I found it vaguely interesting the way CNN.com used sloppy wording to make it sound like a major hurricane was headed to southern California. What I'm almost sure Berg (from National Hurricane Center) meant was that Jimena would be a major hurricane as it approached southern Baja. The forecast this morning has it making landfall in southern Baja and being a weak tropical storm by the time it gets half way up Baja. If it stays just offshore in the Pacific, it will stay strong longer, but the water is not warm enough off of northern Baja and southern California to support a major hurricane. That is why southern California does not get these. I think storms may have made it to San Diego as tropical storms, but that is (very?) rare.

It was fairly unusual since I've been paying attention that a fair amount of rain came across southern and Central California a week or 2 ago.

CNN article quote follows, and the article is linked (they may keep modifying the article).

Chris
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"The hurricane could bring some much-needed rain to southern California, where wildfires have scorched thousands of acres in the greater Los Angeles area. There's no reason for people in that area to panic, but they should keep an eye on Jimena, Berg said.

"There's no watches or warnings in effect, but we would like residents and tourists in the area to monitor the progress of the storm," Berg said. "We do expect it to maintain its major hurricane strength as it heads up into that area."
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• CNN hurricane story