Prop. 70 was placed on the state ballot through the citizen’s initiative process, led by the Planning and Conservation League (PCL), an environmental lobbying and research organization in Sacramento. At the time, it was the first statewide initiative placed on the ballot entirely through volunteer signatures. Non-profit organizations and citizen advocates from throughout the state worked to raise the necessary funding and gather nearly 700,000 signatures. Prop. 70 demonstrated how a diverse partnership from throughout California could work together to successfully secure funding for badly-needed park, recreation, natural habitat, coastal and conservation projects. Prop. 70 included specific funding for over 100 specific areas and projects in the text of the ballot measure, ensuring that critical lands throughout California would be permanently protected and that public access would be created. Prop. 70 was the first conservation ballot initiative to include specific funding for identified areas, leading to expansion and protection of many of California’s most iconic natural places.