Well, one of the reasons for suggesting LA is its relatively equable year-round climate. Yes, I know it can get cold, but it generally doesn't get all that cold and in comparison with most other parts of the US or Europe at that time of year it is positively tropical. SF is nice, but the weather can be much worse. San Diego, on the other hand, might be doable. And it's a nice town.

If we did LA (or anywhere in Southern California), we could time it so that the majority of people could be there. We could take a straw poll of dates to ensure that the most people can come.

And for most USn's it would almost count as foreign travel, wouldn't it?