The Marine Life Protection Act was passed by the California State Legislature in 1999. This Act mandated that the State design a connected network of marine protected areas. Though it took a couple of tries to get off the ground, California ultimately found success in 2004 with the establishment of the Marine Life Protection Act Initiative, a public-private partnership that helped to guide the planning process (PDF) in a stakeholder-driven, science-based way. The planning process was implemented regionally from 2004 to 2012; the statewide network of marine protected areas was completed in 2012. For more information about the planning process, please see the 2008 Master Plan for MPAs, as well as the articles in a special issue of Ocean and Coastal Management.