Quiet, you. When something is that important to your way of life, it deserves a “the.”
But nobody says Cali that isn’t refering to Columbia.
I’ve heard “Cincy” used by Cincinnati natives.
Sometimes I’ll use “Cali”, but only if I’m on vacation and returning home. Normally, it’s “So-Cal.”
The freeways are always referred to as “the 101” or “the 405” etc. Sometimes people will refer to them by name (“Ventura”, “Santa Monica”, etc.) but that gets confusing since the numbers and names don’t always match. Nobody uses “route” or even “I-” to describe freeways around here. 
It must be only Southern Californians that say “the 101.” Like in LA or something. I grew up in a town on 101 and we never called it ‘the.’
And the only I- that you say I for is I-5.
Anyway I’ve never heard anyone say “Cali.” That’s just weird.
Do you/natives call it Philly?
–gigi, smilin’, profilin’
I don’t know about S’bello, but I’ve heard Philadelphia natives refer to their home town as “Philly.” Or “Fluffy.”
And I have relatives from the other end of Pennsylvania who call their home town “Pissburg.” At least, to me that’s what it sounds like they’re saying.
To answer the OP’s question: Women from the ages of 14-23 who aren’t from here but want people to think they are.
I know what a California Roll is, but just out of curiosity, what’s the difference over there between a Cali Burger and a good old-fashioned Royale with Cheese? A slice of avocado?
(Because here in California, that’s what the word “California” prepended to the names of food items means; they add avocado to it.)
I do believe you already have one.
It’s all Southern California. I, for example, plan to hop on the 8 in a couple of minutes.
Nobody I know from California calls it “Cali”. I do hear people from California say “SoCal” and “NorCal”.
The “the” on freeways seems to apply everywhere south of the Tehachapi Mountains only.
I grew up in SoCal and never knew that the freeway “the” was a local regional quirk. I learned my lesson when I visited Austin, Texas. I got on the freeway there and saw signs designating that freeway as “Loop 1.” In a later conversation, I called that freeway “the 1.”
The conversational provebial needle screeched across the proverbial record. I thought I was going to be hung by the locals or escorted to the state line. I was quickly and sternly told, with appropriately placed F-bombs, that the freeway is called “MOPAC” and NO highway anywhere outside of southern California is called “THE anything.”
Never heard of it before.
To me, “Cali” brings to mind cocaine cartels in Columbia. I plead guilty of calling Philthadelphia “Philly”, however.
Born and raised in Central CA and I never refer to this as Cali.
California isn’t too hard for me to say, although Los Angeles is L.A.
Just wanted to let you know that I appreciated this! 
I’ll do it sometimes…but only in a sarcastic tone reminicent of this song. “Cyaaaali.” Or if I’m talking mock in my valley girl voice: “Kalii” But then I’ve been know to just say “Cali” in a normal voice in regular conversation. And then I stop immediately after the word is said. And then I open my eyeses real wide and say in a deep, ominous voice, “Kali-Maaaa!” like that freakshow dude in The Temple of Doom.
But no…if I’m being serious it’s just plain old “Cali-For-Ni-Yay.”
Fully agree on the Cali issue, but there’s another one that not so clear (at least to me) – I was told by someone at one point that, just like “Cali” no one actually from San Francisco would ever refer to it as “Frisco”. However, that’s just not true in my experience.
At least in my circles:
San Francsico – Frisco, or San Fran, or possibly SF.
Los Angeles – always LA.
San Jose – San Ho
Santa Barbara – SB
And that’s not even including Oakland as Chokeland 
Speaking of weirdos and their freeways, one thing that really blew me away while I was visiting family in Utah* was that everybody referred to freeway exits by their numbers. I hardly knew freeway exits had numbers.
*The funny thing is that’s the Jewish side of the family. No, really.
You’re obviously traveling in the wrong circles…being a southlander, and all…
Nobody from around here calls it “Frisco”. Nobody. It’s a sin, that will get you banished to San Bernardino for eternity. San Fran…maybe. Occasionally.
LA: definitely. Always.
San Ho? I’ve never heard that in my life, and I’ve never lived more than 50 miles from said metropolis.
Santa Barbara…I don’t think has ever come up in any conversation.
Well my point was that I’ve encountered at least a dozen people (friends, co-workers, etc.) who are from the Bay Area (city, Marin, peninsula, etc.) that have called it “Frisco” in earnest. So it makes me rather dubious of that claim that no authentic Friscan (ok, that’s just a joke) would use the term. I think it’s likely dependent on socio-economic class and people, like you, who’ve never heard it, just extrapolate out to the rest of the population.
Here’s the lyrics to one (of many) RBL Posse songs that use the term. They’re from Hunter’s Point IIRC.
I left SoCal last year after 18 years in San Diego . . . I’ve never heard “Cali” used in Cali or outside of the state.
I heard and used “SoCal,” “NoCal,” and “The Orange Curtain” all the time when I was a Californian. I haven’t heard anyone who hasn’t lived in California use these terms . . . out-of-staters are unaware of the fact that California is actually three distinct cultural states.
The only people who I’ve ever heard use the term are rappers from the East Coast.