Mr.Pierce, it is advisable to apply for China visa in Austrlia,
as I know, Temporary foreign visitors with a valid US visa or foreign residents with legitimate status in the US, may apply for Chinese visa to the Visa Office of the Chinese Embassy. The visa officer may ask the applicant to provide the original and photocopy of their US Green Card,Work Permit,I-20 Form, valid US Visa or other additional documents and make a decision on whether to issue the visa case by case.

On the other hand, there is not china consulate in San Jose, there are one embassy and 5 consulates in USA, Embassy in Washington DC, Consulate in Chicago, Houston, New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco.