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<!-- DFIN New ActiveDisclosure (SM) XBRL Schema Document - http://www.dfinsolutions.com/ -->
<!-- Creation Date :2024-03-19T16:20:36.8141+00:00 -->
<!-- Copyright (c) 2024 Donnelly Financial Solutions, Inc. All Rights Reserved. -->
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          <link:presentationArc xlink:type="arc" xlink:arcrole="http://www.xbrl.org/2003/arcrole/parent-child" xlink:from="ecd_AllAdjToCompMember" xlink:to="crc_EquityAwardRelatedAdjustmentsMember" order="5" priority="2" use="optional" preferredLabel="http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/label"/>
        </link:presentationLink>
        <link:definitionLink xlink:type="extended" xlink:role="http://xbrl.sec.gov/ecd/role/PvpAdjustmentsOnly">
          <link:loc xlink:type="locator" xlink:href="https://xbrl.sec.gov/ecd/2023/ecd-2023.xsd#ecd_AllAdjToCompMember" xlink:label="ecd_AllAdjToCompMember"/>
          <link:loc xlink:type="locator" xlink:href="crc-20240319.xsd#crc_FairValueOfEquityAwardsGrantedDuringYearMember" xlink:label="crc_FairValueOfEquityAwardsGrantedDuringYearMember"/>
          <link:loc xlink:type="locator" xlink:href="crc-20240319.xsd#crc_FairValueAtYearEndOfEquityAwardsGrantedDuringYearMember" xlink:label="crc_FairValueAtYearEndOfEquityAwardsGrantedDuringYearMember"/>
          <link:loc xlink:type="locator" xlink:href="crc-20240319.xsd#crc_ChangeInFairValueOfEquityAwardsGrantedInPriorYearsThatWereUnvestedAsOfEndOfYearMember" xlink:label="crc_ChangeInFairValueOfEquityAwardsGrantedInPriorYearsThatWereUnvestedAsOfEndOfYearMember"/>
          <link:loc xlink:type="locator" xlink:href="crc-20240319.xsd#crc_ChangeInFairValueOfEquityAwardsGrantedInPriorYearsThatVestedDuringYearMember" xlink:label="crc_ChangeInFairValueOfEquityAwardsGrantedInPriorYearsThatVestedDuringYearMember"/>
          <link:loc xlink:type="locator" xlink:href="crc-20240319.xsd#crc_EquityAwardsGrantedInPriorYearsThatWereForfeitedDuringTheYearMember" xlink:label="crc_EquityAwardsGrantedInPriorYearsThatWereForfeitedDuringTheYearMember"/>
          <link:loc xlink:type="locator" xlink:href="crc-20240319.xsd#crc_EquityAwardRelatedAdjustmentsMember" xlink:label="crc_EquityAwardRelatedAdjustmentsMember"/>
          <link:definitionArc xlink:type="arc" order="0" xbrldt:closed="false" xlink:arcrole="http://xbrl.org/int/dim/arcrole/domain-member" xlink:from="ecd_AllAdjToCompMember" xlink:to="crc_FairValueOfEquityAwardsGrantedDuringYearMember" priority="2" use="optional"/>
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        </link:definitionLink>
        <link:definitionLink xlink:type="extended" xlink:role="http://xbrl.sec.gov/ecd/role/IndividualsOnly">
          <link:loc xlink:type="locator" xlink:href="https://xbrl.sec.gov/ecd/2023/ecd-2023.xsd#ecd_AllIndividualsMember" xlink:label="ecd_AllIndividualsMember"/>
          <link:loc xlink:type="locator" xlink:href="crc-20240319.xsd#crc_MarkAMcfarlandMember" xlink:label="crc_MarkAMcfarlandMember"/>
          <link:loc xlink:type="locator" xlink:href="crc-20240319.xsd#crc_FranciscoJLeonMember" xlink:label="crc_FranciscoJLeonMember"/>
          <link:loc xlink:type="locator" xlink:href="crc-20240319.xsd#crc_ToddAStevensMember" xlink:label="crc_ToddAStevensMember"/>
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          <link:definitionArc xlink:type="arc" order="1" xbrldt:closed="false" xlink:arcrole="http://xbrl.org/int/dim/arcrole/domain-member" xlink:from="ecd_AllIndividualsMember" xlink:to="crc_FranciscoJLeonMember" priority="2" use="optional"/>
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        </link:definitionLink>
      </link:linkbase>
    </xsd:appinfo>
  </xsd:annotation>
  <xsd:element id="crc_FairValueOfEquityAwardsGrantedDuringYearMember" name="FairValueOfEquityAwardsGrantedDuringYearMember" type="dtr-types:domainItemType" substitutionGroup="xbrli:item" xbrli:periodType="duration" nillable="true" abstract="true"/>
  <xsd:element id="crc_EquityAwardRelatedAdjustmentsMember" name="EquityAwardRelatedAdjustmentsMember" type="dtr-types:domainItemType" substitutionGroup="xbrli:item" xbrli:periodType="duration" nillable="true" abstract="true"/>
  <xsd:element id="crc_ChangeInFairValueOfEquityAwardsGrantedInPriorYearsThatWereUnvestedAsOfEndOfYearMember" name="ChangeInFairValueOfEquityAwardsGrantedInPriorYearsThatWereUnvestedAsOfEndOfYearMember" type="dtr-types:domainItemType" substitutionGroup="xbrli:item" xbrli:periodType="duration" nillable="true" abstract="true"/>
  <xsd:element id="crc_EquityAwardsGrantedInPriorYearsThatWereForfeitedDuringTheYearMember" name="EquityAwardsGrantedInPriorYearsThatWereForfeitedDuringTheYearMember" type="dtr-types:domainItemType" substitutionGroup="xbrli:item" xbrli:periodType="duration" nillable="true" abstract="true"/>
  <xsd:element id="crc_FranciscoJLeonMember" name="FranciscoJLeonMember" type="dtr-types:domainItemType" substitutionGroup="xbrli:item" xbrli:periodType="duration" nillable="true" abstract="true"/>
  <xsd:element id="crc_ToddAStevensMember" name="ToddAStevensMember" type="dtr-types:domainItemType" substitutionGroup="xbrli:item" xbrli:periodType="duration" nillable="true" abstract="true"/>
  <xsd:element id="crc_MarkAMcfarlandMember" name="MarkAMcfarlandMember" type="dtr-types:domainItemType" substitutionGroup="xbrli:item" xbrli:periodType="duration" nillable="true" abstract="true"/>
  <xsd:element id="crc_ChangeInFairValueOfEquityAwardsGrantedInPriorYearsThatVestedDuringYearMember" name="ChangeInFairValueOfEquityAwardsGrantedInPriorYearsThatVestedDuringYearMember" type="dtr-types:domainItemType" substitutionGroup="xbrli:item" xbrli:periodType="duration" nillable="true" abstract="true"/>
  <xsd:element id="crc_FairValueAtYearEndOfEquityAwardsGrantedDuringYearMember" name="FairValueAtYearEndOfEquityAwardsGrantedDuringYearMember" type="dtr-types:domainItemType" substitutionGroup="xbrli:item" xbrli:periodType="duration" nillable="true" abstract="true"/>
</xsd:schema>
