This back-and-forth is VERY helpful to me. I had no idea about the Inland Empire. OK. Soooo...., I have lived in Torrance, a comfortable and familiar area , and so may make the move back to the South Bay. I’ll need a place to set up in SoCal for after June because I may need to sub in LAUSD. Or I just might “hit the road” and see what else awaits outside LA. Thanks for the “heads up.”
Gardena, Inglewood, and Hawthorne (especially on the westside) are on the way up due to the new Rams/Chargers stadium and SpaceX with all their new employees.
There's lots of new money pouring into the area which is making nice placer nicer (and maybe too expensive) and once bad places livable.
Best of luck on your choices.