California's fifth-largest county votes to study secession amid crime crisis, soaring costs

This attempt to create a new state — which would be the first since Hawaii in 1959 — is a proposition for the county just east of Los Angeles, which has suffered from sharp increases in cost of living. It would hinge on approval by the California State Legislature and Congress, both of which are highly unlikely.

There have been more than 220 attempts to break up California over its 172-year history, all of which have failed.