of Supervisors doing the same in April.
Also in April, the Lake County Board of Supervisors had a preliminary discussion on joining the Jefferson movement but took no formal action, with the local committee asking for an opportunity to return with more information.
Bernal said the Lake County committee doesn't yet have a target date for going back to the Board of Supervisors.
“We'll see how many people come to the town hall,” he said, with the decision up to Baird, who has talked to board members.
Alicia Flores, assistant clerk to the Lake County Board of Supervisors, confirmed that nothing regarding the state of Jefferson proposal is scheduled on the board agenda for at least the next three weeks.
On June 3, Tehama County voters approved Measure A by 58 percent. The measure supports having the Tehama County Board of Supervisors approve the declaration to withdraw from California and join Jefferson.
On Tuesday, the Shasta County Board of Supervisors voted against joining the movement. Bernal said the Sutter County Board of Supervisors has rescheduled for a month a discussion it had planned on the matter.
According to the www.jeffersondeclaration.net , no action has so far been taken by Boards of Supervisors in the counties of Butte, Colusa, Del Norte, El Dorado, Nevada, Placer and Plumas, although committees are organizing and holding meetings in those areas.
For more information on the Jefferson movement, visit www.jeffersondeclaration.net ; for updates from the Lake County for the State of Jefferson group, visit https://www.facebook.com/LakeCoSOJ .
Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.