California

Six Californias? If Draper Has His Way

Venture capitalist Tim Draper's vision of California is chopping it into six parts and start with a clean slate.

"We would be much better off," he told Press:Here. "California went from spending 26 percent on infrastructure to 3 percent. We have let the highway system go and the water system go. . . . It's all kind of falling apart."

Instead, the six new Californias will be "refreshed" and open up new "horse-trading" among the new states, he said.

While it's not quite clear how this will benefit the drought or the region exactly, since Draper's views seem to be vaguely comparing the new states with startups. "You could easily see the idea of six new states transforming the way governance works," he said.

In the Six Californias website, it states:

Every new state will start with a clean slate. Each state will be able to decide what laws and tax structures best suit the needs of its community. Presumably, each state will take the best of the current system and improve on the parts that don’t work well.

It's still now clear how that will make it better for millions of Californians, but Draper said he stands by his call for reform. "I don’t mind taking some ridicule along the way if society progresses at a much faster rate," he said.

Draper said that he plans on making a new announcement about the six Californias in a few weeks.

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