I'm also relocating to LA, from the east coast, and am looking for a roommate, and a place to live.
I've spoken extensively with students in my USC lab group, and they all highly recommended not living near campus, but living elsewhere and taking either the metro or driving in. I'm now considering Culver City/ Palms, since its along the expo line, however I believe it is a 25 min travel time to USC, which would make for a longer commute. I haven't ruled out downtown LA / Koreatown since it also has metro access and a faster transit time to USC.
feel free to message me! I'm actually flying out to LA tomorrow for a conference, and will be using my spare time to explore the city some more.