Oakdale’s new council member defends support for State of Jefferson. Just what is it?
Bob Amaral assumed his seat Monday night on the Oakdale City Council and was promptly asked why he supports the State of Jefferson.
The movement would create a 51st state from portions of Oregon and California disaffected with urban liberals. The latest version lumps Stanislaus County into Jefferson, despite its moderate politics.
Amaral, a retired correctional officer, won the June 7 special election and will serve through 2024 in the seat vacated by Ericka Chiara. His endorsement of the new state did not come up publicly during the campaign.
He was asked about it during the public-comment period required at every meeting. An unsigned email asked, “When do we declare our loyalty to the State of Jefferson?”
Amaral said his loyalty is to the U.S. Constitution and his position on Jefferson does not conflict with his elected duties.
“I think if we could ever get states split, it would be the best thing that ever happened to us,” he said.
He added that he believes the email was sent by an acquaintance with a “totally different political ideology.”
Amaral noted to The Modesto Bee afterward that Article 4 of the Constitution allows new states to be formed with the approval of Congress and the states that would lose territory. He said he has attended meetings with other proponents but has not had a leadership role.
Advocates envision a new state with reduced taxes and more freedom to use water, timber and other resources.
Critics say Jefferson would be among the poorest states in the Union without the tax base provided by the Bay Area and Southern California. They also see the movement as a ploy to add two reliably Republican seats to the U.S. Senate.
Movement dates at least to 1941
The cause takes its name from President Thomas Jefferson and has a history dating back to at least 1941. That year, a local official proposed a new state made up of the southernmost counties in Oregon and the northernmost in California. The vision has drifted south into other parts of the Golden State over the years.
In 2019, a group called Stanislaus County Concerned Citizens issued a declaration seeking to put this county at the south end of the new state. It also would take in mountain counties from Mariposa north, most of the Sacramento Valley and far Northern California.
Jefferson would steer clear of San Joaquin, Sacramento or Yolo counties under a map included with a 2019 article published through the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism.
Jefferson would have a much smaller population than the current 40 million in California. Modesto would be its largest city.
The latest voter registration figures offer a glimpse of Stanislaus County’s makeup: 38.9% are Democrats, 34.4% are Republicans, 19.1% had no party preference, and the rest belong to minor parties.
This story was originally published July 19, 2022 at 1:04 PM.
