Tried searching but couldn't find anything. Growing up on the east coast CA SMOG isn't a thing. If I had a family member's swapped car to drive in CA that was insured, registered, and road legal on the east coast but driven by me in CA - then would that be a pass? Or would there be problems since I'm a CA resident?

Not trying be egregious just want to have something to cruise in up to Neptunes net.

 

If you get pulled over, the jig is up if you have a CA license or are a resident.
Even if you weren't a 'resident' after a few months of driving the same road a cop would probably pull you over and then, the jig would be up.
Biggest concern you should have is if your insurance will cover your car being out of state. I know on the East Coast some of you bastards run through two or three states to go to work, here in Calif some folks drive for longer and are barely near a city.

FWIW, there are several out of state vehicles around here that I see on a daily basis, months on end. Florida ones are most common.