2013 – An article is printed in California news called “How would California do on its own”. This was the first time the news reported seriously about the potential for an Independent California. From this article members of Calexit started to reach out and attempt to find each other.
2014 – A few people who saw the article, started coming together to collectively protest the Initiative by Billionaire Trim Draper to split California into 6 states. The Small group of novice activists received as much media attention, as the official Sacramento government media blitz to turn voters away from Draper’s initiative. The small group realized that their simple message of “California is like a nation” was as popular with the California public as a slick marketing campaign with thousands of dollars behind it. This convinced the group that there was a larger market of Californians open to the idea of California being seen as a nation. As the news reported “One California formed to oppose the initiative. The organization was founded by Joe Rodota, a Republican strategist, and Steven Maviglio, a Democratic consultant. Sovereign California, Inc. also opposed the initiative. The group reportedly planned to push ballot measures seeking to increase “sub-national sovereignty” in 2016.”
2015 – This small group protests in front of the Sacramento capitol, pointing out the governor Jerry Brown recently said that we were a separate nation to the Chinese government. Some members of the movement run for office and that gains media attention across California.
2016 – Donald Trump is elected president. The Calexit movement has a tent saying “independence in our time”, printed shirts, and flyers, in front of the Sacramento capitol the morning after it is announced that Trump has become President. According to multiple reputable polls one third of California says they want to secede immediately. Those polls also indicated that there is support for discussing the option, (in addition to immediate supporters) raising the amount of those in California who are not immediately opposed to Calexit, and are willing to discuss it, to around 47.5%. Michael Quicho a UCLA student coins the term “Calexit” to popularize the movement. “California has the sixth largest economy in the world… We have the ability to secede from the United States and go independent. #CalExit.”
2017 -Calexit movement files multiple initiatives to put a vote in front of the California people asking if they want to secede. Three of these initiatives are approved by three separate California attorney generals, proving the legality of the secession initiative.
2018 – The Resist movement comes to maturity. It is based on Democratic staffers who released a plan to block, stall, and slow down any legislation that Donald Trump attempts to make. This movement gives Californians hope that America can be taken back from Trump, and Californians start to lose interested in the Calexit option as Resist is seen as a less radical option. However, no Calexit member who left said they stopped believing that California could survive as a nation – just that the Resist movement seemed more achievable.
2018 – Brett Kavanaugh is being selected to become the next Supreme Court justice. A California professor accuses him of sexual misconduct. At some point in the confirmation hearings the Federal government refuses to hear all of the testimony about this assault and moves forward with the confirmation. California women in particular are very upset. There is a massive uptick online about interest in Calexit from California women.
2020 – The fact that Donald Trump has not been brought to justice and that he has survived long enough to be able to run again in 2020, causes deep reflection among some Californians who had initially believed the Resist movement would completely work out. In April 2020, long time California reporter Steve Lopez said “”Newsom if you haven’t noticed keeps calling us a nation state. Let’s make it official.” Clara Jeffery , editor of the ultra liberal Mother Jones magazine said “California seceding feels less and less batsh#t absurd.” Cenk Uygur of the ultra liberal The Young Turks said on April 2020 “because we do dream of a nation-state called California.”
2022 – Roe V Wade is overturned by the US Supreme Court. In response, many Californians and California publications immediately discussion secession on their own. None of these groups were members of the Calexit movement and choose to launch these discussion on their own. Ron Pearlman, of liberal Hollywood fame also said in February 2022 “It’s time that every state they would elect republicans to represent them, and all of the rest of us separate. You don’t wanna live in my world and I certainly don’t want to live in yours.” The San Francisco Chronicle wrote “California has two choices in these dark times: lead or secede“, Mercury News wrote, “California needs to prepare to secede from the nation“, and asked “Will abortion decision revive Calexit?”.
2024 With the possibility of Donald Trump returning to office as President, Californians are again surveyed for their support for secession. The survey finds that support for Calexit is almost identical in 2024 to what it was in 2017. A poll released by YouGov, entitled “The states whose residents are most likely to support secession: Alaska, Texas, and California” found that 29% of Californians supported secession, with another 26% saying they are not sure, meaning that around 55% of Californians were not opposed to discussion of secession. This is very close to the 47.5% found only a few years earlier and suggests a slight growth in support for Calexit.
