Originally Posted by no1mad

Okay, first off, that sales guy was trying to sell you what he would use if he were you. And most of the advice you'll get here will be biased upon our own tastes and experiences.

You don't NEED carbon anything, nor clipless or the shoes. You may want the shorts, but you could start out with compression shorts and gym shorts over those. You don't really need disc brakes or fenders if you don't have to deal with too much rain. San Diego is a large enough town that there are other brands available. I'd suggest looking at entry level performance/fitness bikes.

That $750 budget of yours... is that just the bike or bike and accessories? I'd suggest giving a look at the Giant Escape City and add some bar end extensions to give you a change of hand positions. Ergon grips if you don't like the stock ones. You'll need decent lights- look to the Electronics forum here for that- a lock (possibly two), gloves, pumps (both on the bike and floor for the house), patch kit, spare tube. Helmet and mirror are strongly encouraged.

Take some time and visit as many of the LBS' that you can, find one that gives you the warm and fuzzy, then buy something from them. Virtually every brand will have something that will be of similar price.