Blue Bellied Lizard

When my son was little we were visiting the Kelly Ridge Center by the Oroville Dam where he saw one of these and called it a baby alligator.
These guys are quite common in the valley and chaparral, but not usually in gardens and around homes. We have had only one brief rain in seven months, the ground is very dry. The property next to us is unoccupied and I assume they are breeding in that ideal habitat.
We see them scurrying up our breezeway wall or running into the front yard to get away from the enemy dogs.
( I have no idea how I managed to get the image into the middle of the text!)