Also, keep in mind that your all-season tires are "snow tires" as far as the CHP is concerned.
Most of the time you will not need to put chains on, but you are always required to have them with you in the mountains!
CA has three levels of controls:
1) Chains, snows or awd
2) chains, or awd
3) Chains
With 1, you can have snows or all seasons, they don't care.
However, the first one is rare, it is usually #2. They'll pass on a sube with half worn all seasons, but if you have a fwd with brand new totl dedicated snows, they'll make you chain up.
I think it is nutz, but that is CA.
#3 is like so rare, I've never seen it . Must be during blizzards or something.
With cables, I recomend practicing putting them on and off on your driveway. If you can't do that, it wont be any easier when you are on the side of a dark freezing road. Also, bring a real floor jack, must easier than using the spare tire crap. Jack it up, put them on, it helps removing too. Imho, easier than driving over them and doing it without raising the car.
HOWEVER,