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I just got a reply from a friend of a friend who is an amateur entomologist.
Here's what he says:
"Nice photo. Your bug is Ocypus olens, a beetle of the
family Staphylinidae. Its other name is the Devil's
Coach Horse. No relation to termites, it eats snails
and slugs and their eggs, so it's basically on our
side. It's not a native species, but was introduced
from Europe, probably along with the most common snail
we have in gardens here. Ocypus normally lives
outdoors, but I see them in houses sometimes in wet
weather.
A good resource for info on common bugs is California
Insects by J. Powell and C. Hogue, published by Univ
of Calif Press. It has pictures of Ocypus and lots of
its friends."
Devil's Coach Horse - I like it.
Thanks for all your help!
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