[MQAAord]

When one is on reserve, it's usually best to have a crash pad in your base city. A place where you can stay so that you'll make your reserve call-out times.

Some airlines have long-call reserve, where you get as much as 12 hours notice, but they may also have a certain number of "short call" days, where your call-out is as short as 2 hours.

If you're on reserve, be damn sure you can get to the airport in the time alloted. If you have a 2 hour callout and you're on reserve in LAX, you'd better be in LAX! Not the bay area!

But again, why so big on having to be based in LAX? There are many flights from SJC/OAK/SFO to pretty much every major hub airport for every airline. There are people who commute from the bay area to NY. You would probably get off reserve sooner, and have an easier commute if you were based elsewhere.