No, you don't need a California license, but you do need a mailing address in CA.
I recently did the same thing - I was in CA for about 2 months, and bought a bike to ride while I was there. I have a Swiss driver's license and motorcycle endorsement, plus an international driver's license. Buying, registering and insuring the bike was no problem (the dealer took care of the registration) - I just used my dad's address in San Diego for the registered address (I bought the bike in San Rafael, north of San Francisco)
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