On the face of it, Brits and Californians don’t have much in common: one prefers a spot of Earl Grey, the other misguidedly quaffs health-faddish Kombucha. Yet Californians and Englishmen may agree on one thing: self-government. Many golden state separatists see the successful Brexit campaign as an inspiration. In fact, on the official ‘Yes California Independence‘ website, the president of the movement – Louis J Marinelli – mentions Brexit and what it could mean for his fellow Calexiteers:
In 2016, the United Kingdom voted to leave the international community with their ‘Brexit’ vote. Our ‘Calexit’ referendum is about California joining the international community. You have a big decision to make.
Supporters of a plan for the state to secede from the union and become the independent Republic of California took their first formal step on 21 November. They submitted a proposed ballot measure to the state attorney general’s office, and hope to gather enough signatures for a statewide vote as soon as 2018.
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