California Assemblyman James Gallagher, 44-years-old, an attorney, who is a fifth-generation rice and walnut farmer, began his political career as a fellow for California State Assemblyman Doug LaMalfa. Gallagher was elected to the Sutter County Board of Supervisors in 2008, where he served until becoming a California Assemblyman.  

Assemblyman Gallagher believes that the ‘Two State Solution’ is a way for Republicans to fight back after the U.S. Congressional maps were redrawn to favor Democrats in next year’s midterm elections.

“California is run by politicians who don’t care because they don’t have to,” said Gallagher. “They exploit our water, suppress our energy, skyrocket our costs and kill our jobs. I’ve come to see that the only way we can obtain proper attention is by pursuing our own statehood. We will not be subject to a state that deprives us of a fair voice. Gavin, let my people go.”

Shasta County Board of Supervisor Comments

At a Thursday, Nov. 6 public hearing of the Shasta County Board of Supervisors, Assemblyman Gallagher said the passage of Proposition 50 was a “catalyst” for him to reintroduce a resolution (Assembly Joint Resolution 23) that would form a new state out of multiple dissatisfied California counties. The resolution cites California’s size and uneven population distribution as barriers to equitable representation.

The proposed new 51st U.S. state would sever the entity of more rural inland California from the coast. The area would comprise more than 10 million people (California has a current population of 38.9 million)–enough to rank among the nation’s 10 most populous states. The proposal says existing county and city boundaries would be persevered and argues that competition between the two state governments could yield more responsive services.

“Let’s not discount ourselves in what this Inland California is actually really capable of,” said Gallagher. “I think we can do it a lot better than the (government) that is currently controlled by the coastal representatives.”

At the November 2025 Shasta County hearing, a comment was made that this had been attempted over 220 times in California’s history.  Some of the many solutions that have been proposed for California include:

• The formation of the State of Jefferson with 18 counties with a total population of 1.7 million. This idea creates four smaller states. 
• (Editor’s Note: Siskiyou County Rancher Mark Baird Advocated A Four-State CA Split on the Sunday, June 1st, 2025 Jefferson State of Mine 9-10 a.m. show with Terry Rapoza and Win Carpenter on KCNR 96.5 FM/1460 AM. To read March 11, 2025 story of Mark Baird addressing the Shasta County California Republican Assembly, SCRA, go to: https://substack.com/home/post/p-158885602.)
• A plan to take five counties in eastern Oregon and add them to all or parts of Del Norte, Lassen, Modoc, Shasta, Siskiyou, Tehama Counties and become part of Idaho.
• Venture capitalist Tim Draper’s proposal for “Six Californians” in 2013.
• The 2018 “Cal 3” initiative.
• The “New California State” movement which kicks-off tonight (Thursday, Jan. 22) at 6 p.m. at the Redding Red Lion Hotel, 1830 Hilltop Drive with investigative journalists and podcasters Lara Logan (“Going Rogue with Lara Logan”) and Joe Hoft (Gateway Pundit contributor) and continues as a two-day conference on Friday and Saturday, Jan. 23-24th.

Supervisor Corkey Harmon (District 3: Bella Vista, Palo Cedro): Supported the idea–“The challenge is we don’t have a voice. He said he was not confident that the idea would get approval from the state Legislature.

Supervisor Matt Plummer (District 4: Shasta Lake, Northeast Redding): Against Prop. 50 but unsure of ‘Two-State Solution.’ It “worries me that we’re kind of doing something similar (to Prop. 50). Nine or so” of the 35 counties in the new proposed state voted in favor of Prop. 50 (including Fresno, Riverside, and San Bernardino counties). “If…the biggest counties…go as far as voting for Prop. 50, do we think that there is a path here worth spending the time and energy…to achieve?”

Supervisor Chris Kelstrom (District 5: Anderson, Cottonwood): I am “fully in support.”