Pacific Bell offers a per-month Wire Repair Plan for 60 cents per month per line. In any given area, the pricing of various calling plans is essentially the same among the major carriers. The only major carrier that is noticably cheaper is Sprint, but a number of sources tells me that you get what you pay for. If pricing is a serious issue, then fish around for current promotions. Be wary, however, of being stingy on the model of your phone.
Some cheaper phones do perform poorly.
Saving a few bucks on a phone is trivial when you consider the hundreds you'll spend on the calling plan over the life of the contract. If you're thinking of the Motorola StarTac, you might as well buy a Versace tie. You'll pay too much, a few people in Beverly Hills will realize that you're cooler than everybody else, but you'll still have to find the nearest payphone. As with all services, there are a few weak spots where service fails, e.g., some posh segments of Sunset Blvd. Nonetheless, the service is excellent overall, and unlike most local companies, coverage extends over most of southern California as well as nationwide.