What compact privilege is
A multistate license from your primary state of residence carries compact privilege — the authority to practice in other compact states without licensing separately in each. It only exists between states that are live in the Nurse Licensure Compact.
Why privilege does not reach California
Since California is not part of the compact, there is no California compact privilege to grant. See non-compact states and working in a non-compact state with a compact license.
The law that governs this in California
Working in California on another state’s license 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.
Confirm before you rely on it
License status changes and the compact evolves. Confirm your own license type on Nursys and check California’s current rules with the California Board of Registered Nursing. CompactStates.com is an independent guide, not a licensing authority.
Why compact privilege does not reach California
California has not adopted the compact. Either way the practical answer for working in California on a license from another state 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.