[7] In January 2017, California Secretary of State Alex Padilla gave his approval for the organization to gather petition signatures to put the initiative on the ballot.

[21] Marinelli asserted this was evidence of the political divide between the state and nation, saying California is more progressive than the rest of the country and that Californians were offended by Trump's statements about minorities.

[24] The campaign then ran into controversy, as its president, Marinelli, was reported to have received significant assistance from the Russian government to promote his efforts.

[26][27] On April 17, in the context of the alleged Russian interference in the 2016 elections, the Yes California organization announced that it had decided to halt its efforts to seek a clean break from the controversy surrounding Marinelli's connections to Russia, and to re-tool its proposal and campaign.

[9] Still, BBC News reported in November 2017 that it found evidence that social media accounts with ties to Russia had pushed a huge Twitter trend in favor of an independent California on election night 2016.

[30] The Legislative Analyst's report also noted the tens of millions of dollars that would have to be spent by state and local governments to hold an additional statewide election in March 2019.

"[33] At a forum held by the campaign in Los Angeles on February 13, 2017, led by Evans and Marinelli, they argued that California annually loses about $70 billion by subsidizing other states and military overseas, which could instead be used elsewhere.

"[35] In July 2018, the objectives of the Calexit initiative were expanded upon by including a plan to carve out an "autonomous Native American nation"[36] that would take up the eastern part of California, and "postponing its ballot referendum approach in favor of convincing Republican states to support their breakaway efforts.

"[37] In an editorial, the San Jose Mercury News called Calexit, "a colossally stupid idea ... [that] will start us down a costly, intellectually draining, dead-end path into a world of overwhelming unknowns".

[38] The editorial board of The San Diego Union-Tribune wrote that it is "a waste of time ... [that] reflects a defeatist attitude — that instead of fighting to shape this country's future, we should just quit.

[39] Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti has stated that he opposes Calexit, saying, "I want to be a part of an America that continues to stand up for all of us, not bail on all our friends across the country.

"[34] Before the Yes California campaign withdrew their initial proposal, former Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta had warned KGO-TV about Russia's connections to Marinelli: "We're a big state.