Not for growing the fruit trees that california grows. The imperial and central valleys are legitimately some of the best land in the world for agriculture productivity, which of course is why there's so much agriculture going on there.

Not without water it isn't

California’s land is so arable specifically because there’s less rain to wash out soluble minerals from the soil.

It’s a catch 22: the more wet a place is, the less micronutrients there are available due to constant run off. As it turns out, historically it has been easier to bring water to a region than to replenish micronutrients in the soil to support industrial farming.

our (San Jose CA) plums this year are rather bland, due to the excellent rainy season. i just hope the pomegranates are tart enough, they were so enjoyable the last two years.