This keys to C. pinetorum using the Jepson eFlora Ceanothus key. It's interesting that there are two entries in the California Consortium of Herbaria from very near where I found these plants...and that appear to be from the same collection, but which have different determinations: namely C. pinetorum and C. perplexans. A crucial couplet in the Jepson eFlora key is:

4. Plant mat- to mound-like, generally < 1 m; stems spreading, ± ascending, occasionally arched, rooting at nodes or not......(this choice leads to C. pinetorum)

4'. Plant generally erect, 1–4+ m; stems ascending to erect, occasionally intricately branched, not rooting at nodes......(this choice leads to C. perplexans)

The plants here, though perhaps slightly taller than 1 m, conformed best overall with the first lead above, that is to C. pinetorum or ''Kern Ceanothus''. Note that according to the Jepson eFlora C. perplexans is a plant of the Transverse and Peninsular Ranges, rather than the Sierra Nevada.

In Dieter Wilken's key in Fross & Wilken(2006) C. pinetorum keys out twice...regardless of whether one goes at his couplet 3 with ''plants mat- to mound-like, generally < 1 m'' or ''plants erect, 0.5-3(-4) m''. And Dieter's discription and discussion make it clear this is indeed C. pinetorum. Likewise, Richard Spjut's key, description, and discussion (scroll midway down the web page here) lead to the same conclusion.