joanj,
I used to live in Coronado and the Gaslamp. But, now I am in Phoenix. I work for a company that does a lot of shows in the Southern California area - Santa Monica, Culver City, etc. The shows typically have classes and are full of wonderful sparkly things. You can see our show schedule on our site - swing by and say hello if you happen to go to a show we are at.
Happy Beading!