Well, yes, you are correct, and I was aware that Compton is not in OC. I did grow up in SoCal, and I tend to see it as a little more monolithic than you do perhaps. It's a weird thing. I never noticed much going from Anaheim to Torrance... but head the other way to Garbage Grove and there's a bit more of a noticeable difference, shall we say! So, I know what you're getting at. I just think the incredible cosmopolitanism of SoCal in general should give one more leeway to be different... it takes a lot more to stand out in that crowd.
And by the way... up til I left CA, I did spend summers at Newport. That was on the beach though, so I will admit my experiences there may be a bit different than yours if you live there. (Admittedly, I laughed when I read your use of the word "conservative" to describe anywhere in California. )
One feeling I always got in CA is that people are more insulated from each other than they are in say, the Midwest. People in CA don't know their neighbors, and don't care to. They don't have friends so much as acquaintances. People are shallow, quick to judge, and overall less friendly. I know I'll get some upset responses from Californians for saying that, but that's my experience from having lived there, and in places much different; contrasting them. YMMV.