I was born in southern California in 1948 and lived there and Arizona and New Mexico for most of my adult life. Try living in Phoenix in the summer and tell me it is the same climate as Los Angeles. It is not.
Cactus may grow in LA but there are tons of other flora from southern California that would die and shrivel up if transplanted to the Sonoran desert in the Phoenix area. Just one example, Queen Anne palms flourish in southern California but struggle to survive in the desert heat of Phoenix.
Of course Death Valley is a desert but it's not what people normally refer to as southern California. Los Angeles and San Diego are both considered Mediterranean climes.
Los Angeles Is Not a Desert. Stop Calling It One
Wikipedia--Los Angeles Metropolitan Area Is Classified As A Mediterranean Climate
I m aware of the climates all ver sphere Cal, Arizona up to Utah, NM, texas. This is not about where we lived decades ago.
200 years ago LA climate was med climate especially the LA basin and down the coast. The basin is protected from the high and east deserts by the mountains. There were ponds. forests and the rivers flowed freely.
That’s not true anymore. No natural ponds, forests the population booms have destroyed much of the med environment.
While the temperature is more moderate than Palmdale and Riverside, it has many characteristics of the desert.
I believe Santa Barbara is a Med Climate
PS I don’t mind little debate/argument with someone with a well thought out POV.