California is a U. S. state.
California . California also has the nation 's most populous county , Los Angeles County , and its largest county by area , San Bernardino County . The Central Valley is a large , flat valley that dominates the geographical center of the U.S. state of California . Sacramento ( [ ˌsækrəˈmɛntoʊ ] [ sakɾaˈmento ] ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of California and the seat of Sacramento County . San Bernardino County , officially the County of San Bernardino , is a county located in the southern portion of the U.S. state of California .