While the West Coast does not get tornadoes of the violent or intense type spawned in the Midwest, the West Coast variety is still strong enough to do damage.

The California tornado list that Don provided the link to includes F2 tornadoes that have occurred in CA. According to the Fujita scale, an F2 is a "significant tornado," with wind speeds of 113-157 mph. An F2 can cause "considerable damage -- roofs torn off frame houses; mobile homes demolished; boxcars pushed over; large trees snapped or uprooted; light object missiles generated."

In addition, there are many F1's on the CA list, which is listed as a "moderate tornado" with wind speeds of 73-112 mph.