and would know about the "seasons" (fall/winter = rainy, which is now, and spring/summer = dry starting around May/June).
I expect that rain may eventually trigger a lot of plant undergrowth that may eventually build-up and become combustible by summer.
And agree about the smog! My very first trip to California was to L.A. back in 1987 in September, where I took a spectroscopy training course. It was also the week that Pope John Paul II visited the city so we ended up being off from training on one of the days that week since the feds closed down for that day. But during the week, pretty much every morning, I noticed what was a "yellow hazy sky" that I initially chalked up to being fog, at least for the first couple days... And then it hit me. 
Edit history
= new reply since forum marked as read