I've been flying in Los Angeles for a while and I've never had to go up
to 12,000 or 13,000. There are routes in every direction that allow you
to fly much lower. When going to Santa Barbara I just go along the
coast. When I go to Bakersfield (or that general direction) I follow
the 5 freeway through the mountains. When going to Palm Springs I go
through the Banning Pass. When going south I go along the coast. Flying
in SoCal isn't as hard as it looks.