Issues Archives - Independent California Institute

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.

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.

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.

What if California broke away from America’s broken health care system?

J. Helton May 18, 2025

A 2025 survey of California voters suggested that a majority of respondents support a peaceful secession from the United States. But, a lot of our health care system is interconnected with the federal government. What happens if California breaks away on its own?

The Drain (podcast): California Independence, with Coyote Marin of the Independent California Institute

ICI April 29, 2025

Did you know that California recently passed Japan as the fourth largest economy in the world? It’s true. Even within the US, our state is a powerhouse, comprising 1/7 of the US economy.

In fact, California put $83 billion more into the country in taxes in 2022 than we received in programs and benefits. That’s what we call a donor state.

Add all of that to Washington, D.C. spiraling deeper into fascism every day, and it’s worthwhile asking if the people of California would be better off on their own.

ICI literally defines “secession”

ICI April 16, 2025

The Merriam-Webster Dictionary’s definition of “secession” mentions the Independent California Institute in one of their example sentences:

The recent survey was conducted while fires were still active between Jan. 6 and Jan. 14 by the YouGov firm for another secession outfit, the Independent California Institute, based in north San Diego County.

Texas v. What? 5 Big Myths about Peaceful Secession from the U.S.

C.C. Marin April 13, 2025

For at least the third time in the last decade, there’s an initiative in circulation that would let Californians start the process of California becoming its own country.

In many ways, California secession is an idea whose time has come. When we polled Californians in January, 61% of them said California would be better off if peacefully became “an independent country with a friendly relationship with the U.S., like Canada.”

At this point, the #1 barrier to California leaving the U.S. is not legal, political, or economic. It’s in Californians’ own minds.

Moneywise: ‘Republicans now hate us in California more than ever’: Is California’s dreaming of secession legit or is the state just fed up with federal government?

ICI April 11, 2025

For the third time, supporters of what’s known as “CalExit” are attempting to get a measure on the ballot that asks California voters a once unthinkable question: Should the state secede from the United States and become its own nation?

Still, while the idea sounds extreme, 61% of Californians say the state would actually be “better off” if it seceded peacefully, according to the January 2025 Independent California Poll from YouGov. At the same time, 62% of respondents said they didn’t think a peaceful and legal break-up would be possible.

Local News Pasadena: California Secession Now?

ICI March 31, 2025

Casey Coss: As President Donald J. Trump aims to grab Greenland, make Canada the 51st state of the U.S., regain control of the Panama Canal, and allow Puerto Rico its independence (with Bad Bunny’s support), quite a few Californians are ‘dreaming’ of grabbing the state out of the Union.

So much grabbing, so little time. Where is Billy Bush’s ‘Access Hollywood’ clip when Californians need to be reminded of it?

The state’s independence sentiment is evident in a recent poll by the San Diego-based and ironically named Independent California Institute.

What it Means to be a Donor State

C.C. Marin March 14, 2025

Is it accurate to describe the federal funding California gets as California’s own money? Would the U.S. be poorer and weaker without California? Does California’s economy prop up red states? Is California one of the states least reliant on the federal government?

The short answer to all these questions is yes. But it’s pretty hard to win a debate with just one data point.