Category: Issues

Parent Category for policy areas (e.g. Environment)

Dean Erwin Chemerinsky, Dean and Distinguished Professor of Law, University of California, Irvine School of Law gives the keynote address. UNC Media Law, CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

Sacramento Bee: California dreamin’ — of independence: Could the golden state ever secede?

ICI July 10, 2025

Robin Epley: If you, like me, in recent days have wistfully considered a utopian fantasy where an economically powerful country of California breaks away from the chaos of a second Donald Trump presidency, then I have both good news and bad news for you:

The good news is that the fantasy seems to be rapidly gaining support. A new YouGov poll of 500 California adults, commissioned by the Independent California Institute last month, reports a record high 44% who say they would vote for the state to secede from America and become a fully independent nation.

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The Economic Times: On US Independence Day, 44% in California, the world’s 4th largest economy, want to secede – is a breakaway vote next?

ICI July 4, 2025

California independence movement is gaining momentum, with fresh 2025 YouGov poll results revealing that most Californians now trust Sacramento more than Washington. A rising 71% want California autonomous status, and 56% say Californians would be better off with peaceful secession. From controlling state borders like a country to arresting rogue ICE agents, residents are leaning into California self-governance more than ever.

The push for California independence isn’t just symbolic—it’s tied to land rights, immigration enforcement, and even tax reform. Dive into the full story to see what Californians really think about their future outside federal control.

Federal agents stage outside Gate E of Dodger Stadium on June 19. Sporadic immigration raids continue to roil Southern California. (Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)

LA Times: Kidnappers or ICE agents? LAPD grapples with surge in calls from concerned citizens

ICI July 3, 2025

Libor Jany: According to a new poll from YouGov, a public opinion research firm, nearly three-quarters of Californians believe local police officers should arrest federal immigration agents who “act maliciously or knowingly exceed their authority under federal law.”

The same survey also found that a majority of state residents want to completely forbid California officials from collaborating with immigration enforcement and make it easier for citizens to file lawsuits when “authorities violate the due process rights of immigrants.”

Stock photograph showing the California state flag on December 2, 2023, in Solvang, California. George Rose/GETTY

Newsweek: California Independence Support Hits ‘Record High’

ICI July 1, 2025

James Bickerton: A new poll has found 44 percent of Californian adults would vote for the state to leave the United States and become a fully independent nation, which the Independent California Institute (ICI) told Newsweek is a “record high poll result for secession.”

The latest poll also found 50 percent of Californians said they trust state authorities in Sacramento more than the federal government in Washington D.C., with only 23 percent having the opposite view. This was a stark deterioration in the federal government’s position since the last ICI survey in January, which put the figures at 34 percent for Sacramento and 18 percent for Washington D.C. respectively.

By Jon S (NS Newsflash). CC BY 2.0

Press Release: Poll: Californians ready to govern themselves, but slim majority would sink secession initiative

ICI June 29, 2025

Carlsbad, CA: A record 71% of Californians said they would be better off if California negotiated special autonomous status within the U.S., giving Californians more control over decisions currently made by the federal government, in a poll conducted this June. The poll was conducted by YouGov for the Independent California Institute, a non-profit think-tank.

Plentiful Popplies. By Kevin (slworking2 on Flickr). CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

Poll: Californians ready to govern themselves, stop just short of secession

ICI June 29, 2025

50% of Californians say they trust Sacramento more than Washington—only 23% say the reverse.

71% say California would be better off with special autonomous status within the U.S.

44% of Californians would vote for a ballot measure for peaceful, legal secession—but 54% would vote against.

72% of Californians want California police to arrest federal immigration officers that exceed their authority or act maliciously.

80% of Californians want to control borders with other states “like a country.”

Californians endorse more than a dozen changes to state policy that would make California more autonomous.

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The Atlantic: Trump vs. California

ICI June 11, 2025

David A. Graham: Under Donald Trump, the federal government is like a bad parent: never there when you need him but eager to stick his nose in your business when you don’t want him to.

If California is not getting disaster aid but is getting hostile deployments of federal troops, Californians might find it harder to see what’s in it for them. No wonder one poll commissioned by an advocacy group earlier this year found that 61 percent of the state’s residents thought California would be better off as a separate nation.

gavin-with-ca-flags

Do California cities have to fly the American flag?

C.C. Marin May 27, 2025

California’s state flag is a powerful symbol of resistance and unity in the face of a cruel, lawless presidential administration. Across California, people are taking down their American flags and flying the California flag instead.

What if Californians want our elected local governments to do the same thing? Is that legal? And if not, what else can we do?

There are at least four big opportunities for pro-independence activists to organize locally around how California governments fly flags. But first, we need to know the law inside and out.

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The not-so-subtle connection between ICI and ‘Uncle Patrick’s Secessionist Breakfast’

C.C. Marin May 24, 2025

Have you read “Uncle Patrick’s Secessionist Breakfast,” the latest short story by California author Dave Eggers? It takes the debate about California secession, and wraps it up in a cute story about a family reunion at a California family ranch.

Fiction is so important to social change, for the simple reason that you need to be able to imagine something before you can do it. For California independence, such works are few and far between.

You might ask, what matters more to a movement, works of fiction like Dave Eggers’ that capture the imagination, or in-depth, fact-based research like ours? Well… both? Here’s why.