Well, both LA and Santa Monica are part of Los Angeles County. Plus, Santa Monica is bordered on all sides by the actual city of LA. People frequently do refe

Well, both LA and Santa Monica are part of Los Angeles County. Plus, Santa Monica is bordered on all sides by the actual city of LA. People frequently do refer to many cities in the county as living in LA. San Jose and San Francisco are in separate counties and are 48 miles apart, while downtown LA to Santa Monica is 16 miles. Also they do not border each other.