[sushisean]

Jan 1, 2019 a new law went into place in CA that requires dealers to install a front plate. You can no longer, sign the paper refusing it. It also requires a temporary license plate/tags to be installed instead of the dealer advertisements. You've probably seen them around, they look like a plate, but they're white with black writing.

Assembly Bill 516

That's not my experience, I've purchased 2 cars in CA this year and neither had a front plate installed.