In California they are supposed to pay you very soon after you quit.

"An employee without a written employment contract for a definite period of time who quits without giving 72 hours prior notice must be paid all of his or her wages, including accrued vacation, within 72 hours of quitting. An employee who quits without giving 72-hours prior notice may request that his or her final wage payment be mailed to a designated address. The date of mailing will be considered the date of payment for purposes of the requirement to provide payment within 72 hours of the notice of quitting. Labor Code Section 202"

Not complying with this law can get the employer in trouble.

"An employer who willfully fails to pay any wages due a terminated employee (discharge or quit) in the prescribed time frame may be assessed a waiting time penalty. The waiting time penalty is an amount equal to the employee's daily rate of pay for each day the wages remain unpaid, up to a maximum of thirty (30) calendar days. Mamika v. Barca (1998) 68 Cal.App4th 487 "

Paydays, pay periods, and the final wages

This is how you file a wage claim in California: Division of Labor Standards Enforcement (DLSE)

In your case, they complied with the law but the check was ripped. I think they are entitled to assure that their normal P&P regarding reissuing checks be followed, but I am not sure. Since you have nothing to lose, you can email them, remind them about the final wages law in California, and threaten them with a wage claim.