Here is the section:
22450. (a) The driver of any vehicle approaching a stop sign at the entrance to, or within, an intersection shall stop at a limit line, if marked, otherwise before entering the crosswalk on the near side of the intersection.
If there is no limit line or crosswalk, the driver shall stop at the entrance to the intersecting roadway .
Note the requirement to stop "at a limit line." It says the driver SHALL, not MAY or CAN, but SHALL.
Now, that does not mean that a judge may decide to dismiss the matter based upon the driver's perceived reasonable action, but the driver might have to articulate why they stopped at the stop sign and not at the limit line. It may well appear that they had intended to blow the stop sign but only stopped when they suddenly saw the officer.
Most the courts I have worked with have held that the limit line is pretty sacred in this regard. Your court may differ.