Sucks you had those experiences. Been to both multiple times and have had nothing but great, mind opening experiences. I thought LA was just a soulless town, full of soulless people, turns out they have insane local food, vast history, and culture, so granular as to be different neighborhood to neighborhood. Yeah the folks that flock their are shizzy, but overall, it's fantastic with communities that have been there for generations. San Fran is just a lot of fun in general and so many great tour spots. Too cold/north for my liking, but also had a lot of great experiences and met a lot of great people. Not a place I'd live, but wonderful to visit. Again, just my experiences.
And being that close to some insane national parks just tops it off, for both cities. But, bang for my buck, I'd live in San Diego if I were out that far west. Bit more affordable and very warm. Similar to LA in terms of cultural capital. Fewer d-bags.