Sorry to hear that, David.
I live in Cerritos, which is southeast of DTLA, nearly on the rim of the county, next to OC. I don't have a car; I use transit. So it would take me three hours to get to, say, Hollywood. I got a tiny room for $500/month, which is why I'm there and not in Hollywood. Still looking for a decent job.
'86 was 31 years ago. I did some research on Hollywood and I reckon things have changed there significantly. And then social media arrived. Which brings us to meetup.com, but those meetings occur only once or twice a month. Just last night I had an experimental electronic session with about six people. Perhaps I'm looking to satisfy that need for bonding a little too quickly and should develop some patience for that.