That hasn't deterred a late, all-out entry into the California primary fight by billionaire Bloomberg, who had the delegate-rich California terrain all to himself earlier this week as the rest of the Democratic pack arm-wrestled for the 49 delegates — just 10 percent of California’s delegate take — that ultimately will be awarded in snowy Iowa. Bloomberg appears ready to seize on the confusion and campaign shakeups that emerged from Iowa, and Biden’s underperformance — and California looms large in that effort.

“Having California moved up is obviously an important part of this whole process. The sheer size and magnitude of the campaign here is a critical part and our ground game — and what we’re doing in the state here is pretty extraordinary,’’ says veteran Democratic strategist David Chai, who serves as a Northern California political director for Bloomberg.

His team is pouring money — and time — into the state, blanketing the airwaves with $13 million in ads since the start of the year and sending his message into rural markets that have rarely seen so many presidential campaign ads.

And in Sacramento a week ago, Bloomberg offered California voters the chance to see something equally rare in the Golden State: retail presidential campaigning up close. At dawn, the billionaire worked his way through a crowd of curious voters at a downtown coffee shop and bakery, posing for selfies, urging voters — in signs, buttons and in his stump speech — to "vote early."

Crystal Strait, Bloomberg’s state political director, looking around the packed Sacramento event, said the campaign is running on all cylinders in California — dividing the state into seven regions for targeted mail and voter outreach, opening 20 offices and hiring 300 staffers. “He’s doing great, and we’re really feeling the momentum,’’ she said.

New York's former mayor has picked up dozens of California endorsements in recent weeks, from big city mayors like London Breed of San Francisco, Sam Liccardo of San José and Antonio Villaraigosa, the former Los Angeles mayor and Assembly speaker, to rural Central Valley mayors like Kuldip Thusu of Dinuba and Eddie Neal of Lemoore.

But he has to play catch-up to Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, who has been the front-runner in four recent major California state polls.

“The fact that we are leading in the biggest state in the country is a big deal — and we’ve been prioritizing it,’’ says San Francisco-based Ben Tulchin, the veteran Democratic pollster for Sanders’ national campaign. He says Sanders’ front-runner status here is the direct result of consistent gains in California with three critical voter groups who may decide the state winner — Latinos, younger voters and the nearly 1 in 3 who have “no party preference” or are independents. “And our hard work is paying off.”