Hey Windforce, it is, sadly to say, illegal in California to not have a front license plate.
http://www.dmv.ca.gov/pubs/vctop/d05/vc11713_17.htm
This is interesting tho:
http://www.petitiononline.com/caplate/petition.html
If you do more research, I think it might be illegal to put those license plate covers too...*shrugs*
G'luck