California is a U. S. state.
California . The state capital is Sacramento . The Central Valley is a large , flat valley that dominates the geographical center of the U.S. state of California . Los Angeles ( [ lɒs_ˈændʒəlᵻs ] , Spanish for `` The Angels '' ; [ los ˈaŋxeles ] ) , officially the City of Los Angeles and often known by its initials L.A. , is the cultural , financial , and commercial center of Southern California . Sacramento ( [ ˌsækrəˈmɛntoʊ ] [ sakɾaˈmento ] ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of California and the seat of Sacramento County .