Seven months ago, California's historical drought prompted governor Jerry Brown to declare a state of emergency.

As the Central Valley remained parched, wildfires ravaged Northern and Southern California. And in places untouched by fire and drought, mudslides washed away homes. Not to mention a water main break that wasted up to 20 million gallons of water and flooded the UCLA campus.

There's simply no way around it: California — the most populous state in the Union — is going through some tough times.