On January 5 morning the Sierra County Board of Supervisors joined Trinity in rejecting an invitation to break away from California to join the mythical "State of Jefferson." Note the strong recognition of grievous potential economic impacts and reference to "unverifiable petition signatures" in the full text:
WHEREAS, the State of Jefferson Declaration Committee has declined to make a presentation to the Board of Supervisors and instead has gathered unverifiable petition signatures requesting adoption of a declaration that Sierra County intends to break away from California to form a new “State of Jefferson”; and
WHEREAS, the Sierra County Board of Supervisors wishes to acknowledge that being a frontier county with a population of 3,000 in a state with a population of some 38 million is not without its frustration, we also see the benefit of sharing a state government with our suburban and urban counterparts, a state that is the 8th largest economy in the world; and
WHEREAS, representation of rural California issues is often inadequate, resulting in decisions and regulations which can cripple our local economy, the flip side is that the robust economies of our urban counterparts often shoulder more than their share of the cost of providing costly but necessary services in the more rural areas; and
WHEREAS, the State of Jefferson proponents have failed to prove financial viability or that forming a new state will solve the above problems and will likely never be approved by the California Legislature and the United States Congress; and WHEREAS, it is in the public interest that the Sierra County Board of Supervisors be informed of all the possible financial impacts and practical consequences of separation from California; and
WHEREAS, the State of California has an economic output that surpasses most countries, and jobs funded by the state through our schools, county, parks, law enforcement and nonprofit community provide living wage employment which helps support our local economy and Sierra County will lose millions of dollars in funding for roads, education, and social services for youth, families and seniors, if we separate from California.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED The Sierra County Board of Supervisors hereby declines to join the proposed “State of Jefferson” as the Board has carefully examined and considered the proposal by the “State of Jefferson” proponents and does not agree that forming a new state will solve the above problems and that the financial risks and uncertainties outweigh the possible benefits of forming a new “State of Jefferson”.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED The Sierra County Board of Supervisors will renew efforts to unite our community and to foster collaboration as a proud county of the State of California, to persistently inform our State and Federal representatives of our unique rural issues and to aggressively advocate for viable solutions for our rural counties.
WHEREAS, the State of Jefferson Declaration Committee has declined to make a presentation to the Board of Supervisors and instead has gathered unverifiable petition signatures requesting adoption of a declaration that Sierra County intends to break away from California to form a new “State of Jefferson”; and
WHEREAS, the Sierra County Board of Supervisors wishes to acknowledge that being a frontier county with a population of 3,000 in a state with a population of some 38 million is not without its frustration, we also see the benefit of sharing a state government with our suburban and urban counterparts, a state that is the 8th largest economy in the world; and
WHEREAS, representation of rural California issues is often inadequate, resulting in decisions and regulations which can cripple our local economy, the flip side is that the robust economies of our urban counterparts often shoulder more than their share of the cost of providing costly but necessary services in the more rural areas; and
WHEREAS, the State of Jefferson proponents have failed to prove financial viability or that forming a new state will solve the above problems and will likely never be approved by the California Legislature and the United States Congress; and WHEREAS, it is in the public interest that the Sierra County Board of Supervisors be informed of all the possible financial impacts and practical consequences of separation from California; and
WHEREAS, the State of California has an economic output that surpasses most countries, and jobs funded by the state through our schools, county, parks, law enforcement and nonprofit community provide living wage employment which helps support our local economy and Sierra County will lose millions of dollars in funding for roads, education, and social services for youth, families and seniors, if we separate from California.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED The Sierra County Board of Supervisors hereby declines to join the proposed “State of Jefferson” as the Board has carefully examined and considered the proposal by the “State of Jefferson” proponents and does not agree that forming a new state will solve the above problems and that the financial risks and uncertainties outweigh the possible benefits of forming a new “State of Jefferson”.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED The Sierra County Board of Supervisors will renew efforts to unite our community and to foster collaboration as a proud county of the State of California, to persistently inform our State and Federal representatives of our unique rural issues and to aggressively advocate for viable solutions for our rural counties.
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