Moving to LA/SoCal area?

This may seem like all the other questions, but it is a bit different. I'm looking to move to Southern California to help my daughter persue acting. My husband and son are also comming. Both children are teens. We're looking to buy a house/ rent a house and don't want to live in an apartment. We have looked at areas like Laguna Beach and Laguna Nigel, but would prefer something closer to Hollywood because gas is so expensive. What is a great place to live that is close to LA (great if it was by the ocean), that was a nice community w/a good school system? (besides places such as Beverly Hills or Malibu which are too expensive)