Question: do you think the plates will/ could move like in japan, but in california?

David Pyle answered on 23 Mar 2011:

Not in southern California, no: here the plates are sliding past each other along a vertical fault called the San Andreas fault. When the San Andreas fault moves next time, there will certainly be widespread damage to roads and buildings due to the motion, and the shaking; but there will not be any significant tsunami triggered, except for any small ones triggered by landslides. There is a possibilty of a future earthquake similar to the Japan quake further north, near the coasts of Oregon and Washington state. Here, there is a plate (Juan de Fuca plate) sliding beneath the American plate, in a way that is similar to the example in Japan.