Commuting to LA from Chino?

[Dustin_Perez]

I was wondering how realistic/difficult it is to commute from Chino to LA. I'm in my last year at UC Irvine and would prefer to stay home for a couple years to save money. However there aren't many Computer Science related jobs in my area. I'm also really interested in working in LA in general as I am interested in working in the film industry. If I were to commute I would prefer to take the train.

[ampmkhan]

Hi Dustin. I have lived in Chino Hills most of my adult life and have commuted all across the LA area. The answer to your question is: it depends.

DRIVING:

The most achievable driving commute from Chino to LA is if your job is anywhere east of Western, like Downtown, Arts District, Pico Union, Westlake, Echo Park, Silver Lake, and, at most, Koreatown, East Hollywood, and Los Feliz, will be about 35-40 miles from Chino. Once you cross that threshold of Western, you're now braving longer mileage and time into the Westside and Beach cities like Santa Monica, Venice, Palms, Culver City, Westwood, Century City, and so forth. Those points are 40-55 miles from Chino. As far as time commuting by car, I've found that an average speed of 25 mph is a handy go-by to estimate peak traffic congestion, and 75 mph for off-peak travel.

So that breaks out to:

East of Western:
35 miles away: Peak, 84 mins, Best, 28 mins
40 miles away: Peak, 96 mins, Best, 32 mins

Past Western:
45 miles away: Peak, 108 mins, Best, 36 mins
50 miles away: Peak, 120 mins, Best, 40 mins
55 miles away: Peak, 132 mins, Best, 44 mins

These numbers reflect what many find true about LA--when freeways are empty, it's a wonderfully accessible place, but in peak traffic, it can be demoralizing.

PUBLIC TRANSIT:

As you probably know, there aren't a ton of public options around Chino, but there are two good ones if you plan accordingly.

First, there's a Metrolink that runs from the City of Industry station (off 60 and Grand at Golden Springs) to Union Station in Downtown. The trip is a consistent 35-40 minutes and runs about $17 round trip (some employers subsidize this). When I worked in Downtown, I used this option a lot, because I avoided all freeways, had a predictable schedule, and received subsidies from work. You would have to drive from Chino to the station at Industry, which has a large, free park and ride. That drive is about 12 miles (15-20 mins). Again, this works best if your job is Downtown or near it. If you need to get further, you'll have to rely on the Metro lines, which of course adds time. If you wanted to work in Hollywood proper, for example, you could drive 15 mins to Industry station, 35-40 train to Union, and 20 mins on Red line to Hollywood/Western stop (similar to peak driving, but less stressful and intense).

The second option is the Foothill Transit bus line. It leaves daily from the Park and Ride at Chino Ave off the 71, which is like just 5-10 mins from wherever you are. The bus is about an hour straight to Downtown and, like the Metrolink, is generally reliable and convenient, but most ideal for Downtown travelers.

As someone who spent 9 years doing these commutes, my advice is to find jobs generally east of Western, and even then, think twice about it, and try to get your peak commute to never be greater than about 1hr 30 each way, as anything more will wear on you quick. For jobs further out, it's worth saving money and trying to get a cheap apartment closer to work. I intentionally left out commutes to other areas, like Long Beach, Orange County, etc since your Q seemed focused on LA, but those would be similar calculations.

Hope this was helpful!

[Jeff_Owen]

You have a hot bed of jobs in Irvine, Santa Ana and Corona. Where in LA? Downtown, El Segundo, Torrance, Burbank, Pasadena. Look for what can be reached easily from the 60 or 91. Don't over look City of Industry, Walnut, Monrovia, SanDimas and points east.

[Chris25]

Hi Dustin,

Congrats on closing out your comp-sci degree. I took a similar route having come from Pomona & chose to work downtown LA and eventually Santa Monica after moving to the city.

My best recommendation, with easy commute as the goal, would be to work in downtown LA. You can easily access the Metrolink & LA Metro trains to get where you need to go and not having to drive makes the commute significantly less painful.

However, if you want to focus on the entertainment industry then Hollywood, WeHo, the Valley, etc. are more likely going to be your domain and either A.) moving here or B.) driving in very early or very late would be your best bet.

On a more personal note, I had a very similar path having come from around the IE and also graduated in computer science. You'll likely get a job with at least $60K+ starting plus benefits or you may be able to negotiate a lower-paying job at $50K+ with the ability to work remotely a few days a week. If you're set on living in Chino then I would look to companies that are comfortable with you being in-office a few days a week and remote the rest of the time. If you're open to moving then I think your quality of life would be greatly improved by moving to the westside and having a roommate in an area such as Palms or Korea Town where there are nice, rent-friendly places to live.

[Dustin_Perez]

Thank you so much for the detailed information! very helpful!

[Dustin_Perez]

Hi Chris,

Thanks for the reply. I'm also considering staying in Irvine if I get a good enough offer but I definitely am interested in the culture at LA. Do you have any suggestions for how to try to negotiate working at home some days?

[Chris25]

Hi Dustin,

Irvine definitely has some great positions so best of luck in your search.

All of this is debatable & personal opinion based on what has worked for me or friends of mine but my primary tips in finding a position that allows working remotely a few days a week are:

1. Look for smaller companies (especially with recent investment). These companies have fewer rules and greater flexibility so they're more likely to accommodate requests such as a few days remote.
2. I would compromise up to 10% of my salary to be remote 2 to 3 days per week. This isn't really brought up though until have an offer has been made. Ideally, you come in with a specific set of skills or interests that the company desires.
3. Apply for jobs through a recruiter. This was literally the most helpful resource I've ever had in changing jobs. My salary went up 30% and I was able to continue working remotely.
4. During the interview, stress your ability to be transparent & communicative. It helps to reassure you are trustworthy & easy to reach.
5. Don't be afraid to ask! I've found it's better to wait until the end as you're provided greater negotiating power but 100% up to you in what you are comfortable with.