The California vole occurs along the Pacific Coast and uses grassy runways and underground burrows. It eats grasses and roots, and its coat varies across its range.
The back ranges from buffy or grayish brown to dark brown, sometimes blackish near the coast or reddish in desert areas. The underside is blue-gray to white, and the tail is bicolored.
It makes burrows and runways through grass, where cut grass and fresh vegetation can be found. Grasses and roots are among its foods.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.