Things was dead and drowned in my pool. I live in Southern California, but I've never seen one of these. Is it some kind of super ant? A mutant grasshopper?
Here's a closeup of the head...
http://img77.imageshack.us/img77/8886/3247708hd.jpg
And here's a shot for scale...
http://img73.imageshack.us/img73/9730/3247744ap.jpg