As far as Paul Preston is concerned, three Californias is one California too many.

The vice president and co-founder of the New Californiamovement, Mr. Preston wants to see the state divided in two along rural-urban lines, not split into three under venture capitalist Tim Draper's Cal 3 initiative, which goes before the voters in November.

"With Draper, he makes sure every area has an urbanized zone that will ultimately be blue. You still have the rural-urban thing going on in his formula," said Mr. Preston, who lives in Yuba City. "The rural people will be shafted again."

Not impressed with either plan is Yes California's Louis Marinelli, a leader of the Calexit secession effort, who regards the two- and three-state solutions as Republican-sponsored plots to "chip away at the voice California lends to the republic as a solid blue state."