The Syphilis Elimination Effort (SEE) was launched by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) with the release in 1999 of the National Plan to Eliminate Syphilis from the United States. Syphilis elimination, defined as the absence of sustained transmission of syphilis in the United States, was considered plausible because of historically low rates of infection in the United States, geographically limited disease incidence, and the availability of inexpensive and effective diagnostic tests and therapy.1 ; In 2000, syphilis infections in California and the United States began to increase, with infections becoming increasingly common among men who have sex with men (MSM). The National Plan was revised in 2006, to address these and other issues, and to highlight programmatic activities with evidence of success.1 ; Because California has the highest number of primary and secondary syphilis cases in the United States, with 2,064 cases in 2010, and ranks ninth in the nation according to rate of disease, with 5.2 cases reported per 100,000 population, California is directly funded to carry out local syphilis elimination efforts.2,3 The California Syphilis Elimination Strategic Plan was developed to outline state and local activities that can be carried out over the next five years to reduce the burden of syphilis on California citizens. ; This Plan is intended to be used as an educational aid to help public health professionals plan syphilis control programs. The ultimate judgment regarding program planning should be made by the public health professional in light of available data and alternative options. This Plan is intended to be a list of possibilities for syphilis control efforts and is not intended to be comprehensive of all possible activities. Ideally, national, state and local input on the plan would be preferred, but that was not feasible during its development. ; This strategic plan was supported by the Cooperative Agreement Number 5H25PS0001379-02 from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Its contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the CDC ; 1. Introduction -- 2. Syphilis overview -- 3. Strategic directions, recommendations and action steps -- 4. Evaluation -- 5. Conclusion -- Appendix A. Summary Table of Strategic Directions and Recommendations -- Appendix B. CDC strategic framework for Syphilis Elimination -- Appendix C. Healthy People 2020 Objectives and California Goals -- Appendix D. California Evidence-based Action Plan, 2012 -- Appendix E. List of Acronyms -- Appendix F. Resources. ; 5H25PS0001379-02