1914 was the first year of official license plates in California. For 1914 & 1915, the plates were made with the year as part of the plate. Thus, the plates were only good for one year. For 1916, California started using this dark blue on white plate. These were used for four years, 1916-1919. The year was noted in a metal tag that was attached above the "CAL" on the plate. Thus, only the tag had to be switched instead of the entire plate.