Southern California

Southern California, also known as South California or more commonly  SoCal, is a state member of the New United States of America. It is located in the southern half of California, bordering NorCal to the north. Formerly called the Free State of Southern California, it was one of the American Free States until some rejoined the Union during the Unification War.

1990s - 2020s
The first state to declare itself a free state was Texas in 1999 after the government tried to control its weapons. Texas was followed by Alaska (2000), California (2002), Nevada (2003), and Utah (2014). Northern California separated itself from the rest of California in 2012, and it would later became the newest state of the union, officially recognized by the United States government in 2016 after years of seceding. What remained of the old California was instead renamed as Southern California.

The Free State of Southern California is comprised of San Luis Obispo, Kings, Tulare, and Inyo counties and those further south. Monterey, Fresno, and Mono counties and points north seceded to become Northern California, an action for which they will forever be reviled by those in the south.

While Southern California is not completely covered by paved roads and skyscrapers, you could never tell otherwise by the state's actions. The Los Angeles Metroplex covers the entire coast from Santa Barbara to San Diego, and stretches as far east as San Bernardino. With the rise in temperatures, the eastern part of the state is all but uninhabitable, and everyone has migrated into the cities, leaving Death Valley, the Devil's Playground, and other such areas as empty wasteland, patrolled only by the occasional nomad group.

The weather is by far the worst of the hazards in the metroplex. To quote Gary Stafford, L.A. residents must cope with "dense groundfogs mixing with smog to create an acidic, poisonous soup." Gas masks and air vendors are everywhere, and the Superfan chain of telephone-style air booths can be seen in every mall. Everyone in L.A. owns thin, hooded dusters and knee-high boots, each made of special acid-resistant fabrics. There is, in fact, nothing more dismal than downtown L.A. during an acid drizzle.

Needless to say, policing this mess is more than any cop would want to do. Through a series of threatened strikes, the Southern California Highway Patrol and the urban police departments have garnered some real power from the state government. The Highway Patrol has near-total power in the state. They are tough, mean, and aggressive. They have a covert operations section which amounts to a secret police force rivaling the Gestapo in reputation, though in reality they are not nearly so cruel. Outside of city limits, the CHiPs are effectively lord of all they survey. This power, combined with the lenient urban police regulations, keeps the SoCal government on top of the heap in a state dominated by disgruntled urbanites.

In short, Southern California is not a pleasant place. It is an urban hell, rotten with pollution and acid rain. What the population lacks in education they more than make up for in guns and attitude. In fact, the only thing that keeps the Los Angeles Metroplex from being more violent than it is, is the fact that everyone knows that everyone else carries heavy weaponry and will use it at the drop of a hat.

Database Entry (2077)

 * People used to say that California was big enough to be carved up into smaller states. And it was - only in much more extreme circumstances than anyone ever imagined. The Gold Coast state was split into two following a referendum in 2012, ratified only in 2016 by the federal government in Washington, D.C.. Though clearly a symbolic division didn't go far enough - as soon as the Unification War breaks out, both Californias are at each other's throats. Today the citizens of South California want nothing to do with their cousins in the North. To make that blindingly obvious, they built a no-so-subtle 20-foot wall. And like most border walls these days, there are no warning shots.

Known settlements

 * Avila Beach (reclaimed as of 2045)
 * Bakersfield
 * Los Angeles Metroplex
 * Los Angeles
 * Pasadena
 * Santa Barbara
 * San Bernardino
 * San Diego
 * Pismo Beach (reclaimed as of 2045)
 * San Luis Obispo (reclaimed as of 2045)
 * Yucca

Former settlements

 * Stateline (initially shared with NorCal)

Other

 * Death Valley
 * Devil's Playground