What decides whether you need a new license
Two things: whether California is a compact state, and whether your own license is multistate rather than single-state. Compact privilege only exists between compact states, and only a multistate license carries it. Run your exact home/assignment pairing through the compact state checker.
Practicing in California on assignment
Because California requires its own license, build board processing into your start date. See the California endorsement guide for the route. If any of the assignment is telehealth, remember licensure generally follows the patient’s location — see the California telehealth guide.
The law that governs this in California
Taking an assignment in California is practice in California, so it is California’s own nurse practice act that defines what you may do and the California Board of Registered Nursing that applies it. That act is Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code § 2700 et seq. (Nursing Practice Act).
There is no compact statute to cite for California, which is the substantive point rather than a gap in our research: California has not adopted the compact, so the practice act above is the whole of the law that applies to you here.
Before you sign
We are an independent licensing reference — we do not list assignments, agencies, or pay rates, and nothing here is a job offer. For the wider pre-assignment checklist (contract terms, credentialing, housing), see what to check before accepting a travel assignment. Confirm licensure with the California Board of Registered Nursing.
Why compact privilege does not reach California
California has not adopted the compact. Either way the practical answer for taking an assignment in California is the same today: a multistate license from another state does not authorize it, and you generally need a California license from the California Board of Registered Nursing. Re-check before a start date rather than assuming — this is precisely the fact that changes.