Uh, yeah. If I "went off", that was probably when I was still a Druggie. :-D I am clean and sober these days and, usually, considerably toned down.

I do know that L.A. had better air quality than Riverside, even while I was there. I used to live in Southern California -- out in the Mojave Desert -- and I just so happen to know some folks there. About a week before the end of GIS school, my sons and I attended a birthday party in, um, The Palisades?? Someplace upscale on the coast. It was blessed relief to get away from Riverside, where the smog was just terrible. It wasn't really THAT bad when I showed up. It changed about 3 weeks after I arrived. I think the sulfur content went up and sulfur allergy runs in the family. I don't have an official diagnosis but it is highly likely that I am allergic to sulfur. I was threatening to go into anaphylactic shock every time I left the building. That is why I was put on so many drugs that I only completed drug withdrawal about a month ago.
However, I will say this: I really like the college system in California generally. I have lived all over and I have taken college classes from about 9 colleges. Most of those are California colleges. I looked into attending school in every duty station we ever lived at. In some places I didn't take a single class because the college system so pathetically could not meet my needs. I completed my associate's within a year of moving to Cali and I have been in college (on and off) pretty much "ever since". I am about 6 classes short of my bachelor's and GIS school was graduate level work. And I plan on getting my Master's through USC (their Sacramento Center -- where the air is more breathable and the commute is only about 45 minutes from where I live now

). I did have some stuff on UCLA's website bookmarked at one time. I think it was their double major in something like social work and planning or economic development (something like that) which was one factor that helped lead me to consider a planning degree. Years ago, my goal was to go into social work.
Anyway, no offense intended.

Just making chit-chat and the air quality is, unfortunately, the first thing that comes to mind when I think of the L.A. basin. I suppose I am psychologically "scarred for life" on that topic. :-\