Yes, peaceful secession is real. No, it can’t be done without the consent of Congress.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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?
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
