Being very new to my study of beetles, sometimes I still just have to look through the pics in the Guide until I find one that looks close (But, at least I learn a lot in the process!) Hopefully, I'm not way off base on this one, but I think this is probably a Clerid, maybe in the Genus Cymatodera. It seems to most closely resemble Cymatodera inor*nata, but that species is not found in my area. The Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History's California Beetle Project lists many species within Cymatodera which are not currently represented on BugGuide, but I wouldn't even begin to know how to narrow down my choices. I live in mixed oak/chaparral habitat. Any help at all would be greatly appreciated. Thanks so much!