Thanks to all who replied. Just wanted to post what I ended up doing.
I bought a different valve and it follows California guidelines. I installed it (first time soldering) and no leaks!
I practiced soldering a few times to get the hang of it. Ended up using bernzomatic 14.1 oz propane tank instead of the coleman propane tank used for camping. The bernzomatic was easier to hold. Torch I used was a bernzomatic wt2301 torch head.