Secession fever rises in northern California

Since the 1850s Gold Rush, some folks in the rugged hills and valleys along the Oregon-California border have felt they would be better off if they could break away and form their own state.

That old secessionist feeling is rising again, triggered by a belief that those in the urban halls of power in both states ignore the needs and desires of those in the rural areas.

This month, the Siskiyou County Board of Supervisors in California voted in favor of a resolution to make a new State of Jefferson, and other counties are considering similar actions.

Radio station owner Mark Baird says the idea has been around a long time, but legislation from Sacramento on environmental restrictions and transgender students convinced them that now was the time.