Recently, there has been talk among state officials in California about separating from its own western cost. The south-western coastline of the state would remain called California while the remainder of the state would be renamed New California.The reasoning behind the decision was simple: the advocates for New California say the state is “governed by a tyranny” and that under the declaration of independence they have the right to establish a new government.

On Monday, January 15th, New California founders read their own declaration of independence, marking their first legislative steps toward statehood separate from much of the current state’s west coast. This is far from the first time a proposition to separate The Golden State into multiple states.

Since its acquisition from Mexico in 1848, there has been talk at multiple points of dividing the state into two separate states, three separate states, and succeeding from the United States altogether. As recent as 2014, there was a discussion of dividing the state into three, separating the northern half of the state, the urbanized west coast, and the largely rural inland portion of the state. And now another, seemingly far more successful attempt is being made with New California.

Legislatures of New California state that they have no intention of leaving the United States and are purely interested in governing themselves separate from an urban coastline that they believe works counter to their interests. As the founder of New California, Robert Paul Preston, puts it:

“[California] has been ungovernable for some time. High taxes, education, you name it, and we have rated forty-eighth out of fiftieth from a business climate standpoint.”

The split is, to this end, to allow the rural majority of the state to govern itself in a way that better suits its residents’ livelihood and allowing the urban cities along the coast to continue to do things their way. Preston and other legislators have expressed an interest in doing things by the book by producing their own formal legislation to divide the state and working with California legislators to get things done as smoothly and easily as possible.

This is unlike many state separations to come before it and more in line with the separation of Virginia and West Virginia.

Despite the somewhat certain terms implied by legislators referring to the state as New California, there is still a long way to go for these trying to separate from the Sunshine State.

“We have to demonstrate that we can govern ourselves before we will be able to govern,” says founder Tom Reed. Yet through all of the trials, tribulations, and long odds that founders of New California have already undergone the legislators stand united in continuing to push for New California. Legislators say that while it will still take a further 10 to 18 months before they are ready to push for statehood with Congress. Who knows, by 2019 kids may be learning about 51 united states in grade school.