I used to talk to John Devney on a regular basis...Great guy and loves his ducks.
I believe this waterfowl season will be good here in SoCal...Limited water means limited places for them to feed...The ducks we hunt most, widgeon, GW, gadwall's, and spoonies mostly nest in places that had water in Canada...My friends in the parklands said they had good sloughs & ponds, especially later...Gadwalls are one of the latest nesters...Pintail may be an issue, but we're only allowed one anyway.
ps....There's always goose hunting...Montana had a great recruitment year of honkers.