Just got back from vacation. Did a couple shore dives right off La Jolla cove. The swim out wasn't bad at all, and depth was about 30 feet, so we got some good bottom time.
The site was mostly rocky bottom with a variety of algae, including stands of kelp. Surge was minimal at depth. Vis was about 15 feet - certainly no Carribean dive. Saw lots of little fish I cannot ID, Garibaldi of course, a few sea hare, and some sheeps head crab that are surprisingly large. I'd recommend it to any diver who understands the need to get in the water if they are at the ocean.
I only found one LFS - Octopus Gardens. I'd compare it to Pets Inc. without the freshwater and other pets. The majority of the tanks were OK, but he did have a top-down view SPS/clam tank that looked quite good. He must have just gotten a shipment of clams, becaue he had all types in many sizes and they looked quite healthy.
The owner asked me how good our shops were in Phoenix. I told him we had several good ones and lots of avid reefers here. He then surprised the heck out of me by referring to us Phoenicians as "rich" and able to afford this hobby. He went on to explain that CA housing pretty much sucks the life out of many people's expendable income there, so not lots of people can afford reefs in the living room. Kinda' blew me away - I always though the CA people had everything. Guess Phoenix 'aint so bad after all.