It really depends on where you're going in CA. We're a big state! If you're going to SoCal, take the 10 so you don't have to deal with any mountain passes. If you go through Vegas, you have to take the 15, and that is the Cajon pass, which is fine driving as long as the weather is fine. It gets snow, but only when it's really bad. If you take the 80, which takes you to NorCal, then you really want to make sure there is no snow. My bosses went up to Tahoe a couple weeks ago and it took them 9 hours, it should have taken 3. Remember the Donner party! If you say take the 10 through LA and then go North from there, to say the Central Valley or the beach towns in the Central coast, you probably will have to take the 5, which has the Tejon pass, which is bigger than the Cajon pass, but not anything like the 80. I've driven in the snow on that pass and it's so traveled it was fine.

So yeah, it all depends on where you're landing. I can only navigate you through CA, not the other states. AAA is a good resource if you have it (and you should, if you're driving all that way).