Doug,
I too thought that the finish didn't matter until I took a closer look at this confusing law. I even called the CA DOJ for clarification as I was going to have a Nickel CZ 75B imported from Georgia. The law says that if a gun is the same except for finish, grips, etc., it will not have to go through the drop and firing tests. However, the manufacturor must submit to the CA DOJ, "for inspection", any gun that differs in finish from the gun tested. If the CA DOJ agrees that the gun tested differs only in finish, then the manufacturor has to certify, "under penalty of perjury", that the gun with the different finish is the same as the tested gun in no other respects except for finish. After this, then CZ must pay the State of California $200 per year to list it on the approved roster. You may indeed be able to get the Polymer finished ones as they look like blue steel. If you look at the CA DROS, it specifies whether the gun is "blue steel" or Nickel or Stainless finish. Lately, all I see for sale is the Military version. I have run this by the two biggest retailers in the state, B & B and Turners. They say they can't sell it unless it appears specifically on the approved list. I called CZ and they said they are working on it. Take a look at all the other makers guns listed, many of them differ only in finish. The Alloy CZ's you mentioned are not 75B's.
This is what happens when the politicians pass laws that the bueraucrats expected to enforce them can barely comprehend, let alone the avearage person.
We need to kick the democrats out or we will get more and more or crap laws like this one until we are left with bows and arrows. Then those will surely be banned. Darn those assault bows!
Russ