--- [ ARCHIVE ](https://mail.citywatchla.com/archive) # Would LA be the Capital of West California? July 28 2014 Written by Joe Mathews. [](https://www.addtoany.com/share) ***![](https://mail.citywatchla.com/images/stories/July-2014/12061s.png)CONNCECTING CALIFORNIA***-Yes, yes, it won’t happen. But Six Californias is so much fun that it’s become the summer story of 2014. Proponent Tim Draper foolishly [won’t let states name themselves](http://www.foxandhoundsdaily.com/2014/07/drapers-fateful-anti-democratic-error/) but his initiative is silent on a crucial question: the location of capitals of the new state. The Internet abhors a vacuum, so let’s fill it with some possible capitals for the six states. **JEFFERSON** Favorite as capital: Redding, right in the middle. Dark horse: Eureka, cool on the coast and permitting Jefferson to take California’s motto with them. Best choice: Medford, Oregon, since Jefferson would quickly become a poor client state of Oregon, where southern counties have agitated for a split as well. **NORTH CALIFORNIA** Favorite: Sacramento, because they already have the dome and everything. Dark horse: Mill Valley, because Marin folks would see other counties as beneath them. Best choice: Fairfield, as a nod to the most important place in the state – the Delta. **SILICON VALLEY** Favorite: Whoever wins the war between San Francisco and San Jose. Dark horse: Oakland, as a compromise choice if things get out of hand. Best choice: Monterey, which people actually want to visit. **CENTRAL CALIFORNIA** Favorite: Fresno, the biggest city in the new state. Dark horse: Bakersfield, with oil money and political pull. Best choice: Visalia, a little gem that would be a good ambassador for a poor state. **WEST CALIFORNIA** Favorite: Los Angeles, because it’s LA. Dark horse: Santa Barbara, pretty and central for a state that goes all thew way north through San Luis Obispo County. Best choice: Long Beach, as symbol of this state’s commitment to trade and to give a boost to a big city that could use one. **SOUTH CALIFORNIA** Favorite: San Diego, South California’s Finest City. Dark horse: Riverside, a working-class crossroads in the new state. Best choice: San Clemente, because it’s a beautiful place to think. ***(Joe Mathews is Connecting California Columnist and Editor, Zócalo Public Square, Fellow at the Center for Social Cohesion at Arizona State University and co-author of California Crackup: How Reform Broke the Golden State and How We Can Fix It \[UC Press, 2010\]. This column was posted first at [foxandhoundsdaily.com](http://foxandhoundsdaily.com))*** ***-cw*** --- ***{module \[862\]} {module \[662\]}*** --- **CityWatch** **Vol 12 Issue 61** **Pub: Jul 29, 2014** [ ![usa radio musem](https://mail.citywatchla.com/images/banners/usa%20radio%20museum%20wide.jpg) ](https://mail.citywatchla.com/component/banners/click/116 "USA Radio Museum - Wide") [ ![save up to 4000 on used evs](https://mail.citywatchla.com/images/LADWP/dwp%20ev%20ad2.png) ](https://mail.citywatchla.com/component/banners/click/107 "LA DWP | Save $4K, Green | Priority Ad") [ ![LA DWP #2 (Power Savers)](https://mail.citywatchla.com/images/LADWP/2026%20LADWP%20PowerSavers%20300x250.png) ](https://mail.citywatchla.com/component/banners/click/82 "LA DWP #2 (Power Savers)") [ ![Pay Water Bill Help](https://mail.citywatchla.com/images/LADWP/dwp%20-%20cares-ad.jpg) ](https://mail.citywatchla.com/component/banners/click/97 "Home - LA DWP #2 (Pay Water Bill Help)") ![](https://mail.citywatchla.com/images/banners/signup-for-cw.png) ## Get The News In Your Email Inbox Mondays & Thursdays Website [ ![something you should know, podcasts](https://mail.citywatchla.com/images/banners/something%20you%20should%20know2.jpg) ](https://mail.citywatchla.com/component/banners/click/110 "Something You Should Know") --- ## Featured CityWatch Stories [ ![](https://mail.citywatchla.com/images/stories/Nov-2026/090j.jpg) ](https://mail.citywatchla.com/los-angeles/33727-nithya-raman-won-city-hall-but-is-she-already-failing-the-first-test-of-leadership) ### [Nithya Raman Won City Hall But Is She Already Failing The First Test Of Leadership](https://mail.citywatchla.com/los-angeles/33727-nithya-raman-won-city-hall-but-is-she-already-failing-the-first-test-of-leadership) THE BOTTOM LINE - Los Angeles voted for change, not another administration consumed by political confrontation while th… [ ![](https://mail.citywatchla.com/media/yootheme/cache/72/090e-727fe884.jpg) ](https://mail.citywatchla.com/voices/33723-how-stephen-miller-destroyed-trumps-second-administration) ### [How Stephen Miller Destroyed Trump’s Second Administration](https://mail.citywatchla.com/voices/33723-how-stephen-miller-destroyed-trumps-second-administration) THE VIEW FROM HERE - On September 1, 2025, this column explained how the vile, anti-Mexican racist Stephen Miller was d… [ ![](https://mail.citywatchla.com/media/yootheme/cache/08/089l-0888bed0.png) ](https://mail.citywatchla.com/los-angeles/33704-nithyas-budget-buzz-saw) ### [Nithya’s Budget Buzz Saw](https://mail.citywatchla.com/los-angeles/33704-nithyas-budget-buzz-saw) LA WATCHDOG - Nithya Raman, our new mayor, will inherit a budget that is a river of red ink. 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