i didn't do any west coast aways and I got all the cali interviews. i have no family there, and no real ties but after the interview the schools still expressed interest (through my home program and not direct contact, of course). so if they like you, you can still do it. that being said, if you really want to do your residency in california, why wouldn't you do an away rotation there? if there's a place you really want to be, that's the perfect place to do an away rotation. people get too focused on doing away rotations to get letters. not saying you are doing this, but all of you applicants out there should be trying to do an away rotation at schools you actually want to go to, or think you may rank at the top.
