In addition to that, SFO is already down a runway which is causing some delays because planes need to go around the construction zones. An airplane with a poten

In addition to that, SFO is already down a runway which is causing some delays because planes need to go around the construction zones. An airplane with a potentially damaged landing gear can close all of the remaining runways due to the cross layout that SFO uses. LAX is laid out a little differently, so you aren't risking having the whole airport close for a while if something does go wrong. When combined with the need to burn off some of the fuel, LAX seems like a sensible choice. You don't need to travel over any particularly tall terrain, LAX is large and should have sufficient runways for an airplane that might have trouble coming to a stop quickly. Since there was no issue with actual in-flight operation of the airplane, it's also not a 'land right the frak now' situation.