Section 4851 Of Article 7. License Plates From California Vehicle Code >> Division 3. >> Chapter 1. >> Article 7.

. Every license plate shall have displayed upon it the registration number assigned to the vehicle for which it is issued, together with the word "California" or the abbreviation "Cal." and the year number for which it is issued or a suitable device issued by the department for validation purposes, which device shall contain the year number for which issued.