| abstract | - The movement for Californian independence is a minor political movement in the U.S. state of California. The vast majority of the movement advocates secession from the Union through entirely peaceful means. Its supporters offer such arguments as California's stem cell research initiatives, the fact that California tax payers are shouldering a disproportionate tax burden for the rest of the country, and California's relatively liberal views when compared to the growing anti-secularism in the rest of the country; they also point out that California has the eighth largest economy in the world, which, to some, proves that California could stand alone without U.S. aid. In a peaceful secession The United States could benefit in a number of ways. California would mostly likely continue to allow an American military presence in order to avoid a Fort Sumter pretext. California would keep close relations with the US Military because of California's large defense industry. A California presence in the United Nations would more than likely support most American initiatives. Having an additional Pacific power with a close history to America would also support American interests. Politically, the advantages would go to the increasingly populous southern states, the same cultural subgroup that would probably be happy to see California and (as they see it) its "decadent" culture go. However, campaign contributions to both parties would diminish since California is used as an "ATM" in most national elections. Critics of the movement cite the sheer enormousness of what secession, especially of a huge state like California, would do to the United States. The secession of California could lead to the secession of other states (such as Hawaii and Alaska) which also have active secessionist movements. It should be noted that, following the American Civil War, the Supreme Court ruled in Texas v White that states do not have the power to unilaterally secede from the Union. Any future attempts to secede would either require a new Supreme Court ruling, or the consent of the United States. In addition, the California Constitution does not allow the state to leave the United States; this would need to be amended by the state legislature or referendum before any attempt to secede. In a hypothetical situation, California's secession is most likely to be supported by the Republican Party which would benefit from the change in seats in Congress where southern and conservative states would gain the lion share of California's 52 representatives. Democrats would oppose this loss of power but might not have much of a say since the Secession movement draws largely from California's left. The likelihood of this movement increasing its political presence hangs largely on whether California's right and left could form a common cause for independence. It would require western conservatives, the more libertarian wing of the Republican Party, to quit the GOP and advocate secession. If California were to secede, some believe it would split internally based on the split of political values of the state, with the northern coastal areas more liberal than those inland, and to the south. To prevent such a situation would require a Californian brand of federalism, probably more cultural than political. Certain groups take as their emblem the original Bear Flag meaning to recall California's early, albeit brief, time as a sovereign nation: the Bear Flag Republic. These groups claim that California's earlier bout of independence establishes a precedent to which they could return. Other advocates have suggested the California Condor as the symbol of the new nation.
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