Billbergia ?

Possibly a Pandanus species?

Thank you everyone! Billbergia nutans looks to be the answer. Thank you all for your help. Funny thing, I did think "hm, the texture is Tillandsia-like, could it be? ...Nah!"

PS: Speaking of Pandanus, I had Pandanus pancakes (regular pancakes flavored with pandanus powder) the other day and it was fantastic!

I'm looking at a Bilbergia nutans right now and although the habit and leaf shape are like yours it doesn't have grey leaf backs. That's why I didn't make that suggestion. But maybe there are different strains in Ca. There's certainly more sunshine and that might make a difference.

Mine is typically more gray or grayish blue than it is green pretty much any time of year. And it is never in full sun.

Hm, good points. I'll put Bilbergia nutans down with an asterisk of doubt. Do you think Bromeliad is the right direction? The offshoot grew, albeit slowly, through a rainy CA winter without protection, and hopefully I can grow it to flowering to aid ID.

That's interesting. Mine are definitely green all year round. Both indoor and outdoor specimens.

B. nutans is one of many Billbergia species.

Yes. That's why I didn't attempt to specify which species. I only know B nutans of which I have several. They don't look entirely like the OPs plant. Images on the web appear variable in the green or grey coloration. Mine are green. One of them has stayed outside two winters running now.

Flora, same here! I left some outside this past winter and am impressed with the results! B.nutans fared well, surviving a low of 18°F, and many nights in a row with frost/freeze. Behind, B. 'Foster's Striate' which may be a cultivar of B. pyramidalis, not sure, did not fare so well. None of them survived (out of 3 pairs in diff spots.) Some frost bite, but still blooming. Pic from this past weekend.