diphthong

if you can squeeze an 11-32 cassette onto your steed(s)...dü it. gmr/grr to baldy is 22+ miles so a longish climb. baldy grades ridiculous. gmr/grr not too bad
but a few miles before cow saddle enroute to baldy, if you haven't been crushing it lately, you're gonna need that bailout gear to recover simply due to attrition.
there are quite a few long climbs in socal where the bailout gear would come in handy because going uphill 10+ miles ain't easy even if you're pumped to do it:
gmr/grr, blg pines to ach to dawson, lone pine canyon, the 39 (especially to dawson), the length of ach in either direction, the 33 starting in ojai, the 38 up to onyx,
the 330 up to onyx, the 18 from lucerne valley (loooong) up to onyx, the 18 from lake gregory area to big bear lake, the 243 to idyllwild, the 74 (then 243) up to idyllwild from
palm desert or hemet, montezuma grade from borrego springs up to ranchita, pine valley to mount laguna store, kitchen creek, east grade of palomar mountain,
south grade of palomar mountain, gibraltar and east camino cielo from santa barbara. death valley np has dante's view climb, daylight pass and towne pass.
probably forgot one or two or three.

so those super longish grades along with ridiculous shorter but substantial grades like potrero, westlake blvd/hwy23, las flores, deer creek, corral creek in the
santa monica mountains (sammos), mt. baldy, forest falls in the san bernardinos (san berdoos), palm springs tram grade along the way. this ain't florida.
you wanna ride a majority of the best scenic roads in socal? gear up for the mountains. you won't regret it. did/done most everything in socal with a 34 x 27
as a bailout gear. grinder style doable but definitely not recommended if you can rock a 11-30 or 11-32 instead.