I agree, but we have to go by official designations in order to avoid endless battles over boundaries and inclusions. Just look at the above thread for an example of this kind of battle. The census defines this Combined Statistical Area as consisting of Ventura, Los Angeles, Orange, San Bernardino, and Riverside counties. There is no larger official region besides the state. Some geographers and other academics have begun to identify a larger urban region (called Bajalta California by some), but there aren't nearly enough different sources to cite to overcome the opposition that would be encountered on this page.