El Dorado County Considers Secession from California

A group of El Dorado County residents are attempting to collect signatures of support for their movement to see the county secede from California and become its own state. The group, led by Sharon Durst, believes there’s a way to use the U.S. Constitution and California history to directly appeal to Congress for El Dorado County’s secession — bypassing lawmakers in Sacramento who have routinely shut down such efforts. However, legal experts say that the reasoning lacks legal standing and changing any state’s boundaries, per the Constitution, requires the approval of Congress and the state Legislature, no matter the grievances.