California Freedom Coalition

Last updated
California Freedom Coalition
PresidentStephen Gonzales
Vice-PresidentShankar Singam
Policy DirectorDave Marin
Founded2017;7 years ago (2017)
Headquarters Sacramento, California
Ideology Autonomy
Californian independence
Californian secessionism
Devolution
Regionalism
Self-determination
Self-governance
State rights
Political position Big tent
Colours  Yellow and   blue
Website
www.cafree.org

The California Freedom Coalition is a political group advocating for the political, economic, and social empowerment of Californians. It supports universal healthcare for Californians, greater representation for California in the U.S. Congress, and more funding for education in California, as well as the possibility of Californian independence.

Contents

History

The group, in 2017, gathered signatures to petition the State of California to secede from the United States of America. [1]

Drawing intentional parallels to the separatist movement in Catalonia, which briefly seceded from Spain, [2] the group affiliates itself with groups like the California National Party. The California Freedom Coalition has participated in many rallies throughout the state that promote democratic principles. [3]

The California Freedom Coalition has been reported on by the Sacramento Bee, [4] the LA Weekly, [5] Mother Jones [6] and other California-focused media outlets. [7] The group has been highlighted on local TV news [8] shows and Fox News.

Organization

It is officially made up of two non profit entities, the California Freedom Coalition Education Fund and California Freedom Coalition Advocacy Fund. [9]

Advocacy

The California Freedom Coalition's policy think tank has also written a number of research papers that highlight areas of the federal government that are less democratic and harm the people of California. [10] [11]

The Advocacy arm has lobbied the state assembly for bills that protect Californians, like SB822 [12] Net Neutrality.

See also

Related Research Articles

Secession is the formal withdrawal of a group from a political entity. The process begins once a group proclaims an act of secession. A secession attempt might be violent or peaceful, but the goal is the creation of a new state or entity independent of the group or territory from which it seceded. Threats of secession can be a strategy for achieving more limited goals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jefferson (proposed Pacific state)</span> Proposed U.S. state in the United States of America

The State of Jefferson is a proposed U.S. state that would span the contiguous, mostly rural area of southern Oregon and Northern California, where several attempts to separate from Oregon and California, respectively, have taken place. The region encompasses most of Northern California's land but does not include San Francisco or other Bay Area counties that account for the majority of Northern California's population.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peace and Freedom Party</span> American left-wing political party

The Peace and Freedom Party (PFP) is a left-wing political party with ballot status in California. Its first candidates appeared on the 1966 New York ballot. The Peace and Freedom Party of California was organized in early 1967, gathering over 103,000 registrants which qualified its ballot status in January 1968 under the California Secretary of State Report of Registration.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cascadia movement</span> Bioregion, proposed country in North America

The Cascadia movement is a bioregional independence movement based in the Cascadia bioregion of western North America. Potential boundaries differ, with some drawn along existing political state and provincial lines, and others drawn along larger ecological, cultural, political, and economic boundaries. The Cascadia movement is largely associated with leftist political circles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Secession in the United States</span> A state leaving the Union

In the context of the United States, secession primarily refers to the voluntary withdrawal of one or more states from the Union that constitutes the United States; but may loosely refer to leaving a state or territory to form a separate territory or new state, or to the severing of an area from a city or county within a state. Advocates for secession are called disunionists by their contemporaries in various historical documents.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2008 California Proposition 11</span>

Proposition 11 of 2008 was a law enacted by California voters that placed the power to draw electoral boundaries for State Assembly and State Senate districts in a Citizens Redistricting Commission, as opposed to the State Legislature. To do this the Act amended both the Constitution of California and the Government Code. The law was proposed by means of the initiative process and was put to voters as part of the November 4, 2008 state elections. In 2010, voters passed Proposition 20 which extended the Citizen Redistricting Commission's power to draw electoral boundaries to include U.S. House seats as well.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Texas secession movements</span> Movement that advocates Texas to be an independent sovereign state

Texas secession movements, also known as the Texas Independence movement or Texit, refers to both the secession of Texas during the American Civil War as well as activities of modern organizations supporting such efforts to secede from the United States and become an independent sovereign state.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shannon Grove</span> American politician from California

Shannon Lee Grove is an American politician, who represents California's 12th State Senatorial district, encompassing the southern Central Valley and parts of the High Desert. A Republican, she served as the minority leader of the California State Senate from 2019 to 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Partition and secession in California</span> Proposals to split the state or leave the US

California, the most populous state in the United States and third largest in area after Alaska and Texas, has been the subject of more than 220 proposals to divide it into multiple states since its admission to the Union in 1850, including at least 27 significant proposals prior to the 21st century.

