Rural California as the 51st state? Speakers convey their vision to Modesto City Council
The revolution came to the Modesto City Council meeting Tuesday evening.
About a dozen people supporting the New California State movement spoke during public comment. The goal is to create a 51st state from California’s rural areas.
The new state would abide by the U.S. Constitution, would not subject its U.S. citizens to tyranny, despotism and usurpation and would no longer be ruled by its pusillanimous governor, speakers said.
“We the people of the state of New California send a notice to all Californians that the state of California ... we are making a declaration that the state of California is in constitutional default,” said the first speaker.
“... The citizens of New California have decided to remedy the abuse of power by the government of California by exercising their right to form a new state provided in the United States Constitution, Article IV, Sections 3 and 4,” the speaker continued.
The New California State movement says on its website that it declared independence Jan. 15, 2018, and has held constitutional conventions. It also claims to have committees in nearly all of California’s 58 counties.
The speakers said the litany of abuses includes a government that has allowed an invasion of foreign nationals along the southern border and protects “vicious criminals who commit outrageous acts of violence upon the citizens” of the United States.
One speaker claimed state officials have corrupted elections for decades and established “secret election schemes within counties and school districts.”
The group included one well-known Modesto resident. Mylinda Mason has been involved in the annual Straight Pride rallies in the city.
“Today in California,” she said, “we are in a state (of) free fall. Anyone paying attention knows that at all levels. This free fall has been orchestrated over the last 170 years by socialists and communists. And we’re now nearing the end of the socialist-communist plan.
“So everybody wake up and try to understand what’s going on in your United States of America. Turn off the mainstream, lying, fake news.”
Speakers said California does not have Democratic and Republican elected officials but is ruled by a mono-party. They also spoke of an overreaching administrative state.
The speakers addressed the council during public comment, which allows individuals three minutes on topics that are not part of the meeting agenda.
Some of the speakers were displeased they could not all talk one after another or designate their time to one speaker so they could convey their message once.
Instead, Mayor Sue Zwahlen followed her practice of alternating speakers between those who attended the meeting in person and those who participated via Zoom. The speakers calling for a new state attended in person. So after one spoke, the mayor called on someone on Zoom.
The speakers using Zoom might have helped the advocates for a new state by breaking up their message. The new state proponents often repeated the same message, though one talked about how Jesus Christ came into the world to destroy the works of the devil while invoking Jesus, and another talked about transgender people corrupting children.
The New California website has a section with a letter-writing campaign to former President Donald Trump. “WE NEED TRUMP TO MAKE NEW CALIFORNIA STATE GREAT,” proclaims a banner at the section.
