▁Valley ▁to ▁the ▁Santa ▁Mon ica ▁Mountains . ▁ ▁After ▁state hood , ▁in ▁ 1 8 5 1 , ▁Don ▁And rés ▁was ▁elected ▁to ▁the ▁California ▁State ▁Assembly ▁from ▁Los ▁Angeles . ▁Because ▁of ▁perce ived ▁anti - Cal iforn io ▁sent iments ▁in ▁San ▁Francisco , ▁Don ▁And rés ▁author ed ▁what ▁was ▁known ▁as ▁the ▁P ico ▁Bill ▁in ▁February ▁ 1 8 5 9 , ▁to ▁partition ▁California ▁into ▁two ▁states — n orth ▁and ▁south . ▁The ▁bill ▁proposed ▁to ▁create ▁the ▁" T er rit ory ▁of ▁Colorado " ▁from ▁the ▁southern ▁count ies ▁of ▁the ▁state . ▁The ▁bill ▁passed ▁both ▁houses ▁of ▁the ▁state ▁legisl ature ▁and ▁was ▁signed ▁by ▁the ▁Governor ▁John ▁B . ▁W eller ▁on ▁April ▁ 1 8 , ▁ 1 8 5 9 . ▁But ▁the ▁U . S . ▁Congress ▁never ▁voted ▁on ▁the ▁bill ▁because ▁of ▁the ▁out break ▁of ▁the ▁Civil ▁War . ▁U . S . ▁Congress ▁appro val ▁was ▁required ▁before ▁the ▁proposed ▁partition ▁could ▁be ▁put ▁to ▁a ▁vote ▁of ▁the ▁people . ▁ ▁In ▁ 1 8 5 8 , ▁P ico ▁was ▁commission ed ▁as ▁a ▁Brig ad ier ▁General ▁in ▁the ▁California ▁Milit ia . ▁In ▁ 1 8 6 0 , ▁he ▁was ▁elected ▁by ▁the ▁state ▁legisl ature ▁as ▁a ▁California ▁State ▁Senator ▁from ▁Los ▁Angeles . ▁And rés ▁P ico ' s ▁Ran cho ▁ex - M ission ▁San ▁Fernando ▁was ▁conf isc ated ▁by ▁federal ▁dec