The grass might be golden now, but before Anglos settled California heavily in the mid 19th century, California's grasslands would have been dominated by C4 warm season grasses that stayed green through most of the summer. These natives were over grazed and irradicated during a drought in the 1850s or 1860s and replaced by exotic European cool season grasses that brown out come summer. There are a few areas that retain the natives, but most area are devoid of them.