Is it legal in California for a hotel to charge you for a weekend stay when the weekend is next weekend?

If the hotel is owned by a publicly traded company, this practice violates GAAP. You could report them to the SEC and BBB. You could also dispute the charge on your credit card with the issuing bank.

i am not sure how that works but i CAN tell you one time i went to New Jersey and i was charged TWO MONTHS ahead of time by Days Inn on my credit card (without permission). and then when i showed up they would NOT BELIEVE i had already paid.

depends on for example (and this is a guess) on the policy. for example did you get into a pre-paid arrangement perhaps by booking online? the online booking world seems to do pre-payment a lot of the time. sometimes GREAT RATES etc are only applicable for a pre-payment etc.

i would be SURE to take a copy of the bill in case they dont believe you, is my only advice. but yes that type of thing IS annoying. that is why i HATE when hotels FORCE you to give your credit card number prior to arrival.