Tom,
Everything you need to know regarding CA registration -
http://www.cobratrader.com/registrationCA.html
I made my appointment today for January 2 to begin the process. You need MSO, complete receipts, etc, and are given a window of time to complete the process (certification, safety check, etc), so the car needs to be complete, or real close to it.
500 vehicles per year in a state the size of CA is absurd, but it's all we got. I've been waiting since August.