I just started using Barnes recently, not because I'm in California but because I found they were giving me good accuracy. I'm happy with them, but don't have any experience hunting with them.
That said, I don't trust CA politicians. They've moved the goal posts before, and I fully expect they will find another way to hinder or completely stop reloading in the future. Simultaneously, they will tax ammunition and reloading supplies out of existence.
Their interest is not honestly in protecting CA condors or others in the food chain, it is in making it impossible for residents to shoot anything at all, and eventually make it pointless to own firearms.
This same approach is being tried on a national basis, but the proponents of this effort are years behind CA.
If you want to shoot, and to reload, you will not find a welcome in CA.