Folder Fanatic: I, too, am a LA native (working north-ish, in no particular order: Long Beach, Compton, Bell, Echo Park, Midtown, West L.A., Mandeville Cyn, Van Nuys, Canoga Park, Box Canyon, Topanga, Malibu, + some time in the San Gabriel Valley.)

In three separate posts you've suggested that by recommending a locking option I might be out of touch with poorer riders who can't afford (like me?) to simply replace a bike if stolen. That's quite an assumption, not to mention a judgement.

I had a bike stolen from a garage that was broken into. The "object" of the theft was not the bike, but there it was for the taking. That's when I bought my first lock.

I've spent many years on college campuses. Few locked bikes are stolen in daylight hours, though opportunity thefts like a seat or pack occur. To the OP, if it turns out that you have an afternoon class in a crowded room on the 6th floor with narrow halls and small elevators, you may want to think about a good lock. If you can't secure the seat, take it along

My 2 cts.