English: This is the dividing line voted into law by Southern Californians in 1859, passed by the California State Assembly and California Senate, and signed by the governor. The southern portion was to become a United States territory with the suggested name of Territory of Colorado, "or such other name as may be meet and proper." The legislation was sent to the United States Congress for ratification, but it was not put to a vote because the US was on the brink of civil war. The division was not ratified, and California remained one state.

The text of the law described the proposed border: "All that portion of the present territory of this state lying all south of a line drawn eastward from the west boundary of the state along the sixth standard parallel south of the Mount Diablo meridian, east to the summit of the coast range; thence southerly following said summit to the seventh standard parallel; thence due east on said standard parallel to its intersection with the northwest border of Los Angeles county; thence northeast along said boundary to the eastern border of the state."^[1]