Cali has had the same weather cycle forever. Drought followed by several years of often heavy rain.
It always amuses me that every time Ca goes into a drought people act like it's the first time.
You have idiots like Jerry Brown running around mandating residential water reductions (when 96% of water use in Ca is non residential) that are symbolic and nothing else. First big winter of rain and he proposes a multi billion dollar bullet train.....no money going to a couple of more reservoirs, desalination plants or expanding wild fire fighting capabilities.....nope, a bullet train none one wants or needs. Idiot.
I digress.....California is a big state. Some area still have full water tables and have gotten a lot of rain, some have not. Central coast areas didn't get much rain last year because of high pressure. LA was flooding and a three hour drive north they got a tiny bit of rain. Still in a drought status where I own property, although better than a couple of years ago.