My apologies, I didn't notice this until John Carr's (thanks for bringing this back to memory) comments today.
Well, I'd better check this out with Jim Hogue. At the time Jim sent me an e-mail: "Keeping in mind my limited skills identifying Tachinidae, I keyed your fly to Paradidyma. I will look at the collection at LACM tomorrow and see if I'm even close".
I may have been too hasty, don't recall exactly. The specimen is still there, so I'll check on this with Jim.
Just saw that there's a page for V. atrophopodoides from San Benito County, det. by Norm Woodley.

I don't think this is Paradidyma, which has prominent parafacial bristles.