At first I thought it would be less risky to do LA first and typed up as much. But now I'm thinking otherwise. You absolutely can do it in one step if you are m

At first I thought it would be less risky to do LA first and typed up as much. But now I'm thinking otherwise. You absolutely can do it in one step if you are motivated enough and can sell yourself. With $10k you can expect to live for at least 3-4 months in a cheap fashion(carless, renting with roommates) in the Bay Area. So start by planning for a long vacation out here - get a weekly-rate motel, AirBnB, or go couchsurfing. Go to the local hackerspaces, go to meetups, make some contacts. Get a good demo side project together. Maybe complete the demo, then quit your job and move. If you like the demo as a product, you can try pitching it. You might need funding to take it further, but that route is as possible as a job in the current environment.