These high fines are state-wide and obviously used to get revenue.
I would have been subject to the same amount if I had gone straight trough the red-light with heavy traffic. (BTW the yellow-light duration here is 3 seconds which is legal.)
Thanks for the links. I found one that I like and recommend to others if they get a California ticket:
Interesting link, looks like you’ve got it under control. I’m keeping the link for future reference (God forbid).