Larry SECEDE Kilgore is a political activist in the Texas Secessionist Movement. He is a perennial Republican candidate who has run in multiple Texas statewide elections. He is one of the most prominent supporters of Texas secession. Kilgore received his most widespread attention during his advocacy for U.S. state secession petitions following the 2012 presidential election.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Travis Allen</span> American politician

Travis Ethan Allen is an American politician who served as a Republican member of the California State Assembly. Allen was first elected in November 2012 to represent California's 72nd State Assembly district, which includes the cities of Fountain Valley, Los Alamitos, Seal Beach, and Westminster, most of Garden Grove, portions of Huntington Beach and of Santa Ana, and the unincorporated communities of Midway and Rossmoor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">California National Party</span> Political party in California

The California National Party is a secessionist and civic nationalist political party in California. The CNP supports big tent, progressive policies and also campaigns for Californian independence from the United States.

Louis J. Marinelli is a political activist known for having launched a campaign for California independence in 2014, re-branded as Yes California in 2015. Marinelli is the president of Yes California and the former interim chairman of the California National Party, under which he also ran for California State Assembly in California's 80th State Assembly district representing south San Diego, National City, Chula Vista, San Ysidro, and the surrounding communities, where he had been teaching English for EF Education First. In 2016, he moved to Yekaterinburg, Russia to teach English abroad and later relocated to Moscow in 2018 to become a kindergarten English teacher there. Marinelli left Russia with his family in December, 2021, to return to the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yes California</span> Secessionist campaign for California

Yes California is a Californian political action committee that promotes the Independence of the state of California from the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cal 3</span> 2017 proposal to split California into 3 states

Cal 3 was a proposal to split the U.S. state of California into three states. It was launched in August 2017 by Silicon Valley venture capitalist Tim Draper, who led the effort to have it originally qualify on the November 2018 state ballot as Proposition 9, officially the Division of California into Three States initiative. Proponents of the proposal argued that dividing California into three states would provide fairer and more responsive governance for large regions outside of California’s major cities. In July 2018, the Supreme Court of California pulled it from the ballot for further state constitutional review. Draper officially stopped pushing for the measure soon after. On 12 September 2018, the court permanently removed the measure from all future ballots.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andreas Borgeas</span> American politician (born 1974)

Andreas Borgeas is an American attorney, politician, and academic who served as a member of the California State Senate from the 8th district, which included parts of the Central Valley and the Sierra Nevada. Prior to being elected to the state Senate, he was a member of the Fresno County Board of Supervisors. He represented all or portions of Amador, Calaveras, Fresno, Inyo, Madera, Mariposa, Mono, Sacramento, Stanislaus, Tulare, and Tuolumne counties.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2021 California gubernatorial recall election</span>

The 2021 California gubernatorial recall election was a special recall election that began in August 2021 and concluded on September 14, 2021, when California voters chose not to recall incumbent Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom, elected for the term January 2019 to January 2023.

References

  1. "Home - California Freedom Coalition". Home - California Freedom Coalition. Retrieved 4 May 2018.
  2. Irby, Kate (12 October 2017). "California secessionists think their path to independence is easier than Catalonia's" . Retrieved 4 May 2018 via Sacramento Bee.
  3. Macias, Martin Jr. (2018-03-14). "Protesters Roll Out 'Unwelcome' Mat for President Trump" . Retrieved 2018-12-11.
  4. Miller, Jim (2017-05-19). "Calexit plan is back, but it's toned down". The Sacramento Bee. ISSN   0890-5738 . Retrieved 2018-12-11.
  5. Romero, Dennis (2017-07-05). "Backers of California Secession Say State's Senate Representation Is Dire". L.A. Weekly. Retrieved 2018-12-11.
  6. Gilson, Dave. "California secessionists are hoping for a Trump bump". Mother Jones. Retrieved 2018-12-11.
  7. Jennewein, Chris (2017-07-27). "Independent California? Backers Begin Gathering Signatures for Initiative". Times of San Diego. Retrieved 2018-12-11.
  8. CalFree Coalition, KNBC LA Shankar Singam Talking Strategy , retrieved 2018-12-11
  9. "About Us - California Freedom Coalition". Home - California Freedom Coalition. Retrieved 4 May 2018.
  10. "calfree | Blog". Home | California Freedom Coalition. Retrieved 2018-12-11.
  11. "calfree | Senate". Home | California Freedom Coalition. Retrieved 2018-12-11.
  12. "calfree | SB822". Home | California Freedom Coalition. Retrieved 2018-12-11.