If you search my posts, you'll find a bunch of stuff about it. I received a ticket for doing it, went to court and was found 'not guilty'; it was a struggle and a hassle so I'm very sorry I didn't look more carefully (for cops) before going through the red light (I'm not at all sorry I DID go through the light). There are several states that specifically make a provision for doing that but California is not one of them. It has been considered by the state assembly but never made it out of comittee.
The only provision I could ever find in California law is one that addresses going through a malfunctioning BATTERY operated signal. That, you can legally do.
One thing that does work, at times, is to lower your sidestand to the ground. I try that first. After that, I look very carefully and then proceed through the light. A local M/C cop told me he does the same thing (except that he couldn't care less if another cop sees him do it). I do it ever time I feel I'm being held hostage by a malfunctioning light and it's saved me quite a bit of time and aggravation.
Motorcyclists pay taxes, too, and don't deserve to be mistreated. I have worked with the traffic engineers in my town to identify problem signals. If they have the desire, they can rectify the problem but many city engineers simply don't care since most people don't ride motorcycles.

