I'm a west coast guy myself, spend most of my time in L.A. and what-not. But SB is one of the best places to go if you're looking to stay for awhile. There are tons of places a traveler can spend time especially if you look college aged. The cops aren't too aggressive, and the locals usually just assume you're a college kid when they see you. Lots of freegans around too, so you can always find lots of people who are looking to help you out. As far as rent goes, it really does get pretty expensive, but I like to spend nights on the beach when I can. Just keep your eyes open for patrols. If you get busted, you can always just tell them you got locked out of your dorm and they usually just ask you to move along. Keep your eyes out for the skeevy college guys though, because they can get pretty aggressive if they think you're alone. Other than that you should be fine. There are always places looking to hire college kids for part time stuff, and if you go to the campus you should have no problem finding a posting board for roomates, which would really help if you plan on staying for a while.