We're talking about apples and oranges.
Your friend from Ohio cannot come to work for a contractor in California without first passing the California Journeyman's Certification. There is no reciprocity, and he will not get a job through the IBEW in CA until he gets it.
This is a totally separate thing from a Contractor's License here. There are quite a few threads here on the forum about the Journeyman's Cert.
