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I disagree. California has no interest in protecting the citizens of other states. The purpose of its debt collection laws is to protect its own citizens. The fact that California may regard it as a better law does not give California the right to override the choices of other states in the laws that they apply to their citizens. I'm not saying that a California judge might not do that anyway — California courts do lots of things I disagree with — but I think it inappropriate.
Disagree all you like, but what you or I think is right or proper isn't the slightest bit meaningful, and California courts certainly do have the right to apply California law in cases filed in California involving at least one California party.

California courts may not have an interest in protecting other states' citizens, but it does have an interest in controlling businesses that are in California.

I can guarantee that, if an out-of-state debtor sued an in-state collector for violating the Rosenthal Act, the California court would entertain the suit and apply California law. Thus, your assertion that, "since the OP lives in Utah, California law on debt collection would not be relevant to him/her in any event" doesn't withstand scrutiny. It could very well be relevant depending on who sues whom and in what state.