Charged with violating 24400 (b) : Operating without headlight in inclement weather.

[justalayman]

While I suspect you will claim you are not being argumentative here, I am sure everybody else sees it the opposite. I suspect you spoke similarly to the cop and he also saw you as argumentative so where you might have been issued only a warning he said to heck with it and gave you a ticket.

 

[HighwayMan]

My primary argument is that I had made a reasonable attempt to comply with the law...

And failed, in the eyes of the officer.

You violated the statute and you were cited for it. Your attempts at adhering to the law don't really count for much in court.