Less than three months after being given the green light to start gathering voter signatures, the author of a closely watched effort to split California from the United States has decided to withdraw his proposal. Marcus Ruiz Evans, the initiative's official proponent, sent an email Monday to the secretary of state's office asking to cancel his initiative. State election law allows a proposed ballot measure to be recalled for any reason, as long as it happens prior to 131 days before the election. "The biggest obstacle to Calexit is having a professional grass roots administration," Evans said in an email to The Times. "The truth is Calexit, like any campaign, is entirely possible with the right amount of public support," he wrote.

Source: Los Angeles Times April 17, 2017 21:41 UTC