I have been running a Santa Monica based bubble blog for 5 years. Just google “santa monica distress monitor”. Anyway, I turned more bullish a few years back and ended up buying in Culver City. I also work in downtown LA and my commute is 10 miles and is against the traffic flow for the most part so it is quick. The light rail just opened as well so you can go that route too. You also get away from LAUSD schools here which is good. $675k is on the lower side for something decent here but there are pockets of Culver City which could work for you in that range. Best of luck.
