[Rick 427 Cobra]

When you say you bought it out of Ohio, do you mean from Superforance direct as a complete new car? If so, your are in trouble. If the car has been registered elsewhere and you are seeking only to re-register the car then they are mis applying the law.
I do not know of an individual person in Sacramento anymore. Our Lady of Perpetual Pain is gone. The DMV does have their own internal investigators or some such name that you can turn to rather than some counter person. I have used them in the past.