Yeah I guess maybe California has stupid laws.

My Miata actually has California emissions equipment which is unnecessarily complicated. The stock Miata exhaust is like this:

exhaust manifold>downpipe>front pipe>midpipe w/ cat & resonator>rear section w/ muffler & tip

The California Miata exhaust is like this:

exhaust manifold>pre cat>front pipe>midpipe/main cat>rear section.

Luckily since I'm not in California I can convert it back to Federal emissions controls by getting a header and moving the oxygen sensors to be in front and behind the main cat in the midpipe.

By doing that I don't have the precat to die and the oxygen sensors are further downstream so they last longer.

But--I guess part of the reason California has such strict emissions controls because of places like LA which are covered in smog?