What you are referring to are tropical cyclones. They are called typhoons in the Pacific Ocean in the northern hemisphere, and hurricanes in the Atlantic Ocean. They also have other names in other areas of the Southern Hemisphere, like tropical cyclone in Australia.

Though what you see impacting California is an extratropical cyclone. Extratropical refers to how they usually form outside the tropics in the extratropical regions of earth. They are very common but can range wildly in intensity.