<p>Lil, nothing is safe in life, but crime is at it's lowest point in almost fifty years in California according to the Public Policy Institute of Calfornia:</p>
<p>http://www.ppic.org/main/publication_show.asp?i=1036</p>
<p>"California’s violent crime rate is at its lowest level since 1967. After increasing slightly in 2012, California’s violent crime rate dropped by 6.5% in 2013, to a 46-year low of 397 per 100,000 residents. From 1960 to 1980, the state’s violent crime rate increased from 239 to 894 violent crimes per 100,000 residents—a staggering 274% rise. After declining in the early 1980s, the rate rose to a peak of 1,120 in 1992. Since then, violent crime has declined substantially. Nonetheless, in the most recent national data (from 2012), California’s violent crime rate of 422 per 100,000 residents was higher than the national rate of 387 and ranked 16th among all states. In 2013, 59% of violent crimes in California were aggravated assaults, 35% were robberies, 5% were rapes, and 1% were homicides."</p>
<p>You hire babysitters (maybe), so maybe you can find someone who is interested in learning nature photography to accompany you and be your bodyguard at the same time as they learn the tricks of your trade. You're much more likely to get assaulted at an ATM or injured driving to and from where you would like to shoot some pics. </p>
<p>You might even start your own photo class and have your own group for safety.</p>