Why does San Bernardino want to secede from California? County votes to form 'EMPIRE' state
![Why does San Bernardino want to secede from California? County votes to form 'EMPIRE' state](http://dab57h0r8ahff.cloudfront.net/596658/uploads/c3c9fdd0-7db9-11ed-9c80-61ea362ea2aa_800_420.jpeg)
SAN BERNARDINO, CALIFORNIA: San Bernardino, California's largest county by its size, has voted to consider secession from the state. An advisory ballot proposal called Measure EE checked with the electorate whether San Bernardino County elected representatives should "study and advocate for all options to obtain the county's fair share of state funding, including secession from the State of California."
According to Newsweek, the county has almost 2.18 million residents, the fifth-highest population in California state. "I would never willfully want to leave this state. But I can tell you this, if you're just going to continue to abuse me and abuse us, sometimes you don't have a choice but to stand up for yourself, " said Jeff Burum, a real estate mogul. He also suggested that the county be turned into a new state with the name of "Empire." The voting by San Bernardino residents was passed, with 51.3 percent of votes seeking secession.