Overview

• Assembly Republican Leader James Gallagher is introducing AJR-23 to urge splitting California into a coastal state and a new inland state.
• The proposal targets roughly 35 inland counties with more than 10 million residents, grouped into a right-leaning 'Inland' California.
• Gallagher frames the move as a response to Gov. Gavin Newsom and Democrats’ plan to place a mid‑decade congressional map on the Nov. 4 ballot.
• Even if adopted in Sacramento, the resolution would be advisory and any new state would still require approval from both state chambers and the U.S. Congress.
• The coastal state under the concept would retain major population centers like San Francisco, Los Angeles and Silicon Valley, while Gallagher scheduled a 10 a.m. PT Capitol press conference to detail the plan.