Hi Andy,
I start green seeds of zinnias frequently, with a reasonable rate of success. They are a few days slower to germinate than dry zinnia seeds. I have never tried planting green seeds from anything else. If there is any significant advantage for you to plant those pepper seeds now, I would experiment with planting some green seeds now. In the event they germinate, you will have seedlings at a rather odd time of year, but you are in CA, so the experiment might pay off.
ZM