The law as written means you have to yield on a bicycle in exactly the same way you would a car. There’s no room for China-level tolerances, as you describe.

People may also be picturing different scenarios: NYC couriers and delivery people swerving around them inspires scorn, as do cars driving around you at 30mph in a crosswalk even if no contact will be made. Edit: but the former scenario should happen more often than the latter simply because the car is often too big to pull the same stunt without actually causing physical injury.

I love the picture of a 10 minute traffic meeting, though.

Can you elaborate on where this is coming from? I know you're exaggerating, but in my limited experience I haven't noticed abnormally long yield times at intersections in southern California.

Try walking at a moving car in a parking lot, such that if both of you maintain your velocity you will clearly pass behind the car after it has passed. 9/10 times the driver will "helpfully" stop and "helpfully" wave you on in front of them, delaying both of you.

There used to be something called a "Californian stop" that was a partial stop rather than a full stop, but after living in LA for a year, I never saw it happen.