asp2011, I doubt that you'll find any steeper climbs that you now face in the Bay Area, but the distance of the climb could very well be greater. I don't think a 53-39 is ideal for the Bay Area and if I lived there (my son was transferred there so I have a fairly good idea of the terrain) I'd change to a compact or a triple crankset.
I'd swap in a compact crankset (a compact's chainrings may be transferrable to your present crankset, worth checking on) and ride that before any other changes.
Brad