Weeding in the garden, I turned over a rock. There it was, a little Rubber Boa (Charina botteae). Pinkish gray, about the size of a pencil, it actually looked like a large earthworm with a blunt head and tail. He/she was wrapped into a figure eight and scarcely moved when picked up.
A very docile, slow moving, and ubiquitous---these small snakes live all over the West from coastal areas to the High Sierra. Preferring cool temperatures and damp places, they travel mainly during twilight and dawn hours. “Travel” is perhaps a stretch; these snakes are homebodies that occupy the same vicinity or backyard their entire lives. And they can live upwards of 30 years. So you may have a long-standing neighbor that you have never met!
Their diet is small mammals such as mice and voles, as well as lizards and unwary birds. They can grow up to 2 feet or more, so the one I found must have been a baby. We have encountered an adult at 9000 ft. elevation on the talus slopes of Mt. Tallac. That fellow was larger than my garden friend, but allowed several of us to handle him/her without seeming distressed.
Keep a look out for these garden friends. They are NOT endangered and may very well be living in a garden near you.