>If things were to *really* get out of hand, with consumer
rates that were so high they might start to rival my rent
payments, I may be forced to move back to the central part
of Los Angeles
Indeed, I expect this kind of thing will start happening. People moving to the City of L.A. for the cheap, stable power. Real estate ads will mention "LA DWP power" as a selling point. Huge industrial areas like City of Industry and Vernon, which are nearby, but not in the City of L.A. will suffer massive disruption because of high utility prices and the mess that blackouts will cause heavy industry.
I live in Venice, not far from you. However it is part of the City of L.A. and my electric power is cheap and stable (my gas bill has gone up like everyone else's). Interestingly, L.A. DWP is owed nearly 200 million by SCE and PG&E, as they've been selling surplus into the grid too..
The economic and political ramifications of this are going to be huge. Not just in California, either.