Jefferson

By: Andrew Thomas

There’s a barn off I-5 in Siskiyou County, seemingly ordinary. So ordinary that you couldn’t fault a weary or incurious visitor who failed to notice a banner with the words “State of Jefferson” draped across the roof’s highway-facing facade. At first, the black and white sign may seem like an irrelevant artifact from the past -- maybe some sort of advertisement or idea that used to make sense, but has since lost all relevance. 

In fact, the State of Jefferson couldn’t be more relevant to our modern political climate. Jefferson is a proposed 51st state, and, some would say, the last frontier on the west coast. It is a vast territory, larger geographically than many Northeastern states. It comprises one of the least populated areas of California, but its constituents are diverse: farmers and ranchers coexist with bow hunters, marijuana growers and Mt. Shasta mystics. It is land with good farming soil imbued with lava from Cascade volcanoes.

If state succession sounds extreme, or unimaginable, first take a look at some recent polling date. When the Cal3 ballot measured was proposed in 2018, which would have split California’s 40 million residents into three smaller states, a surprising 13% of polled California voters were supportive and 12% were undecided, according to one poll. Keep in mind: Cal3 received 365,880 signatures and easily passed the hurdle required to be included on the ballot. That’s 2/3rds the population of Wymoning asking for a vote.

The Jefferson movement began in the 1940’s but was quickly put aside after Pearl Harbor and World War II. Since then, it has slowly resurfaced and has rallied numerous people to the cause. The town of Yreka, in Siskiyou County, is the potential state capitol and the epicenter of the Jefferson movement.

It boils down to tax issues: California has high tax rates, which have risen in concert with urban development. However, those relatively high state taxes impact rural areas where average incomes are much lower. And, if you ask many of them, they rarely receive meaningful support from Sacramento, the capital of California. California is such a massive state, with several major affluent urban centers that receive much attention, so it is not difficult to see how people outside of the urban centers are left feeling high and dry. Compounding frustration, many of these rural counties also have the highest unemployment and drug addiction rates.

The Jefferson movement has gained quite a bit more steam in the past six years, at least in certain quarters. The Jefferson flag flies everywhere starting north of Sacramento through Southern Oregon. The Public radio station in Ashland, Oregon, is Jefferson Public Radio and features story and info about the movement on their website. Advocates have rallied over county meetings, social media and even branding merchandise. Like all ambitious political campaigns, the idea is struggling to move from idea to action. Rally Sally is running a GoFundMe to raise money for the state’s new constitution, so far collecting $26,000 in pledges. One business, the Jefferson Rod Company, builds and markets intricate fishing rods, along with a message on their website about their belief in the state.

At the same time, there has been a recent divide in the Jefferson movement. Mark Baird from Siskiyou County has been one of the vocal leaders in this movement in the last 10 years. He is a juris coordinator for the proposed state. In the last year, however, Mr. Baird sued the state of California over equal voter representation. While the majority of Jeffersonians support his cause, many also point out that winning his lawsuit wouldn’t bring them much closer to a new State of Jefferson. 

It’s not clear where the movement goes from here. The Cal3 ballot initiative that recently received surprising levels of support actually didn’t carve out a specific state for Jefferson -- the territory would have been lumped into a new state called Northern California. As some supporters get burnt out or change direction, the Jefferson movement seems to be paused. But the underlying motivations and passion remain as hot as ever. Don’t be surprised if the 2020 election, getting closer by the day, reignites the State of Jefferson.

Some images are public domain, via Wikipedia