An advisory ballot proposal approved in San Bernardino County -- home to 2.2 million people -- directs local officials to study the possibility of secession.
The razor-thin margin of victory is the latest sign of political unrest and economic distress in California.
There is"a lot of frustration overall" with state government and how public dollars are spent — with far too little coming to the county, said Curt Hagman, chairman of the Board of Supervisors that placed the proposal on the ballot. The county will look at whether billions of dollars in state and federal funds was fairly shared with local governments in the Inland Empire.
Democrats dominate the California Legislature and congressional delegation, and the state is known as an incubator of liberal policy on climate, health care, labor issues and immigration, and the vote could be seen as partly a reaction to the state's priorities. Once solidly Republican terrain, with recent population growth San Bernardino County has become more diverse and Democratic, similar to changes in neighboring San Diego and Orange counties.
The city of San Bernardino, population about 220,000, anchors the third largest metropolitan area in the state, behind L.A. and San Francisco. Beyond the urban centers, its communities range from placid suburbs crisscrossed by freeways, mountain towns framed by towering pines and isolated desert havens like hippie Joshua Tree. Inflation and economic stress are challenging many communities. Before the pandemic, the county's , with 12.2% of households living below the poverty line.
Many Inland Empire communities are struggling financially even though California's economy — by itself — may soon become the fourth largest economy in the world, up from fifth. The state announced last month it had recovered all of the 2.7 million jobs it lost at the start of the pandemic. However, there are projections for a $25 billion budget deficit next year and signs of an unsteady economy, as even the historically powerful tech industry has seen layoffs.
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