This is muddy old Santiago Creek after a rainstorm last year that tossed a little bit of snow onto our local mountains. Even with the rain it's unusual to get a sky so clear all the way to the horizon around here. Even when there's no smog, there's always haze.
Perhaps I will start taking my winters in California.
Unless you are an aficionado of the subtleties of different shades of desiccated, Winter into Spring would be the times to visit California.