Legal Question in Landlord & Tenant Law in California

You have given us no reasons for why you want to break the contract or what rationale you could use. The penalty clause might be too severe to stand up, but you have signed a contract so why do you think you should not have to pay something to get out of it. The landlord is under a duty to try to rent the unit as soon as possible, but you would be liable even without an early termination clause for the days yo would have been renting but he collects no rent.

You have breached a contract. You may have a legal excuse for the breach. An attorney would need to review the facts to see if you have a legal excuse for the breach.