That's basically the problem. People think of LA as one city, but it's really a couple of dozen cities and towns in one metro area. Heck, there's six downtowns, in a way: downtown LA proper, downtown Beverly Hills, downtown Pasadena, downtown Encino (sort of), downtown Century City, and downtown Hollywood -- all major business districts. There's the beaches, the Valley, the hills... it's a mess getting around, especially for out-of-towners. Much worse for people who don't drive.
Sometimes, you gotta go where the work is. If somebody offered you a project that paid you ten times more than you ever made in your life, I bet you could change your mind.
