Snake Identification

It's Irving, I'd recognize anywhere.

Pituophis catenifer. There are 5 subspecies in California. This one is the San Diego Gopher Snake.
Bullsnake is considered a subspecies of Gopher Snake and found east of California, in the Great Plains and central United States.

My son used to bring them in the house. When he had 2 I had to help take them out of their cage and we'd "exercise" them. We kept them no longer than a week and turned them outside to freedom.

Looks like that one just shed its skin, beautiful. Love seeing them in the garden, taking care of the pesky critters, of which we have thousands.

Gopher Snake/Bull Sake. A good snake to have in your yard, as the name implies, they eat gophers. Harmless to people and make good pets.

Just be aware that Gopher snakes can make their heads look triangular/rattlesnakish. It's a defense mechanism. Don't harm a snake just because you think it's a rattler. Snakes are a good thing, no matter their venemous or non-venemous makeup. Let them be and they will go about their business of being nature's rodent control. Lucky you, OP, to have this snake on the job in your yard.

It's a good guy !

We had a 3-4' gopher snake in our chicken run for about a week. Everyone minded their own business, but the chickens would have dealt with it if it was a problem. The ground squirrels and gophers had made their way in there, too, so I figured that was what it was looking for. Haven't seen it in a bit, so I think it mosied on out. Rattlesnakes have a triangular shaped head. Gopher snakes' are narrow. They will 'rattle' their tails in leaves to mimic a rattlesnake if they feel threatened.

Gopher Snake?