Most of your questions have been answered, but yes John and Linda Clinard are the organizers of C&C. Last year while they were up in Pebble some of us regulars actually took their place and helped run the event. We’ll see what they decide to do this year.
As far as other car events, how about car museums? You can visit the Nethercutt Collection which is in Sylmar, CA. It is not too far from Malibu and includes a lot of rare vintage stuff. You can also, and I strongly recommend you do, visit the Mullin Automotive Museum: http://www.mullinautomotivemuseum.com/tickets–information.html