In late 1998, David Magney, on behalf of the California Native Plant Society, submitted a petition to the California Fish and Game Commission to list the Ventura Marsh Milkvetch as an endangered species pursuant to the California Endangered Species Act. The petition was accepted as complete and the variety was formally listed as Endangered by the California Fish and Game Commission in 2000. It was subsequently formally listed by the USFWS as Endangered pursuant to the federal Endangered Species Act in 2001.
