I can't speak for California, but in New York State, this is part of the reason why bike lanes disappear at intersections. Unless there is room for the right-turn lane to completely be to the right of the bike lane, then the bike lane disappears in order to make bikes and cars merge into the same lane, one behind the other.
This also explains why at intersections with "bike boxes", they're placed to let cyclists move from beside the cars to in front of them.
Thanks for the reply and advice tsl. In this particular situation there are 2 car lanes and the bike lane, then to the right of the bike lane is the right turn only lane. The light itself at the intersection is between the bike lane and the right turn only lane on a concrete island, so to speak.
This is a wake up call for me. The bottom line is not right and wrong and traffic laws. The bottom line is my safety. The bottom line is to NOT be hit. I live in a coastal community that is very pro bike and has fairly "light" traffic even during peak hours. I used to live in L.A. and when I moved there 11 years ago I quickly sold my existing bike after realizing how dangerous a place it was to ride.
I will continue to use the bike lane at that intersection when driving to work. If I was to use the normal traffic lane I would end up in fast moving car traffic, so it's not really an option. In the future I will be sure to use my lights (I have a light and motion urban 800/vis 180 combo) and make sure to let the car next to me go first so I can avoid this scenario in the future. I will do whatever I can to make sure the driver next to me sees me and realizes I am there.