The Golden State has been more golden brown than usual the last few years, as it has suffered a historic drought . We all had our fingers crossed when professional weather wonks forecast a huge rainy season for 2015-16 because of a monster El Nino which normally brings a lot of precipitation.

The good news is the rains came in the fall and early winter, but the faucet went dry in February. The rainfall was decent, but nothing like the biblical stuff forecast that prompted many homeowners to schedule roof repairs in preparation.

Still, there is snow in the Sierras where a lot of water supply is naturally stored. Last year’s snowpack amounted to just 5 percent of its normal water content, the lowest in 500 years according to tree ring data. The situation was dire, with no Plan B forthcoming from Sacramento. But Nature was semi-kind this year, which is good because prolonged drought can be a civilization killer.

Meanwhile, California continues to be a magnet for immigrants, and the foreign-born are the major source of the state’s population growth. Unfortunately, too many people residing in a largely low-rainfall state is a drought disaster waiting to happen. Granted, the majority of water use is for agriculture, but when drought hits, the government hectors average city dwellers to cut their usage.

The Sacramento Bee had a front-page feature article on Friday bemoaning the general disappointment in the highly touted El Nino.